Before they made a movie about him, you could find the father and longtime coach to tennis stars Venus and Serena cheering for his girls in the stands throughout their careers

Williams’ World

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It’s Venus and Serena Williams’ world and we’re just living in it! The tennis stars’ proud dad Richard held a “Welcome to the Williams Show!!” sign while cheering his daughters on at the Lipton Championships in 1999 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

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Message Sent

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Richard waved his sign proudly as the crowd stood up and clapped for the Williams family at the 1999 Lipton Championships.

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Daddy’s Girl

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Richard goes in to hug a delighted Venus, who had just defeated Martina Hingis of Switzerland in their semi-finals match at The Lipton Championships.

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Dad Approved

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The doting dad gave two thumbs up to daughter Serena as she faced off against Jelena Jankovic of Serbia during the women’s singles finals at the 2008 U.S. Open.

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Emotional Rollercoaster

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Emotions can run high when your daughter is an A-list tennis pro. Richard has never been shy about showing his feelings while supporting Serena, like in her match against Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia during day seven of Wimbledon in 2007.

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Fan Love

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In addition to rooting for his girls, Richard let British fans know that he appreciated their love and support with a sign he held up during the final of the Ladies’ Singles at Wimbledon years ago.

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Daddy Cam

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Over the years, Richard has filmed and taken photos of his girls as they dominated on the court. Here, the proud father whipped out his glasses to take videos of Venus at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships.

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Zooming In

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Pulling double duties as dad and coach of daughter Venus, Richard took breaks to snap photos of his girl during day 12 of the 2007 Wimbledon Championships.

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Capturing Memories

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While sitting in the stands, Richard never wanted to miss a moment. Fans could see the different cameras he brought to the games over the years, including this smaller version he used to snap photos of Serena during the 2004 U.S. Open.

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Positive Vibes

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It was the 2005 Wimbledon Championships when Venus and Mary Pierce faced off in the Women’s Quarter Final, and you bet Richard was sending positive energy to his daughter while dressed up for the occasion in the stands.

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Family Over Everything

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When Venus was playing and Serena wasn’t, Serena would join her dad in the stands to root for her big sis.

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A Dad First

Venus Williams, Richard Williams and Serena Williams in 2012. Julian Finney/Getty

When Serena won against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland on day 12 of the Wimbledon Championships in 2012, she went into the stands to find her dad to celebrate.