Type Richard Liu and Serena Williams into a search bar and the two names often show up together. It looks like a real puzzle at first. One is a Chinese tech founder. The other is an American tennis legend. This guide checks each claim, one clear answer at a time.
I checked company filings, tennis news, and court coverage, then built a simple, side by side career comparison. You’ll get answers on family ties, business links, health, money, and the latest 2026 headlines. I also clearly flag anything I couldn’t confirm, so you always know what’s solid and what isn’t.
Quick Answer and At a Glance Comparison
Short answer: they’re not related. Richard Liu founded JD.com in China, and Serena Williams is the American tennis star. Are they related? I found no source that says so.
The table below sets their basics side by side. Details, dates, and sources follow in the sections ahead, so you can check each point yourself and decide what to trust.
- No major outlet reports a family tie.
- No joint company or deal turned up.
- The 2026 tennis news is only about Serena.
- A shared first name with Serena’s father fuels the mix up.
Read More: Scott Galloway Wife: Who Is Beata Galloway? Age, Career, Family, Net Worth & Life Details in 2026
| Question | Richard Liu | Serena Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Known for | Founding JD.com | Tennis champion |
| Born | Jiangsu, China | Michigan, United States |
| Field | Online retail and logistics | Tennis and investing |
| Role in 2026 | JD.com chairman | Back on court since June |
| Link to the other | None found | None found |
Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams Related?
Is Richard Liu related to Serena Williams? No. Their families, birthplaces, and careers sit in different countries. I found no documented connection in biographies, company filings, or news archives.
A family link would be easy to prove if it existed. Serena’s relatives are widely covered, from her parents to her husband and daughters. Liu’s family appears nowhere in that story.
- Liu grew up in rural Jiangsu, China.
- Serena was born in Michigan and raised in California.
- Her father’s surname is Williams, not Liu.
- No official source links the two families.
Are They Business Partners or Connected in Any Way?
Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams business partners? Not from anything public. The only real Richard Liu and Serena Williams connection is how often search engines pair their names.
I found no joint deal, shared board seat, or paired announcement. If you see a claim saying otherwise, ask where the proof is before you share it.
- No shared company or investment found.
- No joint interview or public meeting found.
- Their industries rarely overlap.
- Treat deal rumors as unverified until a document backs them.
Richard Williams vs Richard Liu: The Name Confusion Explained
Here’s the name confusion in one line. Richard Williams vs Richard Liu is a mix up between two different men. One coached tennis. The other built a tech giant.
Is Richard Liu Serena Williams’ father? No. Who is Serena Williams’ father? It’s Richard Williams, a coach born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Only the first name matches Liu’s. Everything else differs.
- Williams is a tennis coach, and Liu is a tech founder.
- Williams was born in Louisiana, and Liu was born in Jiangsu.
- Serena carries her father’s surname, Williams.
- Mixing up first names is the whole confusion.
Who Is Richard Williams?
Who is Richard Williams? He’s the father of Venus and Serena, and he was their first coach. He says he wrote a 78 page plan, and lessons began when the girls were about four and a half. His tennis coaching took them from public courts to the world stage. As Serena Williams’ father, he stays central to her story.
Where Is Richard Williams Now?
Where is Richard Williams now? He was born in 1942, so he’s 84 and mostly out of public view. He suffered a stroke in 2016, and a 2022 report placed him in Atlanta. A 2026 Louisiana House resolution honored him, but I found no verified recent health update. Treat online posts about his health with care.
Is King Richard a True Story About Serena Williams?
The King Richard film is based on a true story, though it’s still a movie with dramatized scenes. It follows Richard Williams and his plan to raise Venus and Serena as champions.
Will Smith played Richard and won an Oscar for the role. Venus and Serena were involved as executive producers, so many fans see it as the family’s own telling.
- Released November 19, 2021, by Warner Bros.
- Real family, dramatized scenes.
- Richard Williams is the lead, not Richard Liu.
- Demi Singleton plays Serena, and Saniyya Sidney plays Venus.
Did Richard Williams Go to Serena’s Wedding?
Not exactly. Serena married Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans in November 2017. Her father came with a suit ready, then texted her that he couldn’t walk her down the aisle.
Serena said she understood, pointing to his health after the 2016 stroke. Reports say he didn’t attend the ceremony, and she handled the news with grace and kindness.
- Held at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans.
- The theme was Beauty and the Beast.
- Their two month old daughter, Olympia, was there.
- Serena shared the story in HBO’s Being Serena.
Who Is Richard Liu (Liu Qiangdong)?
Who is Richard Liu? Also known as Liu Qiangdong, he’s a Chinese entrepreneur from Jiangsu province. He’s the JD.com founder, a billionaire famous for authentic products and fast delivery.
