"They were at every tennis match; I know my parents will be there for me so that's huge when you know that, then you know you can conquer the world" - Venus Williams
Venus Williams and her sister Serena Williams have conquered the tennis world over the last two decades, firmly etching their names in the history books of the sport. The two players have managed to overcome several obstacles on their way to winning many big titles and the support from their parents has given them the belief to do so, according to Venus Williams.
In a recent video posted by Venus Williams on YouTube, the older of tennis' 'Williams Sisters' duo spoke about her parents' contributions to her life and tennis journey during her early years.
Williams is thankful to her parents for always being there for her and giving her the confidence to 'conquer the world.'
"I think my parents were always there, they were at every tennis match, I ran track growing up, every track meet, every bum fight they were at, you know. Even to this day, I know my parents will be there for me so that's huge, like when you know that, then you know you can conquer the world," Venus Williams said, when highlighting what she loved most about her parents while growing up.
"I think just knowing that they loved me and were there for me. I think when sometimes you don't like your parents aren't like paying attention to you and telling you what to do, sometimes you can feel like that they don't love you because they don't care enough to be there," she added.
Their father Richard Williams' contribution to their success has been well documented. At the same time, their mother Oracene Price has also been a regular companion on tour, supporting them every step of the way.
The five-time Wimbledon champion also highlighted the sacrifices her parents made to support her and Serena's tennis careers. Be it paying for tennis racquets and their stringing, new shoes, or just getting to tournaments, among other things, Richard and Oracene Williams always put the family's needs above all else, explained Venus Williams.
"Pretty much everything. I think every bit of finance went into fuelling like our tennis career, paying for stringing rackets, getting new shoes, paying for tournament entries, going to the tournaments all that stuff. So every single thing, like they could have been like at the club, or moving to a better neighbourhood, or anything shopping, but they lived in a way that really was about the whole family and not about them," said Williams.
She is eternally grateful for those sacrifices, which have helped her become "the champ."
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"So that can't be easy. I don't think I ever asked them if it was easy but i should now that I think about it, but it probably wasn't easy to make all those sacrifices. But at the end of the day I'm so glad that they did that because now I’m the champ," added the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
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There will never be a story like the Williams sisters in sports again. They’re the most incredible siblings in sports history, and it’s not even close. This is in all part of Richard Williams and Oracene Price and the love & admiration they have as sisters 👸🏾🎾 #GOATs https://t.co/1Itr5h0T4E
Venus Williams recalls the time she beat her dad at tennis as an eight-year-old
Venus Williams also looked back at some of her most memorable moments growing up. Among them is a specific memory of her dad, Richard Williams, which she holds particularly close to her heart.
The four-time Olympic gold medalist reminisced about beating her dad on the tennis court, who was her coach, as an eight-year-old. Her father may not have lived up to his side of the bargain after losing the match, but she still remembers the moment quite fondly.
"Yeah, I think one of my best moments growing up with my dad, and this probably didn't make him happy, so it's probably not a great way to show your parents love or respect, but I beat him," Williams said with a laugh, adding, "I was like eight years old and I remember specifically we were at this park that we called, maybe it was the duck park or was it the bridge park, we just like called it by like it was like the tetherball park or that had a ball."
"Anyway we're at this park and it was night, the lights are on we're always practicing late and I beat my dad. The rule was if I beat him I could play a tournament but he didn't let me for a year so yeah I had to wait. But I was always asking it's like I want to play I want to play so that was like a pretty cool memory," she said further.
Venus making a young fan's day 🥰
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The American tennis great recently made a comeback to professional tennis by playing in the mixed doubles event at Wimbledon with Jamie Murray. The duo bowed out in the second round.
While there is no clarity yet on Venus Williams' future tennis calendar, she is expected to play at the US Open, which is her home Grand Slam.