Type “Richard Liu and Serena Williams” into a search bar and two very different worlds meet. One name belongs to a Chinese tech billionaire. The other belongs to one of the greatest tennis players of all time. So readers ask a fair question. Are these two people connected?
The short answer is no. There is no public proof of a family, business, or personal link between them. This guide explains who each person is, why their names get mixed up, and where their business lives come close without ever joining.
Who is Richard Liu?
Richard Liu is the English name of Liu Qiangdong, a Chinese entrepreneur. He founded JD.com, one of the largest online retailers in China. Many people compare him to Jeff Bezos because he built a huge shopping and delivery network from a very small start.
Liu was born in 1974 in Suqian, in Jiangsu province. His family had little money. He moved to Beijing in the early 1990s to study and soon saw how fast China was changing. That change shaped every business move he made later.
His company began in 1998 as a tiny shop in Beijing’s Zhongguancun tech district. Reports say he rented a space of about four square metres and sold electronics. In 2004 he moved the business online. The site grew into Jingdong Mall and later JD.com.
JD.com listed on the Nasdaq in May 2014. Big investors such as Walmart, Google, and Tencent backed the company over the years. Liu also became known for building JD’s own delivery network instead of relying on outside couriers. Fortune once noted that he still spent one day a year working as a delivery man.
In 2021, Liu stepped back from the daily running of JD.com and handed more control to his managers. He stays a major name in Chinese business. For his current title, check JD.com’s official investor page.
Quick facts about Richard Liu
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Liu Qiangdong |
| Known in the West as | Richard Liu |
| Born | 1974, Suqian, China |
| Main business | JD.com (e-commerce and logistics) |
| First shop opened | 1998, Beijing |
| Moved online | 2004 |
| Nasdaq listing | May 2014 |
| Spouse | Zhang Zetian |
| Industry | Online retail, delivery, technology |
Liu keeps a lower public profile than many tech founders. He rarely talks about his private life. He is also not linked to sports, and he has no known role in tennis.
Who is Serena Williams?
Serena Williams is an American tennis legend. She was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan. She grew up in Compton, California, with her older sister Venus. Both girls learned tennis on public courts.
Their father, Richard Williams, trained them from a young age. Serena turned professional in 1995. She went on to win 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which is the most by any player in the Open era. She also won four Olympic gold medals and spent many years ranked world number one.
Her style was easy to spot. She hit one of the hardest serves in the sport. She also played with great mental strength and came back from injuries again and again. Fans and rivals both saw her as a player who changed women’s tennis.
Serena announced her retirement in 2022 and played her last tournament at the US Open that year. She called it “evolving away” from tennis rather than leaving it. Since then she has put more time into family and business.
She is married to Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit. They have two daughters, Olympia and Adira. Serena also runs a venture firm and has worked with major brands such as Nike.
Quick facts about Serena Williams
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Serena Jameka Williams |
| Born | September 26, 1981, Saginaw, Michigan |
| Sport | Tennis |
| Grand Slam singles titles | 23 |
| Olympic gold medals | 4 |
| Retired | 2022 |
| Father and coach | Richard Williams |
| Husband | Alexis Ohanian |
| Business | Serena Ventures, fashion and product lines |
Notice the pattern. Everything in her story points to sport, family, and venture investing. Nothing in it points to Liu or JD.com.
The Richard Williams name mix-up
The confusion has a clear source. Serena’s father is named Richard Williams. Richard Liu also goes by Richard. Search tools and voice assistants often join a first name with a famous surname. That is how “Richard” and “Williams” blur into “Richard Liu and Serena Williams.”
Richard Williams was born in 1942 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He had no formal tennis training. He wrote a plan for his daughters before they were born and taught himself the game from books and videos. His story reached a wider audience in the 2021 film King Richard, which made his name trend again. He died in November 2022 at the age of 80.
