Serena and Venus Williams are the daughters of Richard Williams and Oracene Price. Their parents were both part of the family story behind the sisters’ early tennis development, although accounts of the period—and the film King Richard in particular—give Richard’s coaching and decisions especially prominent attention.
Who are Richard Williams and Oracene Price?
Richard Williams and Oracene Price are the parents of Venus and Serena Williams. The National Women’s History Museum identifies Serena as the youngest of Price’s five daughters. The museum’s biography of Serena also places the family’s early tennis story in Compton, California.
How did the sisters begin playing tennis?
The National Women’s History Museum reports that Richard moved the family to Compton and that Serena began intensive tennis training with her father and her sister Venus at about age three. A Washington Post account of King Richard describes Richard and Oracene as developing their two younger daughters into champions, while giving particular attention to Richard’s role.
Richard’s coaching decisions
The Washington Post reports that Richard withdrew Venus from junior tennis because he objected to what he viewed as an emotionally abusive environment created by some tennis parents. That is the reasoning attributed to Richard in the account, not a general finding about all junior tennis or all tennis parents.
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The family’s move to Florida
A 2009 Guardian profile reported that the family moved from Compton to Florida when Serena was nine. That detail comes from the profile’s retrospective account. Read the Guardian profile.
What does King Richard show about the family?
King Richard dramatizes the Williams family’s early tennis years through a story centered on Richard. The USTA’s US Open coverage credits Richard’s tennis acumen as critical to the sisters’ rise and discusses the film’s portrayal of his encouragement. The USTA’s account of the film is one perspective on that portrayal; it is not a complete family biography.
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The Washington Post also frames Richard and Oracene together as parents in their daughters’ development, even as it discusses decisions associated with Richard. ABC News reported on Venus Williams discussing the film and her family’s role in the making of two professional champions. Taken together, these accounts help distinguish the broader family story from a film whose narrative focus is Richard.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can you read Richard Williams’s account?
Richard Williams’s memoir, Black and White: The Way I See It, co-authored with Bart Davis, offers his own perspective on his life and family. It is a memoir, not an independent account. Simon & Schuster’s publisher page lists the book.
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