After the release of the biopic, a documentary about Venus and Serena Williams' father Richard Williams screened at the Tribeca Film Festival

Richard Williams' documentary screened at the Tribeca Film Festival
Richard Williams' documentary screened at the Tribeca Film Festival

The prestigious Tribeca Film Festival gave the documentary "On the Line: The Richard Williams Story," about Serena Williams and Venus Williams' father Richard Williams, a special screening.

Tribeca Productions oversees the annual Tribeca Festival, which is a film festival. Each spring, it takes place in New York City and features a wide range of content, including cinema, episodic television, talks, music, video games, and immersive experiences.

The new documentary at the festival is "On the line: The Richard Williams story," directed by Stuart McClave and produced by Richard Williams' son, Chavoita LeSane and McClave himself.

The documentary's runtime is an hour and thirty minutes, and it was released on June 12. The stars cast in this are Richard Williams himself and legendary tennis player Billie Jean King.

The film depicts the tale of the family patriarch, who overcame improbable obstacles to assist daughters Venus and Serena in becoming two of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Exclusive interviews with Richard and uncommon home movies showcasing the remarkable path of the Williams sisters essentially tell the narrative. However, there have been no fresh interviews with Serena Williams, Venus, or Oracene Price on this.

Most significantly, it drew attention to the incident that occurred during the 2001 Indian Wells Open when Venus withdrew from the semifinal match that she was scheduled to face Serena in.

As a result, their father, who was also their coach at the time, had to deal with accusations that he chose which sister would advance to the final. The crowd literally booed 19-year-old Serena Williams alongside her father and sister, and she claimed she wasn't in the mindset to celebrate despite coming from behind to win the title in three sets. The sisters then went on to boycott the tournament from 2001 to 2015.


Serena Williams reveals what people get wrong about her father

Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022
Day Two: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

Serena Williams spoke out regarding a common misunderstanding about her father's contribution to her and her sister's tennis achievements.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner and her sister Venus were highlighted in a cover story for Harper's Bazaar that appeared in the magazine in February, where she discussed it.

She claimed that "tennis fathers" are frequently perceived by the public as being "overbearing," but that her father, Richard Williams, was not like that whatsoever.

"That wasn’t necessarily my dad,” Williams said. “Everyone’s like, ‘Well, how do you play tennis for so long?’ It’s because we weren’t raised in an environment where it was something that we abhorred. He’s always like, ‘Take your time. You’ll be okay. Don’t play.'"

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

Quick Links

App download animated image Get the free App now