He studied sociology at Renmin University of China and later earned an EMBA from the China Europe International Business School. He also appeared on the Fortune World’s 50 Greatest Leaders list in 2015.
- Raised in a poor farming family in Jiangsu.
- Left home at 18 with 700 yuan and 76 eggs.
- Opened his first electronics shop in 1998.
- Moved sales online during the 2003 SARS outbreak.
Building JD.com
Liu opened a small electronics shop in Beijing in 1998. After SARS hit in 2003, he moved sales online, and JD.com launched in 2004. It grew into a huge ecommerce company with its own logistics network and a 2014 Nasdaq listing. Units such as JD Logistics and JD Health later listed in Hong Kong.
His Role Today
Is Richard Liu still the CEO of JD.com? No. He stepped down as CEO in April 2022 and remains chairman. Sandy Ran Xu has been chief executive since May 2023. So JD.com chairman is his correct title, while Richard Liu CEO is outdated, even on some websites. In Richard Liu 2026 filings, he’s still listed as chairman. In April 2024, JD showed an AI digital version of Liu in a livestream that drew over 20 million views in an hour.
Family
Who is Richard Liu’s wife? Richard Liu wife searches point to Zhang Zetian, a Tsinghua University graduate about 19 years younger than him, according to Caixin in 2018. I’ll stick to reported facts and skip private details.
Net Worth
What is Richard Liu’s net worth? There’s no single answer. His Richard Liu net worth depends mostly on JD.com shares, making it a stock based fortune that moves with the market. Many pages show outdated figures. For Richard Liu net worth October 2026, I couldn’t verify a current Forbes net worth number.
| Source type | Date | Reported figure | How much to trust it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes, as reported by Forbes Middle East | December 2022 | About $12.4 billion | Named source, but dated |
| Business profiles | 2025 | About $6 billion | Secondary, check the method |
| Sites claiming a 2026 Forbes number | 2026 | Varies | Unverified |
The 2018 Minnesota Investigation (Public Record)
What happened to Richard Liu in Minnesota? In August 2018, he was arrested in Minneapolis on suspicion of felony rape. The 2018 Minnesota investigation drew global headlines.
In December, prosecutors declined to charge him, citing evidence problems. Jingyao Liu, then a student, sued in 2019. The public record shows no criminal charges and a later settlement.
- Minneapolis police investigated in August 2018.
- Liu was arrested and released without charges within hours.
- Liu denied rape, and the two sides disagreed on whether it was a consensual encounter.
- The civil lawsuit settlement came in 2022, two days before trial, and settled on undisclosed terms.
Who Is Serena Williams?
Where was Serena Williams born? The Serena Williams birthplace is Saginaw, Michigan. She grew up in Compton, California, where her father coached her and her sister on public courts.
She’s widely seen as one of the greatest tennis players ever. Her sister Venus Williams was her first rival and her longtime doubles partner. Together they reshaped women’s tennis.
- Born September 26, 1981.
- Turned professional in 1995.
- Won her first major at the 1999 US Open.
- Known for a huge serve and heavy groundstrokes.
Career Records
She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any woman in the Open era, and spent 319 weeks world number one. Her career also includes 73 singles titles and 39 major titles overall, counting doubles too. Seven of her singles majors came at Wimbledon and six at the US Open.
Serena Williams’ 2026 Comeback
Serena Williams’ 2026 comeback surprised many fans. Serena Williams retired after the 2022 US Open, so did Serena Williams retire in 2026? No, she returned. Her tennis comeback began June 9 at Queen’s Club, in doubles with Victoria Mboko.
At Serena Williams Wimbledon 2026, a Wimbledon wild card put her in singles, where Maya Joint beat her in three sets on June 30. A knee injury then ended her doubles run with Venus.
She played the Cincinnati Open with Venus in August. For Serena Williams US Open 2026, she skipped singles and played mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, winning once before losing in the quarterfinals at the US Open.
Serena Ventures and Business Career
She launched Serena Ventures in 2014, a firm focused on venture investing and backing underrepresented founders. It has backed more than 85 companies. As for Serena Williams net worth, Forbes put it near $400 million in June 2026, according to Hollywoodlife, though other sites give lower numbers.
Family
Serena and Alexis Ohanian share two daughters, Olympia and Adira. Her mother, Oracene Price, helped raise her and Venus, and the family has stayed close through her comeback. No branch of that family connects to Richard Liu.
What Is Serena Williams Diagnosed With?
She’s not known to have a current diagnosis, and she’s competing again in 2026. Past health scares include a pulmonary embolism and hematoma in 2011, and a viral illness at Wimbledon in 2014.
In 2024, she had a benign branchial cyst removed from her neck and said she was healthy. A knee injury at Wimbledon 2026 slowed her comeback, but it was an injury, not a diagnosis.
- 2011: blood clot in the lungs, then a hematoma.
- 2014: viral illness ended her Wimbledon doubles match.
- 2024: benign branchial cyst removed.
- 2026: right knee injury at Wimbledon.
Why Do People Search These Names Together?
Why do people search these names together? Often people assume they’re business partners or relatives. Fresh headlines about Serena Williams 2026 can also pull both names into the same results.
Autocomplete searches can mix names, and a search habit of clicking the first result spreads the error. Some low quality websites then repeat guesses as if they were facts.
- Run a Richard Liu and Serena Williams fact check before you share a claim.
- Look for verified facts with dates attached.
- Trust a credible source over a viral post.
- A named source, such as a filing or court report, beats a screenshot.
Career Comparison: Business vs Elite Sport
A path in business vs elite sport rewards different skills. Liu built a company over decades. Serena won on court for more than two decades, then added a second career in investing.
In a Richard Liu vs Serena Williams match up, the scoreboards differ. Liu’s is wealth and company size. Serena’s is titles and weeks at number one, so a direct ranking says little.
- Liu’s edge was control of delivery and logistics.
- Serena’s edge was power and mental toughness.
- Liu led JD.com to become the first Chinese internet company on the Fortune 500 list.
- Serena’s result: the most Grand Slam singles titles in the Open era.
| Area | Richard Liu | Serena Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 1998 electronics shop | Tennis lessons as a child |
| Big milestone | Nasdaq listing in 2014 | First major in 1999 |
| Peak measure | Company scale and wealth | Titles and weeks at number one |
| Second act | Chairman after 2022 | Investor and 2026 comeback |
| Public link between them | None | None |
Timeline: Key Dates for Both
This key dates timeline keeps the facts straight. Liu’s dates come from company records and court coverage. Serena’s come from tennis reports, including her summer 2026 results. Use it to spot errors fast.
I found no event where both appear. Their paths only line up on the calendar, which is why a side by side view clears things up fast.
- 1998: Liu opens his electronics shop.
- 2004: JD.com launches online.
- 2014: JD.com lists on Nasdaq.
- 2022: Liu steps down as CEO, and Serena plays her farewell US Open.
| Year | Richard Liu | Serena Williams |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Opens electronics shop in Beijing | Plays her first Wimbledon |
| 1999 | Not applicable | Wins her first US Open |
| 2004 | Launches JD.com online | Not applicable |
| 2014 | JD.com lists on Nasdaq | Wins her sixth US Open |
| 2018 | Minnesota arrest and release | Reaches the US Open final |
| 2022 | Steps down as CEO | Retires after the US Open |
| 2023 | Sandy Ran Xu becomes CEO | Welcomes daughter Adira |
| 2026 | Remains chairman | Returns to tennis |
What They Have in Common
Here’s what they have in common: both started with modest means, built something huge, and kept reinventing themselves. That’s a shared pattern of hard work, not a shared family.
A career comparison business vs sport also shows a shared second act: Liu chairs JD.com, and Serena invests and, in 2026, returned to the court. Neither story needs the other.
- Both grew up without wealth.
- Both built brands known worldwide.
- Both now work in a second act.
- Neither shows any link to the other.
What We Know Today (Updated October 2026)
This fact check is updated October 2026. Richard Liu and Serena Williams are not related, not business partners, and not linked by any public record I could find.
Is Serena Williams playing tennis in 2026? Yes, though her plans after the August US Open are unconfirmed. Treat unverified claims about a link between the two as rumor until a named record appears.
- Richard Liu is JD.com chairman, not CEO.
- Serena returned in June 2026 and played Wimbledon, Cincinnati, and the US Open.
- Richard Williams, not Liu, is Serena’s father.
- Net worth figures change, so check the date.
FAQs
Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams related?
No. I found no family link between them in any biography, filing, or news report.
Is Richard Liu Serena Williams’ father?
No. Serena’s father is Richard Williams, a tennis coach from Louisiana. Richard Liu is the founder of JD.com.
Is Richard Liu still the CEO of JD.com?
No. He stepped down as CEO in April 2022 and remains chairman. Sandy Ran Xu has been CEO since May 2023.
Is Serena Williams playing tennis in 2026?
Yes. She returned in June 2026 and played Wimbledon, the Cincinnati Open, and the US Open.
What is Richard Liu’s net worth?
It’s a stock based figure that changes often. I couldn’t verify a current Forbes number for October 2026.
Conclusion
Richard Liu and Serena Williams are not related, and they are not business partners. No public record connects them in any way. Their names appear together mostly because of search habits and a shared first name with Richard Williams.
Each one built a huge career in a very different field. Liu grew JD.com into a global company, and Serena won 23 Grand Slam singles titles before returning to tennis in 2026. Always check dates and sources before sharing a claim.
Writer and content creator dedicated to spreading hope, faith, and positivity through meaningful words.