Richard Williams is a famous professional tennis player as well as a writer. He has trained many tennis players in his career. His work in the field is considered legendary. He is also equally famous for being the father of another legendary tennis player: Serena Williams.
He has been exceptionally well and phenomenal at his work. A film has also recently been made based on his life and struggles. The movie was released on 19 November this year. It has once again intrigued the public into his personal life.
Richard Williams Wiki, Family And Early Life
Richard Williams was born on 14 February of the year 1942 in Shreveport, Louisiana to his parents Richard Do Williams and mother Julia Mae Metcalf. He was really good at sports even when he was little. He later moved to Saginaw, Michigan after the completion of his high school education. He eventually shifted to California.
He was brought up alongside his four sisters: Barbara, Pat, Penny, and Faye. His family hails of African-American descent and follows Christianity. His family was not financially secure when he was growing up. They used to reside on 79th street near the railway track.
He was first interested in tennis after he saw Virginia Ruzici play. Ruzici was a professional Romanian tennis player. He started off from a scratch in his tennis career. Coming from a humble background, he surely has turned his life around beautifully. At present, he is well respected and deservedly so.
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What is Richard Williams’ net worth?
Richard didn't have much in his bowl early in his life. Hence, his fortune is even more impeccable as well as impressive given that he came from a financially troubled family. His net worth is estimated differently by many sources as the exact amount is not revealed.
Most sources have assumed him to be worth at least $10 million. He earned wealth from his career as a coach. His fame also led many brands to approach him for endorsements. It is not surprising that he possess millions of dollars at present.
Richard Williams Marriage
Richard has been married thrice in his 79 years of life. He met his first wife after he relocated to California. His first wife is Betty Johnson. They tied the knot in the year 1965 after a few years of being together. Their marriage was blissful and loving at the time.
Richard with his ex-wife Lakeisha (Source: The times)
The couple was blessed with five children from their marriage. Unfortunately, the two decided to part ways in 1973 after 8 years of marriage. He then met his second wife Oracene "Brandy" Price in 1979. They got married in 1980 after a year of dating.
The two welcomed two more children from the marriage who are famous than any other children of his: Serena and Venus. Richard and Brandy also parted ways after 22 long years. He then got married for the third time in the year 2010 to Lakeisha Juanita.
Lakeisha was a grocery store owner and just one year older than Richard's daughter Venus. The two also got divorced after seven years of marriage in 2017. At the moment, Richard is not married to anyone.
Richard Williams Children
Richard has a total of eight children from his three marriages. His first marriage gifted him five children named Sabrina, Richard III, Ronner, Reluss, and Reneeka. His children from the second marriage, Serena and Venus, are famous tennis players like their father.
He has also a son named Dylan from his third marriage to Lakeisha. Dylan was born in 2012 making him 9 years old as of 2021. His children are at very different ages in their lives.
Tennis
He learned to play tennis from a man named Old Whiskey after the birth of Serena and Venus. He then decided that his daughters will be professional players in the future. He was a dedicated father. He even wrote an 85-plan to teach the two when they were three and four years old.
When the two turned 9 and 10, he moved his family from Compton, California to West Palm Beach in Florida. He did this so that the two could get trained under Rick Macci. Rick had trained players such as Andy Roddick and Maria Sharapova.
King Richard
He pulled his two children from his tennis academy and started to coach them at home in 1995. He also stopped sending them to junior tennis tournaments as their schooling was being disturbed. This decision led them to face racial marks from the parents of other children.
This was a huge struggle for him as a father. In fact, this was the main motivation behind his biopic called King Richard. The movie was released on 19 December featuring Will Smith as Richard. It also features Saniyya Sidney as Venus and Demi Singleton as Serena.
Actor Will wanted to do King Richard for every black girl who wants to pursue her dreams. The children however want their father Richard to be the main focus of the film and not themselves.
Age, Height, Weight
He looks super fit even at the age of 79. He stands 6 feet tall and weighs 87 kilograms. His chest size is 42 inches whereas his waist is 36 inches wide. Richard has 16 inches biceps and wears a shoe size of 11.