For ‘King Richard’, Making Venus & Serena Williams Superstars Was a Mere Financial Game, Opines Half-Sister Sabrina

The movie King Richard shows the journey of Richard Williams getting his daughters Serena and Venus Williams into tennis and making them superstars. But apparently, the motives behind such a move were purely financial, as per Williams’ eldest daughter Sabrina Williams. Sabrina, Richard’s daughter from his first marriage, has been persistently critical of her father. It all started when she was very young.

Sabrina Williams was 8 years old when Richard Williams left his then-wife Betty Johnson and their children. She has had reservations about her father since then. Sabrina has also accused Richard of having multiple affairs, alongside a multitude of other things.

Recently, she sat down with the US Sun for a fresh set of claims. This time, she revealed what the movie King Richard meant for the 82-year-old man.

Sabrina Williams told the US Sun, “To make them [Serena and Venus Williams] stars, it was only a financial gain for him.”

She continued, “Remember the movie is ‘King Richard’. He is a King, he thinks he is a King… He just wanted to be seen in the world. It was never about them.”

Sabrina then admitted that Serena and Venus Williams are terrific tennis players, and she wants to take nothing away from their success. But she goes on to say that their father’s decision impacted many lives adversely.

Sabrina concluded, “See how many people is impacted? It’s like a ripple effect. He keeps throwing in rocks in the lake and it keeps bouncing it. All these people keep getting affected.”

The 58-year-old was once again talking about Richard Williams’ neglect of his family.

King Richard earned a worldwide total of $39.4 million and reaped heavy benefits for the Williams family as well. But even when the movie was released Sabrina had her complaints.

Sabrina Williams did not like the half-truth in King Richard

Director Reinaldo Marcus Green’s biopic King Richard led to the world learning about the Williams sisters’ heroic dad, who sacrificed his interests for the sake of his daughters Serena and Venus’ future. But this wasn’t the entire truth, according to Sabrina Williams.

Sabrina, whose life was turned upside down when Richard left her, feels that he should be ashamed of starring in the film as a messianic figure. The movie makes no mention of Richard’s first family with Betty Johnson and their five kids. This hurt Sabrina, who voices the grief of the 5 siblings.

“It’s a comedy, no? How can you make a movie by telling half the story?” said Sabrina to the US Sun’s Niam Cavanagh (as reported by Business Insider).

As of now, Serena Williams and Venus Williams are supporting their dad from behind closed doors. Since Richard is in an ailing condition and has bowed out of the divorce settlement in court to his ex-wife Lakeisha Williams, Sabrina has become more forgiving of him. It will be interesting to see Serena and Venus comment on Sabrina’s claims.

About the author

Tanmay Roy

Tanmay Roy is a Tennis Journalist at The SportsRush, whose lifelong passion and zeal for the sport landed him this position. A writer with over 1000 articles under him, Tanmay fell in love with tennis in 2005 when Roger Federer defeated Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final after a stunning three sets. Tanmay followed the likes of the Big Three - Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal from the mid-noughties to now. His interest was stronger than ever after the wonderful 2009 Wimbledon Final which saw Roger Federer win after a see-saw 5-set match. His favorite female tennis player is Serena Williams and Monica Seles. Tanmay's favorite match-up to date is Roger Federer vs Andy Roddick in the 2000s. If possible, the John Isner vs Nicolas Mahut first round match at the 2010 Wimbledon is the only match Tanmay would love to watch Live by going back in time. Of late, he is a huge fan of Jannik Sinner and believes the youngster has the potential to break every record.

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