Venus Williams spends time with her father Richard, shares adorable 'after dark' selfie

Venus Williams has a strong bond with her father, Richard, and the former world No. 1 recently shared a selfie she took while spending time with him.

Richard Williams and Oracene Price, Venus and Serena Williams' parents, were the first to coach the legendary sisters. On Sunday evening, Venus Williams took a selfie with her dad on a basketball court and posted the picture on her Instagram story.

“Me and Dad after dark” - she captioned

Venus Williams spends time with her father Richard

Richard was motivated to introduce her daughters to tennis after seeing Romanian tennis player Virginia Ruzici win the 1978 Roland Garros and earn $20,000 in prize money. He then devised a 78-page plan for his daughters Serena and Venus.

Venus is 43 and still playing, having won 7 Grand Slam titles. Her sister Serena retired in 2022 after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, and throughout their careers, their dad Richard was seen most often in their corner. When the Williams sisters were both active professionals, they played doubles and won a total of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as partners. They also faced each other in 9 Grand Slam singles finals.

"She is gonna do it when she wants to" - Venus Williams' ex-coach speaks on the 43-year-old's retirement

2017 French Open - V. Williams

American tennis coach Rick Macci, who coached the Williams sisters in the earlier days of their careers, recently spoke about Venus Williams' retirement.

During an interview on the 'Match Point Canada podcast in November, Rick Macci related Venus' situation to that of sports professionals approaching the end of their careers. It's not an easy task to retire, even though they may not be as strong or fast as they used to be.

“As you know any athlete when they get to the fourth quarter of the back nine, it's hard to hang it up. Football, baseball, hockey, you know, when your skills may diminish a little bit. But, it's their decision. You can't listen to say, you are not as quick as you were. Not as fast, whatever.” - Rick Macci said

He added that everyone loves Venus and she will retire when she wishes to, and that the seven-time Grand Slam champion is in love with the sport.

“That time will come. She loves to play. It's a must-see TV. Everybody loves V. She is gonna do it when she wants to" - Rick Macci added

The last time Venus Williams played a professional match was when she was knocked out by Greet Minnen in the first round of the 2023 US Open in two sets.