Tennis world gushes over 'rare' detail in Serena Williams video
Serena Williams has left her legion of fans gushing after sharing a beautiful clip of her daughter Olympia riding a bike in front of one very proud grandfather.
Williams' father Richard is not often spotted in public with the tennis star or big sister Venus, despite being the driving force behind their extraordinary careers.
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The iconic father figure trained both sisters from a young age and helped mould them into two of the greatest female tennis players the world has ever seen.
Reflecting on her father's dedication to his family, Serena shared a heartwarming clip of him teaching Olympia how to ride a bicycle.
The video has received more than 225,000 likes and been commented on almost 5,000 times since it was posted.
The short clip shows Richard holding a camera as he films four-year-old Olympia riding the bike down a sidewalk towards him.
“A rare sighting, the one and only GOAT. Still motivating ... King Richard, but I call him daddy,” Serena wrote in the caption of the Instagram video.
Former World No.1 Caroline Wozniacki was among those in the tennis world to react to the beautiful video after replying: “Papa Williams always there to support and encourage!!”
Another fan wrote: “He’s legendary and an icon to us all.”
The 23-time grand slam champion's post made reference to an upcoming movie about her father's life, titled 'King Richard'.
Starring Will Smith as the title character, the film is set to tell the story of Richard's unwavering goal in shaping the careers of Venus and Serena and stopping at nothing until they reached the peak of the sport.
Serena - who is played in the film by 14-year-old Demi Singleton - described it as "surreal" at a Warner Bros press conference ahead of the November 19 release.
“No word describes it better than surreal. Just to see these incredible actresses and everyone behind it just putting this all together about our dad’s journey but, because of myself and my sister, it really is like: ‘Wow, OK, really? Are we really something?’
“Then to have Will play this role as my father and the way he just embodied Richard Williams, it just took the whole film to a whole new level. It’s so emotional, it’s well done and it’s a brilliant piece of work.”
Serena Williams announcement thrills fans
Serena this week left tennis fans bubbling with excitement after announcing she will 'definitely' be back in action for the Australian Open in January.
The 23-time grand slam champion hasn't played since she was forced to retire hurt in the opening round at Wimbledon in July.
Williams slipped on the centre court grass in the opening set and injured her hamstring before retiring in tears.
The 40-year-old subsequently skipped the US Open and won't play again in 2021.
However she sent fans into a frenzy this week with a positive update, telling Jimmy Kimmel she will 'definitely' be back for the first grand slam of 2022 in Melbourne.
“The hamstring is better. It took a long time, it took forever, but it’s much better now,” she said.
Williams also opened up about her heartbreak at missing the US Open.
“It was sad to miss that one,” she said.
“It was really sad, I had the most awesome outfit too, I put in extra effort to try to make it but it didn’t work out.”
The Australian Open will present Williams with her latest chance to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 grand slam singles titles.
The 40-year-old hasn't won a major since the 2017 Australian Open, finishing runner-up on four occasions since.
with agencies
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