Venus Williams & Vicario's King Richard Match Is Way More Frustrating After Real-Life Tennis Rule Change Made 2 Years Ago

Summary Venus Williams' match against Vicario in King Richard is frustrating after real-life tennis rule change.

Controversy surrounds Vicario's strategic use of bathroom breaks, leading to WTA rule change in 2022.

Venus finally beats Vicario in 1998 after multiple matches, reflecting the events in King Richard.

Venus Williams and Vicario's tennis match in King Richard was one of the biggest moments in the film, and it is way more frustrating now after a real-life tennis rule change that was made two years ago. Much of King Richard is spent building up to Venus' match against Vicario, with it being one of the most exciting moments in the film. However, Vicario ends up pulling an act of gamesmanship, with it bringing about a tragic ending to King Richard.

King Richard was one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2021, with Will Smith even winning Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his role in the film. The movie follows tennis trainer Richard Williams as he attempts to turn his two daughters, Venus and Serena Williams, into tennis stars. The movie has seen a recent resurgence in popularity due to King Richard's release on Netflix, causing many viewers to wonder how true King Richard's final tennis matches are.

Related King Richard: How Many Kids Richard Williams Had & What Happened To Them Richard Williams has many more children beyond just Venus and Serena, with some appearing in King Richard and others nowhere to be seen.

The WTA Made Its Bathroom Break Rules More Strict In 2022, 28 Years After Venus & Vicario's Famous Match

But Only For Men

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Near the end of King Richard, Venus Williams plays a match against Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, with Venus taking the first set. Venus is leading in the second set until Vicario decides to take a bathroom break, with it being longer than expected. Venus' nerves get to her while Vicario is in the bathroom, with her being fully iced by the time Vicario returns to the court, allowing her to win the match.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the strategic use of bathroom breaks in tennis, leading to the WTA changing its policy in 2022. 28 years after Venus and Vicario's famous King Richard match, the WTA made its bathroom break rules more strict, changing it so that players only got one bathroom break during a best-of-three match and two during a best-of-five (via Essentially Sports). This rule only applies to men's tennis, and it doesn't affect how long each bathroom break can be, but it at least is a start at cracking down on these stalling strategies.

Venus Williams Finally Beat Vicario In A Tennis Tournament In 1998

During Their Third Match

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Venus Williams and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario faced off for a second time in 1998, this time in the final of the Sydney International. Although it was a fierce game, Vicario ended up winning 6-1, 6-3, beating Williams for the second time.

Related King Richard: The Top 10 Tennis Movies Since 2000 King Richard isn't the only tennis film that fans of the sport will love. They will also love Battle of the Sexes and Wimbledon too.

Williams and Vicario faced off again later that year in the semifinals of the Italian Open, with the tides finally turning in Venus' favor. After winning the first set 6-3, Vicario took the second set 6-2, with Williams then winning by taking the third set 7-5. This meant that after three attempts, Venus had finally beaten Vicario, paying off the first match that was shown in King Richard (via Sportskeeda).

Sources: Essentially Sports, Sportskeeda