Serena Williams wiped away tears as she talked about watching the upcoming movie King Richard — and seeing her late stiser Yetunde portrayed on screen.

Venus, 41, and Serena, 40, spoke to Will Smith on Red Table Talk ahead of the new movie in which Will, 53, plays their dad, and were joined by their mother, Oracene Price, and their sisters Lyndrea and Isha Price for an emotional moment.

Watching the finished film, Serena admitted: ‘Oh, I think I cried the whole time. Whenever she came on film, I just — personally, I just started, like — I mean, even still.’

She continued to tear up as her mother and sisters reminisced about Yetunde, who was murdered in a shooting in their hometown of Compton, California in 2003. 

Serena Williams wiped away tears as she talked about watching the upcoming movie King Richard – and seeing her late stiser Yetunde portrayed on screen

‘Oh, I think I cried the whole time. Whenever she came on film, I just – personally, I just started, like – I mean, even still,’ she said

Yetundewas murdered in a shooting in their hometown of Compton, California in September 2003 (pictured left with Serena in July 2003)

‘It was a quiet moment I think,’ their mother, Oracene, said. ‘Cause we know how it was, and then how it — you know, it just — it was just something that you kind of try and put in the back of your mind and don’t want to remember.

Yetunde was parked with her boyfriend in the Compton suburbs on the tragic night of September 14, 2003. They happened to be parked outside a house being guarded by members of the Southside Compton Crips gang, who opened fire thinking that she and her boyfriend were gang rivals. 

Yetunde, just 31, was shot in the back of the head. 

‘I just — I miss her,’ her sister Lyndrea said. ‘Because I could tell on Isha with her. Isha was so bossy, and I’d be like, “Tunde.”‘ 

‘First of all, I’m not bossy. I am not bossy!’ Isha chimed in.

‘”Tunde, get her. Can you get Isha, please?” And Tunde would be like, “I’m on it.”‘ said Lyndrea.

Venus also reflected on how fun Yetunde was.

‘She loved to have fun too. She knew how to have fun. She was original Team V. Before there was a Team V, she was Team V,’ she said.

‘She loved to have fun too. She knew how to have fun. She was original Team V. Before there was a Team V, she was Team V,’ Venus said

The five sisters are pictured together in July 2003

‘One of the best things that was ever told to us, and why we’re so close, is that your sisters are your best friends. You’re not allowed to fight. We became each other’s biggest supporters. That’s what we were told to be,’ she added.

Venus and Serena also shared stories and praise of their parents for supporting them. 

Serena said: ‘Having a good support system is super important because I look at my mom and I’m like — my dad, at one point, was working, and then he stopped. He’s like, this is what we’re gonna do. I’m not gonna have a job. And I’m gonna go with Venus and Serena and train them every day.

‘Now, that would be impossible for me if my husband were to tell me that. I would be like, “Um, I’ve kind of worked my whole life, trying to relax a little bit.” But she had to support seven people.

‘And so to have that faith and have that back-end support, and always know all the work that she’s done, and the humility that she continues to have — we would’ve have survived without that.

‘So it definitely takes a lot of support in ways that might not be the biggest story in the room, but it is the biggest thing that helped people make it,’ she said. 

‘I just – I miss her,’ her sister Lyndrea said. ‘Because I could tell on Isha with her. Isha was so bossy, and I’d be like, “Tunde.’

‘First of all, I’m not bossy. I am not bossy!’ Isha chimed in

Venus said of her mother, Oracene Price: ‘My mom was really the guiding force, and you can see that. She’s so wise, and fun actually. So much fun’

Venus added: ‘My mom was really the guiding force, and you can see that. She’s so wise, and fun actually. So much fun.’

Their father, of course, also taught them a lot.

‘My dad is such a — I always say he’s before his time,’ Serena said. ‘Down to this marketing, and even just to put us in a sport that was completely a white sport. And then to say that we were gonna be the best at it, it was something that no one had ever done before.’

‘My mom and dad, they wanted us to be able to handle whatever life came at us,’ said Venus. 

‘So the way we approached tennis is also how we approach life. When you get on the court, you never accept defeat. You give it your all, you find a way. And that translated to life as well. They wanted us to be champions in life and it turned out pretty good.’

But while he raised them to be strong, he was also always in their corner to help. 

‘My mom and dad, they wanted us to be able to handle whatever life came at us,’ said Venus (pictured in 1991)

Will played a clip of a 14-year-old Venus sitting down for an interview with ABC News. In it, Venus confidently told a journalist about her abilitity to win — but the journalist pushed her several times, asking her to explain why she was so confident.

It wasn’t long before Richard interrupted, chastizing the reporter for badgering a 14-year-old.

‘She said it with so much confidence the first time,’ he can be heard telling her in the clip. ‘But you keep going on and on… you’ve got to understand that you’re dealing with an amateur 14-year-old child. 

‘And this child is going to be out there playing when your old a** and me gonna be in the grave… you’re dealing with a little black kid, and let her be a kid. She answered with a lot of confidence — leave that alone!’

Venus, who hadn’t watched the interview since it happened all those years ago, described the moment as ‘intense.’ 

Will played a clip of a 14-year-old Venus sitting down for an interview with ABC News. In it, Venus confidently told a journalist about her abilitity to win – but the journalist pushed her several times, asking her to explain why she was so confident

It wasn’t long before Richard interrupted, chastizing the reporter for badgering a 14-year-old. ‘She said it with so much confidence the first time,’ he can be heard telling her in the clip. ‘But you keep going on and on… you’ve got to understand that you’re dealing with an amateur 14-year-old child’

‘And this child is going to be out there playing when your old a** and me gonna be in the grave… you’re dealing with a little black kid, and let her be a kid. She answered with a lot of confidence – leave that alone!’ he said

‘I knew what was gonna happen. I knew what was coming,’ she said. ‘I kept answering the question because we had been under pressure before… my dad made us answer questions like, “Why does a rich man get richer and a poor man gets poorer?” Meanwhile, you’re like five years old and you have to answer.

‘So we were long prepared for the pressures we would have to deal with in life before we stepped into these interviews,’ she said.

‘[The journalist] was baderging me and looked like he was maybe enjoying it,’ she went on. ‘Now at this age I would understnad that I didn’t have to answer, like, “Dude, move on… or I will.” That’s what I would say now.’

These days, Venus said there is ‘literally nothing’ she will tolerate 

‘I always say, I don’t start anything, but please don’t start anything with me. And I won’t yell and scream, but it’ll end. I’m the nicest person in the world, but I just don’t like to be disrespected,’ she said.

‘And I think when you’re younger, you don’t realize that you have those options. And as you grow up and understand more, you’re like, I can say no. I don’t have to take this.

Venus and Serena also shared their mental health advice for Simone Biles, who professed to being a ‘big fan’ of the sisters

Serena admitted that she took a whole year off in 2006 and said she makes sure to learn from her losses

Venus said she asks herself if she is ‘getting too caught up’ in what other people think

In the sit-down, Venus and Serena Williams also shared their mental health advice for Simone Biles, who professed to being a ‘big fan’ of the sisters and wanted to know how they ‘keep going, especially when [they] need a mental health break.’

Surprising the sisters on screen, Simone said: ‘The impact that Venus and Serena have made, not only in sports but in life, have made a huge impact on my entire career. 

‘They’ve paved the way for black athletes as well black women. I can’t thank them enough. And I’m really grateful that I have them to look up to. I wish we were friends but I’m pretty much just a big fan of them. 

‘But I do remember meeting both Venus and Serena at separate times and I was just amazed how tall they were. 

‘If I could have any life advice from Venus and Serena, it would be, how do you keep going, especially when you need a mental health break?’

Simone, considered the GOAT of gymnastics by many fans, famously dropped out oif several events at the Olympics in Tokyo this year due to a mental health concern called ‘the twisties,’ in which gymnasts — often psyching themselves out — lose track of where they are while twisting in the air, risking serious injury. 

Simone, considered the GOAT of gymnastics by many fans, famously dropped out oif several events at the Olympics in Tokyo due to a mental health concern called ‘the twisties’

With ‘the twisties,’ gymnasts – often psyching themselves out – lose track of where they are while twisting in the air, risking serious injury

The tennis stars appeared to be flattered by Simone’s message, with Serena saying she’d like to ‘be besties’ and Venus saying: ‘I wanna be friends with her too. 

They also shared their advice.