When a film, a news story, or a tribute brings his name back, people search “Richard” and “Serena” together. Some then add “Liu” by mistake or because of autocomplete. A few more reasons add to the mess:
- Both men share the first name Richard.
- Both are famous in their own field.
- Both names show up in business and sports news.
- Voice search can mishear “Williams” and “Liu” in the same sentence.
- Social posts often tag the wrong person.
Here is a simple way to keep the two Richards apart.
| Feature | Richard Liu | Richard Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Real name | Liu Qiangdong | Richard Dove Williams |
| Country | China | United States |
| Known for | Founding JD.com | Coaching Serena and Venus |
| Field | E-commerce | Tennis coaching |
| Link to Serena | None known | Her father |
| Status | Business leader | Died in 2022 |
So if you want the person tied to Serena by blood, you want Richard Williams. Richard Liu has no such tie.
Do their business careers overlap?
Not in any direct way. Their companies work in very different areas. JD.com sells goods and runs a huge delivery system. Serena’s work centres on investing, fashion, and her own brand. They do not share a company, a board seat, or a public deal.
Still, a few themes feel similar. Both built a name first and then used it to grow a business. Both work with consumer brands. Both care about trust, since people must believe in a brand before they buy.
Here is a side-by-side look.
| Area | Richard Liu | Serena Williams |
|---|---|---|
| Main company | JD.com | Serena Ventures |
| Business type | Online retail and logistics | Venture capital and brand building |
| Main market | China and growing global reach | United States and global |
| Source of fame | Business success | Sports success |
| Public partnership together | None known | None known |
Serena Ventures was founded in 2014. It invests in early-stage startups and has a strong focus on founders who often get less funding. Serena has said she wants to back people who are overlooked by traditional investors. This is a different mission from a retail giant like JD.com.
One gap in the story is worth stating clearly. Large sports brands often sell through big Chinese platforms. JD.com is one of those platforms. That can put a famous athlete’s sponsor on the same shopping site as other products. It does not mean the athlete knows the founder or works with him. A brand link is not a personal link.
To sum up what we can say:
- No public record shows a joint company or investment.
- No public record shows a partnership between Serena Ventures and JD.com.
- No public record shows a personal or family tie.
- Any claim of a link needs a reliable source, not just a shared first name.
If you are researching this topic for school, work, or a news article, always check the claim against official company pages and trusted news outlets.
Frequently asked questions
Is Richard Liu related to Serena Williams?
No. Richard Liu is a Chinese businessman and Serena Williams is an American tennis star. There is no known family tie between them.
Who is Richard Liu?
Richard Liu, or Liu Qiangdong, founded the Chinese e-commerce company JD.com. He built it from a small Beijing shop into a major online retailer.
Who is Serena Williams?
Serena Williams is an American tennis champion with 23 Grand Slam singles titles. She retired in 2022 and now runs the venture firm Serena Ventures.
Is Richard Williams the same person as Richard Liu?
No. Richard Williams was Serena’s father and coach. Richard Liu is the founder of JD.com. They are two different people from two different countries.
Who is Serena Williams’ father?
Serena’s father is Richard Williams. He coached her and her sister Venus from childhood. He died in November 2022.
Did Serena Williams invest in JD.com?
No public record shows that she did. Serena’s known investing runs through Serena Ventures, which focuses on early-stage startups.
Do Richard Liu and Serena Williams work together?
There is no public sign that they do. They work in different industries and have no known joint project.
Final Thoughts
Richard Liu and Serena Williams are both huge names, but they do not share a family or a business. One built a retail and delivery empire in China. The other won 23 Grand Slam titles and now backs young companies. The link people imagine mostly comes from the shared name Richard and from search results that blend two stories into one.
The best habit is to check who a name really belongs to before you repeat a claim. If you meant the person connected to Serena, look up Richard Williams. If you meant the JD.com founder, look up Liu Qiangdong. Using the right name will give you better results and keep your facts straight.
