Some viewers of Will Smith’s King Richard may be left wondering, “Is the coach and father of tennis superstars still living after seeing the movie?”
The Oscars are quickly approaching, and Will Smith is making moves to ensure he is at the front of the line. This week saw the worldwide release of King Richard, Smith’s latest smash hit, which tells the story of Richard Williams, the father of tennis greats Serena and Venus.
Even though there are a lot of Richard the Lionheart admirers out there tweeting their support, there have been rumors that the king could not be around much longer.
What About Richard Williams, Is He Alive?
According to the New York Post, Venus’ and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Dove Williams Jr., is still alive but in very bad shape. The 79-year-old had a major stroke in 2016 and has, unfortunately, had multiple smaller strokes since then. Court documents from a case Williams filed against his ex-wife Lakeisha in 2019 reveal that he also suffered a neurological disease that is affecting his ability to talk.
Read More: Dixie D’amelio Met Gala: Reasons for Charli and Dixie D’amelio’s Exclusion from The Met Gala!
A number of social media misinterpretations have occurred since the release of King Richard on November 19th, leading some fans to wonder if Williams is still alive. Seemingly sparked by a number of posts discussing the film in the context of a “tribute,” which led some to speculate that Williams had died, these rumors have now spread.
Many others, including SNY News Anchor Chris Williamson, quickly dispelled rumors that Williams had passed away by tweeting, “Richard Williams is still alive btw.” The care of Richard Williams is currently being handled by his son, Chavoita Lesane.
Richard Dove Williams
On February 14, 1942, Richard Dove Williams, Jr. entered this world. Previously, he coached American tennis players. Venus Williams and Serena Williams, two prominent tennis players, share a father in King Richard Williams. An individual named “Old Whiskey” taught King Richard Williams the fundamentals of tennis.
After he saw Virginia Ruzici on television, he decided that all of his future daughters would pursue careers in tennis. Richard Williams took his daughters out of tennis camp in 1995 and started teaching them himself. His kids started winning grand slams within a few years. While Serena won the 1999 US Open, Venus defeated Lindsay Davenport to claim the 2000 Wimbledon championship.
Read More: Maverick City Controversy: Vocalist Issues a Conditional Apology for The Offensive Photo
Glass Shattered on The Court
Nobody ever doubted Richard Williams’ commitment to his plan for Tennis superstardom, but a recent disclosure from a former instructor indicates just how far the training drills went.
On the set of King Richard, John Bernthal’s character Rick Macci revealed to The Sun that the court’s perimeter would be littered with shards of glass for practice.
Macci elaborated on Williams’ strategy for Serena and Venus by saying, “the one thing I knew Venus and Serena had is they’d run over broken glass to get a ball.”
For more updates, keep visiting – pelhamplus.com
Leave a Reply