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‘If We Would Have Been Taught..’- Chris Evert Reveals Deep Regret After Witnessing Serena Williams’ Father’s Unique Coaching Antics

Published 02/28/2023, 10:03 AM EST

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Looking up to Venus and Serena Williams’ father, Richard Williams, and how he supported his daughters, the American tennis legend Chris Evert has only one regret in her life. Seeing Richard Williams do anything to stand up for his daughters made the 18-time Grand Slam champion realize the most significant thing about being a parent.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion who was also coached by her father believes that every athlete’s parent should have the mindset that  Williams’ father had for his daughter’s career. The way he trusted, acknowledged, and stood beside his daughters is the kind of support that athletes desire throughout their career.

Chris Evert praises Serena Williams’ father 

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The 68-year-old was recently invited as a guest on the ‘Fantastic Tennis’ podcast where she talked about her tennis career and also praised the important figure behind the Williams sisters’ success.

She took Richard Williams’ name as an example and addressed that having a father like him is a game-changer in itself. She lauded the way King Richards gave both Serena and Venus Williams confidence in order to establish a winning mentality in both of her daughters.  Additionally, she also shared a regret related to the same instance.

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She said, “I have to hand this to Richard Williams by the way, because he was the first father or tennis parent to say to his kids, to Serena and Venus go for it, be fearless go for it. I don’t care what happens you know just don’t be fearful. And I am like God, if we would have been taught like that. We might have been different people. We might have had different careers.”

‘Get Me the Biggest Cheater..’- Serena Williams’ Father Richard’s Biggest Gamble in Training His Daughters Revealed by Childhood Coach

The former world number one felt that if she was trained in a way that Richard trained his daughters, she would have been a totally different person on the tennis court.

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When Evert credited Richard for his daughter’s success

In an earlier interview with ESPN, the tennis legend was again full of praises for Richard Williams. She acknowledged that she was impressed by the way both the William sisters had the power to speak their minds in public. She credited the fearless nature of the iconic duo to their father.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion praised the father’s grit to coach his daughters like true champions.

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WATCH THIS STORY – ‘Serena Was a Prankster’ – Legendary Coach Rick Macci Reveals How Serena Williams as a Kid Was Different Than Venus Williams

Moreover, the veteran tennis star also stated that she was always fearful about expressing or taking a stand for herself. But in her next life, she would like to be more fearless just like the Williams sister.

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Written by:

Pratishtha Prakash

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Pratishtha Prakash is a Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. She has completed her Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media and Journalism from MIT ADT University, Pune. In the past, she has interned at the sports desk of The Hitavada, a regional English daily newspaper.
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Edited by:

Arijit Saha