Serena Williams father died

Richard Williams, who was the father of Venus and Serena Williams, passed away at the age of 80. King Richard, as he was often known, was the father of two great players who have won a combined 30 singles grand slam titles and 14 doubles wins in a career spanning more than a quarter century. Venus was born in 1980, whilst Serena rose to prominence in 1981. Two mixed doubles in French Open and Aussie Open in 1998.

In August’s edition of Vogue, dated September 2022, Williams revealed that she was “moving away from tennis and into other things that are essential to me.” She stated in her announcement that she loathed the term “retirement” and preferred “evolution.”

She then cited expanding her family, focusing on her venture capital firm, and spending more time with her family as reasons why she would be leaving the sport. She indicated that she was not prepared to win Wimbledon (where she was eliminated in the first round), but would attempt to do so in New York. She added that she consulted Tiger Woods before making her decision.

At her first match since the release of the Vogue piece, a loss to Belinda Bencic in Toronto, tournament organizers conducted an on-court interview with Williams and presented her with mementos of the city.

At the 2022 US Open, which many expected would be Williams’ final tournament, tournament directors aired a video following the presentation of her opponents but prior to Williams’ exit. Some perceived this to be insulting toward her opponents.

In front of Woods, Mike Tyson, Bill Clinton, Ruth Westheimer, Spike Lee, Vera Wang, and Eric Adams, the tournament aired a film narrated by Oprah Winfrey and had Gayle King conduct the post-match on-court interview. Following the interview, the audience engaged in a “WE SERENA” card stunt.

Following her declaration, numerous players, like Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff, complimented Williams and stated that without her, they would not be playing tennis.