Venus Williams, who reached the semifinals of Miami, says a highlight was having her father, Richard Williams, attend the tournament.
The elderly Richard Williams coached Venus and Serena since they began to play, but stopped traveling for the most part a few years ago. “I think last year Charleston was his last event, so he's kind of sticking to the tournaments in the States now,” the 36-year-old Venus said following her win against Svetlana Kuznetsova. “I could hear him on the sidelines. He really wanted it for me. So it's a happy moment when you come off the court. Even if I lose he's still very happy, but to see the joy and the pride and the excitement, I could win the match just for that.”
Venus is coached by David Witt these days, while younger sister Serena is coached by Patrick Mouratoglou. But it was their father who taught them that each needed to understand her own path.
“I feel that his greatest accomplishment was for Serena and I to be whole people and to not be statistics,” Venus said. “[Richard] just wanted us to not see tennis as the whole thing in our life. At this point I think he never wants us to retire, so it's a joy for him to see us out here.”