“They hated this man and Serena Williams for knowing she was great” – Fans in awe of American and her father as their ‘cocky’ comments resurface
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Serena Williams and her father Richard’s bold assertion about her ability to defeat opponents without giving her best recently resurfaced. Several fans reacted to the same, praising the duo’s confidence
Serena Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, and had an illustrious career. The American won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which is the most for a female player in the Open Era.Serena Williams’ achievements are often attributed to her father, Richard, who coached her during her childhood. Recently, a fan shared a clip from a 2002 MTV interview where Richard Williams showed immense confidence in his daughter, saying that she didn’t even need to reach her full potential to defeat her opponents on the WTA tour.
“Today is gonna be a big day. Serena’s going to go out and do her very best. She don’t have to play her best to win. All she has to do is play about 70%,” Richard Williams said.
Serena Williams later echoed her father’s sentiments, saying she only needed to give 70% of her potential to beat her opponents.
“If I play 70% against most of the players on the WTA tour, I will win,” she said.
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A group of fans on X were captivated by the father-daughter duo’s confidence in the clip. One fan said that they were hating for knowing the extent of Serena Williams’ greatness.
“They hated this man and Serena for knowing she was great. I love tennis because of Serena,” the fan wrote.
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“shhiiiiii….the truth ain’t cocky and Serena is right,” one fan said.
A fan hailed Serena Williams’ father, writing:
“Watching King Richard and seeing how he manifested his daughter’s greatness. Lord Bless Richard Williams always.”
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
“This the difference, she can have all the “cockiness” she wants cuz when she went on court she actually proved it. 0% delusion 100% truth,” a fan chimed in.
“It was true. Serena could beat everybody at half strength back then,” one fan agreed with Richard Williams.
“and they were right!” Another commented.
Serena Williams praised her parents’ commitments from the past recently
Cloud9 Champion's Day With Serena Williams
Cloud9 Champion’s Day With Serena Williams
Serena Williams began playing tennis in Compton when she was only four. Her father Richard and her mother Oracene encouraged her to take up the sport. The family later decided to relocate to West Palm Beach so that Serena and Venus could be trained by Rick Macci.
In an interview with The New York Times last month, Serena Williams praised her parents’ “commitment,” which propelled her to prominence.
“It also takes a lot of commitment from the parent, and that’s why I have so much respect for my mom and my dad,” she said.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion jokingly added that she can’t push her elder daughter, Olympia, in the same way.
“Because I was like, “OK, Olympia, we’re going to play tennis every Wednesday.” And now I’m like, “Ugh,” she added.
Serena Williams married Reddit co-founder and entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian in 2017, two months before the birth of their first daughter, Olympia. Their second daughter, Adira River, was born in July 2023.Williams retired from tennis in 2022, with that year’s US Open being her last tournament.
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Edition: English
