"The 1st day I took Venus and Serena to the court, I knew I had champions" - Will Smith uses Richard Williams quote to mark King Richard's Oscar nominations

King Richard's six Oscar nominations have given the film's production team, as well as the Williams family, a good reason to celebrate. Based on the life of Venus and Serena Williams' father Richard, the film traces the champion duo's formative years.

Actors Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis, who portray the Williams sisters' parents in the film, were nominated in the best actor and best supporting actress categories respectively.

Reacting to the news, Smith posted a video featuring a few behind-the-scenes snippets from the production. The actor used an old quote from Richard Williams as a voiceover for the short video.

Williams can be heard saying that he knew both Venus and Serena would go on to become champions the minute he saw them step foot on a tennis court.

"We had the kids' futures planned before they were born. The first day I took Venus and Serena to the tennis court, I knew I had champions. Venus and Serena gonna shake up this world," the voiceover said.

Smith went on to express his gratitude for his Oscar nomination, before thanking his fans for their support. He also gave a shout out to his fellow nominees, including Ellis, writer Zach Baylin and singer Beyonce.

"Wow!! 6 Oscar noms that’s crazy. Honored to see this outpouring of love for our film. Proud of you Aunjanue, Zach, Pamela, Dixson, Beyoncé and our fantastic cast and crew. Great work all!" Smith wrote on his Instagram.

Actors who played the role of Venus and Serena Williams react to King Richard's Oscar nominations

Serena and Venus at the 2016 Wimbledon Championships.

Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, who played the roles of Venus and Serena Williams respectively, took to social media to react to the news. Sidney said it was a "great blessing" to have been a part of such an inspiring story. She also thanked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the recognition and Venus Williams for "seeing a little piece" of herself in Sidney.

"My heart is overwhelmed with joy. SIX OSCAR NOMINATIONS. Thank you Academy for recognizing our inspiring story. It means so much to have the message it represents celebrated. It is a great blessing to be a part of my King Richard family. Thank you to everyone for supporting us & our movie. We feel your love. And to Venus for seeing a little piece of me in you," Sidney wrote.

Similarly, Singleton expressed pride at being a part of the project.

"Wow! I would have never imagined that my first film would be one of such great love, passion, devotion and power. This entire journey has been an experience of a lifetime and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of telling this story. Every single person involved is uber talented and I am so happy that the world is noticing and that this story was able to inspire many!" Singleton wrote.