"I just find it remarkable that these two young women fulfilled the promise that their father laid out for them"- Cecil Harris on Serena and Venus Williams' incredible tennis journey
The story of Serena and Venus Williams from the time they were mentored by their ambitious father to a stage where the two siblings rose to dizzying heights in the tennis world has captured the imagination of sporting fans all over.
Venus and Serena Williams were followed closely by author and sportswriter Cecil Harris, who affirmed that he found it remarkable that the Williams sisters fulfilled the promise that their father laid out for them.
Speaking on the Beyond Confidence show hosted by author Divya Parekh, Harris spoke about Richard Williams' prediction that his daughters would become the two best players in the world and for them to make the prediction come true.
"Venus and Serena Williams are really the most successful sibling act in the history of sports," Harris stated.
"I got to write about them at the US open, then I went to Wimbledon, the famous tournament in England, to watch them play, I’ve seen them play at the Australian open, I’ve seen them play at the French Open, and I just find it so remarkable that these two young women fulfilled the promise that their father laid out for them."
"People thought he (Richard Williams) was just nuts, what does he mean they’re going to be the two best players in the world, but it happened and here they are now, in the year 2022, they haven’t retired yet," he added.
Harris also highlighted the fact that the legendary duo managed to succeed in tennis, which is a predominantly white sport.
"In 1994, Venus Williams was 14 and her father Richard Williams was making noise about how she’s going to be the best player in the world someday! Now tennis is a predominantly white sport, Venus Williams, a black girl from competent California which is not exactly a tennis hotbed yet her father was praising her, telling everyone who would listen, 'My daughter Venus is going to be the best tennis player in the world,' he added.
Venus Williams won her first match at the 1994 Bank of West Classic and lost her second to the second best player in the world: Cecil Harris
Harris recalled the night in October 1994, when Venus Williams, aged 14, competed in the Bank of the West Classic and beat Shaun Stafford, who had reached the fourth-round of the French Open earlier that year. However, Venus Williams went on to lose to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the next round.
Harris added that there was no shame in losing to the second-ranked player in the world and that Williams made her presence known with her run in the tournament.
1994 Bank of the West Classic 💫
Richard was the best tennis father!
He understood what it was all about.
(Btw he wasn’t rooting against his own daughter) https://t.co/Bq6ox6jsnT
"So that got my interest and when Venus played her first tournament in Oakland, California, Halloween night, 1994, I stayed up late to get the results from West Coast, Venus won her first match, lost her second to the second best player in the world so no shame in that but she showed everyone who was there, everyone who was paying attention, that she is going to be a future star," Harris said.
Asserting that the unconditional love of her parents helped Venus Williams achieve what she did, the sportswriter called them "her biggest fans.''
"That she did have enormous talent and her parents showed her unconditional love and they were her biggest fans and I think they’ve got a lot to do with it too, she got nothing but encouragement and love from her father and her mother," he added.