Oracene Price

Nicknamed "Brandy", Price was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1952. Her father was an automotive worker from the Mississippi Delta.{{Cite book|title=Venus and Serena Williams : a biography|author=Edmondson, Jacqueline|date=2005|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0-313-33165-0|location=Westport, Conn.|oclc=58831607|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/venusserenawilli0000edmo}} She graduated from Buena Vista High School in 1970 and from Western Michigan University.{{Cite news|url=https://www.mlive.com/sports/saginaw/index.ssf/2013/08/poll_do_you_expect_venus_and_s.html|title=Poll: Do you expect Venus and Serena Williams to return to Saginaw to support the Urban Youth Tennis Foundation?|work=MLive.com|access-date=August 27, 2018|language=en-US}} She has three daughters from a previous marriage to Yusef Rasheed: Yetunde Price (1972–2003),{{cite web|date=January 18, 2004|access-date=March 11, 2009 |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2004/LAW/01/17/price.williams.sisters|title=Arrest in killing of tennis stars' half-sister|work=CNN}} 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. 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.Edmonson{{clarify|date=March 2009}}Donaldson{{clarify|date=March 2009}}

By the end of 2000, Price was no longer living with her husband Richard Williams, and citing irreconcilable differences, they divorced in 2002. She reverted to her maiden name of Price.Wertheim{{clarify|date=March 2009}}[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_7_58/ai_100544509 Serena and Venus on the fabulous Oracene, mother of the Williams Dynasty] Retrieved March 11, 2009.

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."{{cite news|date=June 26, 2003|access-date=March 11, 2009|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E2DB113BF935A15755C0A9659C8B63|title=Theories About Paris From Serena's Mother|author=George Vecsey|work=The New York Times}} 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)."[https://web.archive.org/web/20070209054451/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jon_wertheim/02/06/mailbag/index.html SI.com Tennis Mailbag- The Ultimate Battle]

Price describes herself as a deeply spiritual woman.{{cite web|url=http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/Living/-/1218/494902/-/228hdq/-/index.html|title=The mother behind the Williams' sisters|work=Daily Nation|date=November 25, 2008|access-date=July 9, 2016}} Price also has described herself as being a "rampant feminist" when dealing with the overly sexualized images of women in the media.{{cite book|author=Fein, Paul|title=You Can Quote Me on That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights And Zingers|publisher=Potomac Books |location=Washington|year=2005|page=80|isbn=1-57488-925-7}}

She traveled to Kenya with her daughter Serena for charity work, as well as Senegal to aid in the construction of schools.

Price was portrayed by Aunjanue Ellis in the 2021 biopic King Richard. Ellis was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance while the film itself was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.

Price's coaching has arguably been overshadowed by her role as mother, but as a coach she has been called underappreciated.{{cite web|url=http://tennisworld.typepad.com/string_theory/miami_2008/page/2/|title=TENNIS.com – Blogs – String Theory by Tom Perrotta|year=2008|page=2}} 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 for helping to build a solid foundation of self-esteem and outside interests for her daughters.{{cite web|url=http://tennisworld.typepad.com/thewrap/2007_entries/|title=TENNIS.com – Blogs – Concrete Elbow by Steve Tignor|access-date=March 11, 2009}}

Venus and Serena's "poise under pressure"{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/french/2014/05/19/serena-williams-tennis-usta-pressure-title/9305391/|title=Serena Williams poised despite mounting pressure|date=May 19, 2014|access-date=August 30, 2015|work=USA Today}} 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?"{{cite news|access-date=March 12, 2009 |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/features/williams/flashback/daddy |title=Who's Your Daddy? |agency=CNN |work=Sports Illustrated |author=S. L. Price |date=May 31, 1999 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629122324/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/features/williams/flashback/daddy/ |url-status=dead }} 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.[http://www.nickbollettieri.com/aboutNick/article.cfm?artID=626 "Bollettieri had a hand in grooming 10 players who hit No. 1"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714181155/http://www.nickbollettieri.com/aboutNick/article.cfm?artID=626 |date=July 14, 2011 }}. Retrieved March 11, 2009. 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 former husband have continued to remain jointly supportive despite their separation.{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/usopen08/columns/story?columnist=ford_bonnie_d&id=3556008|title=Williams sisters' parents deserve accolades for job well-done|work=ESPN|access-date=March 11, 2009|date=August 27, 2008}}

{{Reflist}}

• Bradley, Michael (2003). Venus Williams. Michael Cavendish Publishing. {{ISBN|0-7614-1630-7}}.{{Clarify|date=March 2009}}
• {{cite book|author=Donaldson, Madeline |title=Venus & Serena Williams|publisher=LernerSports|location=Minneapolis, MN|year=2003|isbn=0-8225-3316-2}}
• {{cite book|author=Edmondson, Jacqueline|title=Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, Conn|year=2005|isbn=0-313-33165-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/venusserenawilli0000edmo}}
• {{cite book|author=Fein, Paul|title=You Can Quote Me on That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights and Zingers|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington|year=2005|isbn=1-57488-925-7}}
• {{cite book|author=Wertheim, L. Jon|title=Venus Envy: A Sensational Season Inside the Women's Tennis Tour|url=https://archive.org/details/venusenvysensati00wert|url-access=registration|publisher=HarperCollins|location=London|year=2001|isbn=0-06-019774-9}}

{{Serena Williams}}

{{Venus Williams}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Oracene}}

Category:1952 births

Category:Living people

Category:Sportspeople from Saginaw, Michigan

Category:Tennis coaches from Michigan

Category:Western Michigan University alumni

Category:Williams family (tennis)

Category:African-American tennis coaches