The movie 'King Richard' shows what can happen when you don't give up on your vision

There is only one scene in the “King Richard” biopic where the father of Venus and Serena Williams is praying. It happens at a fast-food joint in Compton, Calif., where Richard (Will Smith) and his wife, Oracene Price (Aunjanue Ellis), are having an evening dinner of burgers and fries with their five daughters.

“Dear heavenly Father, Jehovah God,” Richard begins, “we thank you for this food, we ask you to bless the hands of the peoples that prepared this food, thank you for this opportunity as a family to come together, and we ask that you please don’t let nobody get fat from eating all this food, in Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”

The girls giggle at their father’s humorous request to God that no one get fat, but they did not know that earlier that day one of the expert tennis coaches Richard diligently sought out basically shot down his vision for Venus and Serena to become world champions. The coach told a pensive-looking Richard that it was “very, very unlikely” for a man with his limited financial resources to achieve such a feat for one child, let alone two.

More: In wake of Ahmaud Arbery killing, high school football team tackles race, justice issues

The coach then ends their short meeting by offering an unenthusiastic handshake and tells Richard, “Maybe you can prove me wrong.” Well, we all know that Richard did much more than just prove him wrong, as Venus and Serena are two of the most accomplished female players in professional tennis history. However, for that moment in the film, it shows how Richard was shaken a bit with the sting of successive rejections weighing heavily on him. This coach, along with others that Richard had the boldness to speak to at swanky country clubs, did not see the potential talent in his daughters. Richard was being harshly judged by what he lacked materially, and I believe he said many more prayers after these humiliating encounters.

While watching “King Richard,” I kept thinking about two popular sayings in many African American churches, which are, “speak it into existence” and “write the vision.” The latter comes from Habakkuk 2:2-3, where God tells the prophet to “write the vision” and “to wait for it: because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Richard, although he was stubborn and excessively demanding at times, had the patience to wait and push for the right opportunities for his daughters.

His persistence leads to the rise of Venus turning pro at 14 after she suffered a humble loss to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario at the 1994 Bank of the West Classic in Oakland. Long before vision boards became popular, Richard had written a 78-page plan that outlined glorious tennis careers for Venus and Serena. He literally spoke their futures into existence by simply decreeing that they would be great.

Speaking professionally, however, wasn’t Richard’s strong suit, which most likely contributed to him not being taken seriously by most of the coaches he approached and much of the media criticism he later received from personal interviews. The thick, Southern drawl from his Shreveport, La., roots stuck with him in Compton. As in his prayer, Richard would say “peoples” instead of “people” and also “dey” instead of “their” or “they,” but he refused to allow his lack of enunciation to be a hindrance for what he envisioned for his family.

We are continuing to witness Richard’s extraordinary dream on display. Serena is currently featured in a DIRECTV STREAM commercial as a tennis version of Wonder Woman fighting devious automatic ball-launcher machines in a shopping mall. In the ad, an overhead smash she hits causes a soda stain on John McEnroe’s perfect, white Nike shorts. “King Richard” shows where Venus and Serena are briefly in the presence of McEnroe and Pete Sampras in the early 1990s, as their father convinces McEnroe and Sampras’ coach to let the girls hit a few balls.

McEnroe, famously known for his petulance in matches, sulks as he walks away to take a break. He had no idea that nearly 30 years later Serena, who is a 23-time Grand Slam champion, would be considered the greatest tennis player to ever wield a racket. It’s amazing what can come to pass when you never give up on your vision.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Movie 'King Richard' shows what can happen when you don't give up