Serena Williams revisits first meeting with Pete Sampras & John McEnroe with video clip from 'King Richard' as film debuts on Netflix US

Serena Williams revisited her first meeting with Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, and Paul Cohen through a video clip from 'King Richard' as the film recently debuted on Netflix US.

'King Richard' hit the big screens on November 19, 2021, in the United States. It follows the origin story of the Williams sisters and their father Richard's journey from rock bottom on the courts of Compton to the top echelons of women's tennis.

The film debuted on Netflix on Thursday, April 25, in the USA. Will Smith, who played Richard's role, posted about it on Instagram by sharing a video clip about him requesting coach Paul Cohen to train Venus and Serena. Notably, Cohen is on the court with Pete Sampras and John McEnroe.

The conversation that Richard has with Cohen and Sampras is detailed below:

"Remember I said I got these two great tennis players and we’re still looking for a coach. This is my daughter, this is Venus, this is my other daughter, Serena. It won’t take but a minute to watch them hit a few balls," Richard says.

"Yeah sorry, I’m not taking any juniors right now and we’re in the middle of a very serious practice," Cohen replies.

"Well, I don’t mean to interrupt nothing," Richard says as McEnroe leaves the court.

"Mr. Williams, this is not a good time," Cohen reiterates.

"I just want you to watch them hit a few. Look, Mac is gone. The way Pete whipping up on him, he may never come back. Look Pete, you don’t mind if he just watch ‘em hit a few balls, do you," Richard persists.

"It’s okay with me," Sampras agrees.

Cohen then obliged and tossed the sisters a few balls. At the end of it all, he ended the drill impressed. Serena Williams reposted the video clip on her Instagram story and captioned it with 'exclamation mark emojis'.

A screenshot of Serena Williams' story on Instagram.

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Serena Williams and Venus Williams were executive producers for 'King Richard'

The Williams sisters at a premiere of 'King Richard' in 2021.

Serena Williams and Venus Williams were the executive producers for 'King Richard'. The film failed to deliver big at the box office but earned top accolades from critics.

Will Smith notably won awards at the Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs for his portrayal of Richard. The film received nominations in five more categories at the Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Original Screenplay.

Serena Williams' part was portrayed by Demi Singleton and Saniyya Sidney impersonated Venus Williams on the celluloid. Paul Cohen's character was played by Tony Goldwyn.