Serena Williams’ father couldn’t walk her down the aisle because he was too nervous.
The tennis star was without her father Richard Williams by her side on her big day because he was wracked with nerves by the thought of all eyes on him.
Speaking in her documentary ‘Being Serena’, she said: "He was in New Orleans, he had a suit, and I know he was really excited. 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 … [She told him], ‘Daddy, it’s okay, if you don’t want to come to the wedding at all, that’s okay too.’ I’m not going to be upset with you about it, so I don’t want you to be upset about it …
"If he doesn’t want to be up there in front of a lot of people, I completely understand. 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. That’s what matters. I don’t think anything could ever change that."
Serena tied the knot with Alexis Ohanian in November 2017, only a few months after the arrival of their baby Alexis Olympia Jr., now eight months.
Serena Williams reveals why father Richard didn’t walk her down the aisle
