
via Getty
KEY BISCAYNE, FL – APRIL 01: Richard Williams watches as his daughter Venus Williams plays against Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during day ten of the Sony Ericsson Open at the Crandon Park Tennis Center on April 1, 2009 in Key Biscayne, Florida. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

via Getty
KEY BISCAYNE, FL – APRIL 01: Richard Williams watches as his daughter Venus Williams plays against Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during day ten of the Sony Ericsson Open at the Crandon Park Tennis Center on April 1, 2009 in Key Biscayne, Florida. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Sisters Venus and Serena Williams need no introduction today. The girls from Compton have etched their names in the annals of tennis through their sheer dominance of the tour. However, both of them will have bittersweet memories of their initial playing days.
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Back when the girls were in their prime, their father, Richard Williams, was pretty popular for his bold and unfiltered comments. The girls had to endure the reaction of such comments later, as the crowd used to heckle them, even after giving brilliant performances.
In one such instance, the Williams sisters received a lot of hate from the Indian Wells crowd. Richard Williams later reacted to the incident.
Richard Williams accuses other tennis players of using his name for publicity
In Indian Wells, the Williams family received a harsh reaction from the crowd because Venus pulled out of her match against Serena. Understandably, Richard Williams was not pleased with what happened there. Further, he accused other tennis players of speaking against him to stay in the limelight.
“The girls that play professional tennis are always saying something about me,” he said. “The only way those girls get their names in the paper – they would have to say something about me. Otherwise, no one would write about them,” he added.
Unlike Indian Wells, the sisters got a loud reception and applause in the Ericsson Open. Praising the crowd, he further added,
“This reception here at the Ericsson has been tremendous. You can see the results with the score today. Serena wasn’t being booed so she was able to play her game.”
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Achievements of Venus and Serena Williams
After over two decades after their debut, the Williams sisters are regarded as two of the best tennis players to have come from the United States. Talking about their achievements, the elder sister, Venus, has won seven Grand Slam titles.

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16 Jan 1998: Teenage tennis sisters from America, Venus (left) and Serena Williams take time off a practise session to pose together during the Adidas International event at White City in Sydney, Australia. Mandatory Credit: Clive Brunskill/Allsport
However, it is the younger sister, Serena Williams, who has broken several records, with none more impressive than her whopping 23 Grand Slam titles. She is second only behind Margaret Court in the list of most Grand Slam titles. Additionally, both of them have individually topped the WTA singles rankings.
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Both the sisters are still active on the tour. It will be interesting to see how many more records they make and break before they finally say goodbye to their professional tennis careers.
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