Oracene Price
Oracene Price | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 3, 1952 |
| Occupation | Coach |
| Spouse(s) | Yusef Rasheed (deceased) Richard Williams (1980-2002) (divorced) |
| Children | Yetunde Price (deceased) Lyndrea Price Isha Price Venus Williams Serena Williams |
Oracene Price (born Brandy Price, April 3, 1952) is an American tennis coach. She is best known for being the mother of Venus and Serena Williams, regarded among the best American tennis players. She is the former wife of Richard Williams, whom she divorced in 2002. As a coach and parent, she has regularly been called unflappable and calm.[citation needed]
Biography
Price was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1952. Her father was an automotive worker.[citation needed] She graduated from Buena Vista High School in 1970 and from Western Michigan University.[citation needed] She has three daughters from a previous marriage with Yusef Rasheed: Yetunde Price (1972-2003), who was a former beauty salon owner and registered nurse; Lyndrea Price, a Web designer; and Isha Price, a lawyer. After Rasheed's death, while working as a nurse, Oracene married Richard Williams and had two more daughters, Venus Williams and Serena Williams. Both Venus and Serena are high-ranked professional tennis players who have won numerous Grand Slam tournaments. .[1] She helped her husband as he began coaching Venus and Serena in tennis. The Williams family moved to Florida on the offer of Rick Macci to coach their daughters for free.[2][3]
By the end of 2000, Price was no longer living with her husband Richard Williams and, citing irreconcilable differences, they divorced in 2002. She subsequently reverted to her maiden name of Price.[4][5]
During a semifinal match between Serena and Justine Henin at the 2003 French Open, Williams was booed by fans after a complaint about a line call. Price believes that the boos were motivated by race, saying "We, as black people, live with this all the time. It's all about control."[6] Tennis journalist and author L. Jon Wertheim has said of Price, "You have to respect anyone incapable of gloss or spin (i.e., unwilling to lie)."[7] At the Indian Wells tournament in 2001, controversy resulted when Venus withdrew from a semifinal match with Serena, who was then booed during the final and trophy presentation.
Price was a Jehovah's Witness, and she describes herself as a deeply spiritual woman.[8] Price also has described herself as being a "rampant feminist" when dealing with what she believes to be the overly sexualized images of women in the media.[9]
She has traveled to Africa with her daughter Serena for charity work to help in the construction of schools particularly in Senegal.[10]
Coaching and guiding
Price's coaching has arguably been overshadowed by her role as mother, but as a coach she has been called underappreciated.[11] Price is not a coach in a traditional sense (though she did learn tennis herself to help teach her daughters the technical aspects of the game) and is instead credited, along with Richard Williams, in keeping her daughters focused and disciplined and for helping to build a solid foundation of self-esteem and outside interests for her daughters.[12]
Venus and Serena's "poise under pressure"[13] is often credited to the self-belief instilled in them by their mother. "There's no such thing as pressure," says Price. "As black Americans, that's all we've ever had. It's life. So where's the pressure?"[14] This approach was coupled with, according to noted tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, a respect that meant that neither Price nor Richard Williams raised their voices to their daughters.[15] Journalist Bonnie D. Ford has said that the longevity exhibited by the Williams sisters is directly attributable to their parents and the way that Richard Williams and Price have helped them manage their careers and lives. Ford believes it is especially admirable that Price and her ex-husband have continued to remain jointly supportive despite their separation.[16]
References
- ^ "CNN.com - Arrest in killing of tennis stars' half-sister - Jan. 18, 2004". Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ Edmonson[clarification needed]
- ^ Donaldson[clarification needed]
- ^ Wertheim[clarification needed]
- ^ Serena and Venus on the fabulous Oracene, mother of the Williams Dynasty
- ^ Theories About Paris From Serena's Mother
- ^ SI.com Tennis Mailbag- The Ultimate Battle
- ^ "The mother behind the Williams' sisters". 25 November 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ Fein, Paul (2005). You Can Quote Me On That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights And Zingers. Washington: Potomac Books. p. 80. ISBN 1-57488-925-7.
- ^ "The mother behind the Williams' sisters". 25 November 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ "TENNIS.com - Blogs - String Theory by Tom Perrotta". Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ "TENNIS.com - Blogs - Concrete Elbow by Steve Tignor". Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ Template:Http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/french/2014/05/19/serena-williams-tennis-usta-pressure-title/9305391/
- ^ Who's Your Daddy?
- ^ Bollettieri had a hand in grooming 10 players who hit No. 1
- ^ "Williams sisters' parents deserve accolades for job well-done". ESPN.com. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
Further reading
- Bradley, Michael (2003). Venus Williams. Michael Cavendish Publishing. ISBN 0-7614-1630-7.[clarification needed]
- Donaldson, Madeline (2003). Venus & Serena Williams. Minneapolis, MN: LernerSports. ISBN 0-8225-3316-2.
- Edmondson, Jacqueline (2005). Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33165-0.
- Fein, Paul (2005). You Can Quote Me On That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights And Zingers. Washington: Potomac Books. ISBN 1-57488-925-7.
- Wertheim, L. Jon (2001). Venus Envy: A Sensational Season Inside the Women's Tennis Tour. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-019774-9.