Richard Williams is an American tennis coach who has a net worth of $10 million dollars. Richard is the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
Early Life
Richard Dove Williams Jr. was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on February 14, 1942. After graduating from high school Richard eventually settled in California.
Marriages and Children
Not long after moving to California, Richard met Betty Johnson. They married in 1965. Richard and Betty had five children before they divorced in 1973. Those children were Sabrina, Richard III, Ronner, Reluss and Reneeka. Betty had a daughter from a previous relationship named Katrina who helped raised the kids after Richard and Betty divorced.
In 1979 Richard met Oracene Price, who went by “Brandy.” Brandy had two daughters from a previous marriage to a man who died. Brandy and Richard married in 1980. Brandy worked as a nurse and Richard worked as a security guared. They subsequently had two daughters, Venus – born on June 17, 1980 – and Serena – born on September 26, 1981.
Brandy and Richard raised their family in Compton, California. They ultimately divorced in 2002.
Next Richard began dating a woman named Lakeisha Juanita Graham, a local grocery store owner. This raised some eyebrows as Lakeisha was just one year older than Venus. Richard and Lakeisha married in 2010. They welcomed a son in 2012 and divorced in 2017.
Tennis
At some point after moving to Long Beach California, Richard was channel surfing and landed on the 1978 French Open. Polish player Virginia Ruzici ultimately won the women’s singles tournament. Richard wasn’t much interested in the tennis, what caught his eye was the $40,000 first place prize that Ruzici took home. That’s the same as around $170,000 in today’s dollars after adjusting for inflation.
Richard decided then and there that his daughters Venus and Serena would become tennis stars. He went so far as to write up an 85-page game plan to make his daughters the best tennis players in the world.
He began taking his daughters to public tennis courts to play tennis when they were children in the 80s. They would sometimes practice from 6am until dark.
After Venus was born, the family moved from California to Brandy’s hometown of Saginaw, Michigan. In 1981 they moved back to California, this time settling in the rough neighborhood of Compton.
In 1991 the family moved to Palm Beach, Florida so the girls could train full-time away from the violence of Compton. In Florida a local coach named Rick Macci recognized the girls’ potential and began training them more professionally.
Venus went pro in 1994 when she was 14. Serena went pro the following year.
In 1998 the sisters famously faced off in their first major professional match at the Australian Open. Venus was 17, Serena was 16. Venus won in straight sets.
In 1999 Serena won the US Open at the age of 18. In 2000 Venus won Wimbledon at the age of 20. When Venus won Wimbledon, Richard could be heard shouting “Straight outta Compton!” from the stands, a reference to the song by the rap group N.W.A. which was also from Compton.
As we all know now Venus and Serena Williams, went on to dominate the professional women’s tennis circuit for a number of years, and continue to win major tournaments on a regular basis.
Throughout the late 90s and early 2000s, he was quite visible as their coach, but they have since moved on to other coaches. Today Richard is regularly seen cheering them on from the stands now.
Venus and Serena Accomplishments
During their respective careers to date, Venus and Serena have won more than 120 singles titles including 30 Grand Slam singles titles. They’ve won 22 doubles titles together as teammates, 14 of which have been Grand Slams.
Combined the sisters have earned more than $175 million in tournament prize money alone. They have earned hundreds of millions more off the court from endorsements.
Book
In 2014 Richard co-authored a book titled “Black and White: The Way I See It.”
When not following his children’s tennis careers, he focuses on photography.
King Richard
In November 2021 a biographical film about Richard called “King Richard” was released by Warner Bros. Pictures. In the film he is portrayed by Will Smith.
| Net Worth: | $10 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Feb 16, 1942 (80 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Coach |
| Nationality: | United States of America |