Status: Coach of daughters Venus and Serena Williams who have won a combined 23 Grand Slam singles titles and seven Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles, including combined prize money of over $67 million.
Hobbies/Interests: “I used to play golf, basketball and football.”
Favorite Movies: “I don’t have a favorite movie. Never have.”
Musical Tastes: “I like the music I make. I make my own tracks, my own music. I play drums, I play guitar, piano.”
Favorite TV Shows: “I don’t have one, I don’t watch TV.”
First Job: “It was very interesting…I robbed the damn place [laughter]. (How old were you?) 17.”
First Car: “1953 red Ford.”
Pre-Match Feeling: “Happy. Believing that the girls go all the way to win. And so, occasionally when they lose, I’m never disappointed, because I figure I’m already ahead [laughs].”
Favorite Meal: “Burger King, number two.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Strawberry.”
Greatest Tennis Moment: “When I saw Venus come on the court for the first time (in Compton, Calif.). That would be my greatest tennis moment. (How old was she?) Four years, six months. (What do you remember seeing that day in Venus on the court?) Out of about 500 balls, she only struck about four correctly. And if you could just…visualize the future…you could see it all right there. That was my greatest moment in tennis.”
Most Painful Tennis Moment: “It was in Indian Wells when we got booed.”
Funny Tennis Memory: “Yeah, Luke and Murphy Jensen in tennis, they make me laugh. They’re the greatest team in tennis that I can think of next to Venus and Serena.”
Childhood Dream: “A doctor. I went to med school and they take you over to the hospital and you see all the blood and cutting…I knew I had the wrong trade [laughter].”
People Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty and trustworthy.”
Childhood Hero: “My mom (Julia Mae Williams). (Why her?) Because my mom taught me everything I know, on how to live. She taught me how to live, she taught me how to die. She taught me how to live in a white society that hated me. And be very successful at it. My mother will always be my hero…[pause]…you know what? That was the most interesting interview I’ve ever done in my life.”
Topics: Burger King, Childhood Dream, Childhood Hero, Compton, Damn Place, Favorite Tv, First Car, First Job, Guitar Piano, Hobbies Interests, Indian Wells, Med School, Murphy Jensen, Musical Tastes, Olympic Gold Medals, Own Music, Prize Money, Red Ford, Serena Williams, Venus And Serena, Venus And Serena Williams, Watch Tv
Biofile Richard Williams | 