‘Simone, being in gymnastics, that huge moment is once every four years. Our huge moment is four times every year. So for us if we needed a break — I remember one time, in 2006, I just took the whole year off,’ Serena said. 

‘For me, when it comes to Grand Slams, sometimes I push maybe too far. I just always keep going,’ she added.

Venus chimed in to say that ‘athletes live very unbalanced lives,’ so she likes to take time out for herself.

‘For me, having a moment alone and be watching something silly, just for like an hour, half an hour, that sort of balances me out. It’s a silly, simple thing, but it helps me get ready for the next day. That’s my prep for the next day,’ she said.

But she also tries to get perspective when she is feeling stressed. 

‘I think just asking yourself a question: How do I want to remember this moment? How do I want to handle this moment? If I look back in ten years, how will I feel about this?’ she said.   

Both get persepctive by asking how they’ll feel about a situation in ten years, and said their spirituality has ‘helped us to maintain our mental health’ as well (pictured in 1991)

‘For me, when it comes to Grand Slams, sometimes I push maybe too far. I just always keep going,’ Serena admitted (pictured in 2010)

‘I ask myself the exact same question,’ Serena responded. ‘How am I gonna feel in ten years? Looking back on this moment, is it gonna be worth it? Or is it not gonna be worth it?’

The two also discussed not letting failures take up too much headspace. 

‘Life is about failures,’ said Venus, who sported a jacket from her lifestyle brand EleVen’s new activewear collection, which was inspired by the film. ‘You just fail, and it’s OK. That acceptance of failure is fine because when you look back in those ten years, even if you fail, if you just gave it your all with what you had that day, that’s still perfect.’ 

‘I become my best player every time I lose,’ said Serena. ‘I learn from what happened in that loss, and I generally try to really makes leaps and bounds from that loss. And I think sometimes people are afraid to lose if they start winning, or they’re afraid to fail. Like, I know I was in that position. I don’t even like the word — it’s not a failure, you slipped and you’ll get back up.’

Finally, Venus insisted that putting too much stock in what other people think is never good.

‘I think a lot of it too is just taking out whatever the hell other people think. When you let go of that, you are free,’ she said.

‘You always have to check yourself and ask that question: ‘Am I getting too caught up in what Sally and Bobby and Billy think?’

Will Smith stars in the film King Richard, as the Williams sisters’ father

Venus and Serena are pictured with their father, who is the subject of a new movie out this week

Venus and Serena attend the film’s premiere with Demi Singleton (left) and Saniyya Sidney (right), the actresses who play them

Earlier in the chat, the pair had also talked about the way their faith has helped them through hard times. 

‘The first lesson [our dad taught us] was spirituality,’ Venus explained. ‘Put God first. And that gave us the opportunity to actually be better at what we do, because it allowed us to realize, as much as you want it, this is just work and a job, there is so much more, and bigger things in life. 

‘That is the foundation and lesson that has literally helped us to maintain our mental health. 

‘It really affects in every single decision you make,’ Serena added. ‘How do you treat this person, or how do you even approach a match? And almost it takes a little pressure off of you, because you know nobody wants to win this match more than me. 

‘But for us there is something much bigger that we believe in that we know is true. So at the end of the day, as much as that moment means to us, we always have the giant, most biggest pillow to fall back on.’

Serena shared a moment that was particularly hard for her when she relied on prayer.

Earlier in the chat, the pair had also talked about the way their faith has helped them through hard times

Serena said: ‘At the end of the day, as much as that moment means to us, we always have the giant, most biggest pillow to fall back on’

It was 2001, and Venus, then 20, and Serena, then 19, were set to play against each other in the semifinal at the Masters Series Tournament at Indian Wells. When Venus withdrew due to tendinitis, rumors flew that their father had pulled Venus out to help Serena win.

At the match, the stadium filled with boos. 

‘It was hard,’ recalled Serena. ‘And I just remember I was losing and I didn’t even care. I was like, I don’t wanna win, I just wanna get out of this with dignity. And not just walk off the court, and not just start bawling right there at that moment.’

She said she prayed throughout the match, which made a difference. 

‘I know that I got strength, and I somehow came back and won that match, and I was able to just get through that moment and it really has helped us in so many different ways in our career,’ she said.

Later, she admitted, she cried about what happened — and it was difficult to go back to Indian Wells, even years later. 

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk

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