Frances Tiafoe's girlfriend Ayan Broomfield opens up about 'incredible' experience of playing Venus Williams' body double in 'King Richard'

Frances Tiafoe with his girlfriend Ayan Broomfield (L) and Venus Williams (R) [Image Source: Getty Images]
Frances Tiafoe with his girlfriend Ayan Broomfield (L) and Venus Williams (R) [Image Source: Getty Images]

Frances Tiafoe's girlfriend, Ayan Broomfield, recently shared her experience of playing Venus Williams' body double in the movie "King Richard ." The film depicts the life of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams.

Ad

The movie was released in 2021 and the Williams sisters were the executive producers. It featured Will Smith as Richard Williams, Demi Singleton as Serena Williams, and Saniyya Sidney as Venus Williams. Broomfield served as the body double for select scenes of the seven-time Grand Slam champion's matches.

Recently, during an interview on the Tennis Channel, Ayan Broomfield talked about her experience of working on the film 'King Richard,' stating that it was "incredible." She mentioned the challenge of adapting to Venus Williams' playing techniques and quirks while maintaining her own unique style.

Ad
"Did a movie for tennis. I was in King Richard. I was Venus's body double in that movie which was incredible," Broomfield said [6:54] "Yes! Yes, it was actually super difficult because, you know, you play tennis for so long and you have your own techniques and your own little quirks and then to try and be someone completely different [is difficult]." [7:10]
Ad

Broomfield shared that Williams' sister, Isha Price attended practice sessions to guide her in mimicking the seven-time Grand Slam champion accurately.

"Yes, actually Isha Price, her [Venus Williams'] sister came out to some of our practices and she's like, 'You gotta to drop the wrist, got to drop the wrist,'" she continued [7:23].

Ayan Broomfield described the experience of being around Venus and Serena Williams, as well as Will Smith, during the filming as 'incredible'.

Ad
"Even in the serve, I was trying as hard as possible. But it was such an experience being around the [Williams] sisters, being around Will Smith was incredible. Such an opportunity," Ayan Broomfield added [7:34].
youtube-cover
Ad

Frances Tiafoe's girlfriend is from Ontario. She moved to the United States to attend and play tennis at the Clemson University in South Carolina and later transferred to the University of California, Los Angeles. She won the NCAA doubles championship with Gabby Andrews in 2019.

The Canadian has also competed on the WTA Tour, making her debut at the 2014 Coupe Banque Nationale. She played doubles with compatriot Maria Patrascu but lost in the first round to another Canadian pair, Charlotte Petrick and Sonja Molnar.

Ad

When Venus Williams talked about 'King Richard': "I love the film"

Venus Williams pictured speaking at an event [Image Source: Getty Images]
Venus Williams pictured speaking at an event [Image Source: Getty Images]

While speaking about the film 'King Richard' on her YouTube channel, Venus Williams said that she loved the film. She mentioned that many people sometimes may not appreciate portrayals of their lives in films, books, or other projects, but she thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Ad
"People ask me [if I liked 'King Richard'] and I'm like, 'Yes!' I have to be honest. There have been times where people have had films or projects about themselves or books or whatever it may be that they didn't like, so I'm happy to say I love the film," Williams said [5:10]. "That's a really special moment. There's something that's probably going to be around forever that you actually like."
Ad

Venus Williams has won seven singles Grand Slam titles, including five Wimbledon Championships and two US Open titles. She has claimed 14 doubles Grand Slam titles with her sister, Serena Williams. She has also won two mixed doubles Major titles.

Williams was also ranked World No.1 in singles and doubles WTA rankings. She has also won an Olympic gold medal in singles, three gold medals in doubles, and a silver medal in mixed doubles.

Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won"

Quick Links

Edited by Mitali
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications