#1 Richard Williams
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In the past decade or so, the name ‘Williams’ (regardless of the first name) used to strike fear in opponents’ minds and the man responsible was Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus.
An extremely polarising figure for his constant criticism of the tennis establishment apart from his antics, his role in shaping the careers of 2 of the modern greats of the game has to be acknowledged.
Supposedly, after deciding that women’s tennis had a lot of money in it, he taught himself the game and took to coaching his daughters in public courts around the crime-ridden neighbourhood of Compton. He moved to Florida after his girls were offered free coaching.
His daughters fed off his determination and dedication, taking the world by storm with their mix of power-packed hitting and never-say-die attitude.
It was no wonder that Serena and Venus won an eye-popping 31 Grand Slam singles titles (22 of them were won by Serena, who is on the verge of breaking Steffi’s record). It is said that Richard made out a 78-page plan, detailing Venus and Serena’s future, when they were just 4 years old. It might be safe to say that his daughters have certainly exceeded Richard’s expectations.
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