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Serena Williams' father refused to walk her down the aisle as he was "too nervous"

However, even in a tense situation like that, the tennis star was rather calm and composed and decided that honor her father's choice
UPDATED FEB 19, 2020
Serena Williams (Source: Getty Images)
Serena Williams (Source: Getty Images)

With all the drama surrounding Meghan Markle and her father not being able to walk her down the aisle on her special day due to a sudden heart condition, her BFF Serena Williams is opening up about the time she was left disappointed at her wedding when her father refused to walk her down the aisle.


The tennis superstar, who got married to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, in November last year, revealed that her father, Richard Williams decided last-minute to back out of walking her down the aisle at her nuptials.

"He was in New Orleans, he had a suit, and I know he was really excited," she explained in her new documentary, which is titled 'Being Serena'. 

"But then he wrote me and said: "Serena, I don't want you to be mad at me, but I just can't walk you down the aisle. I'm not myself anymore. I'm just too nervous." 

Richard, who is also the coach for both the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, has always been their guiding light in difficult times and is considered to be the driving force behind the sisters' successful tennis careers.

But somehow his decision to not attend his daughter's nuptials was something which Serena had not really anticipated.

Serena Williams (R) of the USA celebrates with her father Richard Williams and sister Venus Williams after her Ladies’ Singles final match against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland on day twelve of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 7, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

However, even in a tense situation like that, the tennis star was rather calm and composed and decided that honoring her father's choice was the only way out for her. 

"Daddy, it's okay, if you don't want to come to the wedding at all, that's okay too," she continued. "I'm not going to be upset with you about it, so I don't want you to be upset about it."

The Wimbledon champion, who is all set to attend Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding this weekend, further elaborated, saying, "If he doesn't want to be up there in front of a lot of people, I completely understand."

Explaining why she chose to go forward with her father's wishes, she said in the documentary, "Look, when we first came on the scene, there were a lot of people who didn't get him. I don't think a lot of them wanted to get him. I don't think a lot of him could have anyway. Our family knows what we have. We just want each other to be happy."

(L) Serena Williams talks with her father Richard Williams after the first set against Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic during their quarterfinals match on day eight at the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park on March 28, 2007 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Despite the blow she received on her wedding day, Serena says that becoming a mother has somehow made her even stronger than before. The 36-year-old had a very difficult pregnancy and was plagued with a whole lot of medical problems, but claims that all the adversities only ended up making her a stronger and better person.


"I didn’t expect that sharing our family’s story of Olympia’s birth and all of the complications after giving birth would start such an outpouring of discussion from women – especially black women – who have faced similar complications and women whose problems go unaddressed," she shared in a Facebook post.

She added, "These aren’t just stories: according to the CDC, (Centers for Disease Control) black women are over 3 times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy – or childbirth-related causes. We have a lot of work to do as a nation and I hope my story can inspire a conversation that gets us to close this gap."


Serena and Alexis tied the knot in a fairytale-themed lavish ceremony, a few months after she gave birth to her first child, a daughter who she's named Alexis Olympia Jr., who is now 8-months-old.

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