Novak Djokovic hails Venus and Serena Williams as tennis "icons", says he is motivated by their "willingness to continue to write history books"

Hollywood actor Will Smith recently hosted the 'Red Table Takeover', a talk-show on Facebook where he spoke to Venus and Serena Williams about their father's upcoming biopic, King Richard. Smith, who plays the titular role in the film, had a lengthy conversation with the sisters about their lives and careers.

During the course of the show, video messages from several distinguished names from within and beyond the sports fraternity were played. In his message, 20-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic heaped praise on the Williams sisters for being an inspiration "on and off the court."

Djokovic further asserted that tennis owes a lot to the sisters, before admitting to being motivated by their "willingness to continue to write history books".

"Everything they do, on and off the court, is truly inspiring," Novak Djokovic said. "The sport owes so much to the Williams sisters. Their perseverance is incredible. Their willingness to continue to write history books of our sport is something that truly motivates me and many others to follow in their footsteps."

The Serb hailed the Williams sisters as "icons of the sport". He then went on to reminisce about the 2015 Wimbledon, where he and Serena Williams won the men's and women's singles trophies respectively. Djokovic recalled that they had a lot of fun at the champion's ball, where they performed the customary dance.

"I am one of the millions of fans around the world that they have. They are icons of the sport. I also consider myself a friend. I remember this one night when we won Wimbledon trophies, both Serena and I. And I dared Serena to dance with me. She was all game for it. And she's always game for having fun. We had a lot of fun, and a lot of laughs," the Serb added.

"I'm in awe of you for what you've achieved and done for women around the world"- model Naomi Campbell on Venus and Serena Williams

Serena Williams with ballkids after winning the 2017 Australian Open

British model Naomi Campbell, who has been friends with Venus and Serena Williams for years, also reserved praise for the tennis greats. Campbell recalled how she would sneak the sisters out for parties back in the '90s and make sure they returned to their house on time.

The 51-year-old also revealed that she is in awe of their achievements and their impact on women across the world.

"My relationship with Venus and Serena goes back to the 90s, getting to sneak you out to parties, making sure you're getting back in time," Naomi Campbell said. "Always so fun. I'm so proud of you and just in awe of you for what you've achieved and what you've done for women around the world, not just women of color. I can't wait to see this film and I really love you both so much."