Published 02/21/2023, 7:34 AM PST
Venus and Serena Williams shared great moments with their father, King Richard, as a parent and also as a coach. However, there was a time when the eldest Williams’ daughter defeated her father at a very young age to prove that she was ready to enter the competitive tennis world.
There was a time when the seven-time Grand Slam champion openly challenged her father to play a tennis match against her. Nevertheless, this was not the first time when the seven-time Grand Slam champion openly challenged someone. Just a couple of years ago, the former world number one also said that she could defeat the 80s legend John McEnroe after the former player made a striking remark against the Williams sisters.
When young Venus Williams defeated her father
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The 23rd Grand Slam champion in her autobiography, ‘Queen of the court‘, Serena talked about the time when she and her sister were nearly 9 to 10 years old. And how her sister, the seven-time Grand Slam champion, openly challenged their father who was a coach to them to a serious tennis match in Compton.
NO COMMERCIAL USE: Tennis sisters Venus (left) and Serena Williams with their father Richard before an interview with the BBC at the Lawn Tennis Championships, Wimbledon. (Photo by Michael Stephens – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)
She recalled, “I had no idea if she could beat him, because Daddy was such a good player. The day of the match finally arrived. It was set up at night, at one of the public parks. I remember it as a real exciting moment, a highlight family event, and Venus beat him. She did! I don’t remember the score, but I don’t think Daddy eased up to let her win. It was a hard-fought match. Daddy was sweating. He was trying, most definitely.”
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Moreover, a few years back, the eldest Williams’ sister opened up about how King Richard was not quite happy with the defeat.
Williams’ defeat didn’t make King Richard happy
According to the 42-year-old tennis player, winning a match against her father was one of the best moments of her life. However, that incident probably didn’t make her father very happy. So, the 7-time Grand Slam champion believed that it was not a good idea to show her parents’ love and respect as even realized she defeated her own father at something he was great at.
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Additionally, the rules set by her father were very simple: if the tennis star won the match, she would play in the upcoming tournament, that too at the professional level. Notably, the tennis star won that match against her father and got to play her first Wimbledon that year. And because of this, she was among the tennis players who entered the professional circuit at a very young age.