Richard Liu and Serena Williams: Are They Together? (2026)

Last updated: October 10, 2026

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Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams together? The short answer is no — these two names have never been romantically linked, and there is no record of any personal or business relationship between them. The confusion is understandable, though, because Serena’s famous father is also named Richard — Richard Williams, the tennis coach portrayed in the film King Richard — a completely different person from Richard Liu, the Chinese billionaire who founded JD.com.

Table of Contents

Quick Answer

Richard Liu and Serena Williams are not a couple, not business partners, and not known to have ever met. Liu is married to businesswoman Zhang Zetian (widely known as Nancy Zhang, or the “Milk Tea Girl”), while Williams is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, with whom she shares two daughters. The “Richard” in Serena’s life is her father, Richard Williams — the mix-up between the two Richards appears to be the entire source of this search pairing.

Illustration for Richard Liu and Serena Williams

Who Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams?

Richard Liu — born Liu Qiangdong on March 10, 1973, in Suqian, Jiangsu province, China — is one of the most prominent internet entrepreneurs in China. He started as a small electronics retailer in Beijing in 1998, then pivoted online in 2004 and built JD.com (also known as Jingdong) into one of the world’s largest e-commerce and logistics companies. He took the company public on the Nasdaq in 2014, stepped down as chief executive in April 2022, and remains its chairman. Forbes estimated his net worth at around $5.5 billion as of October 2026. Liu married Zhang Zetian in 2015, and the couple are fixtures of China’s business scene.

Serena Williams needs little introduction: she is one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name — the most in the Open Era. After announcing in 2022 that she was “evolving away” from professional tennis, she shifted her energy toward business and investing, including her venture fund Serena Ventures. She married Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, in November 2017. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Olympia, in September 2017 and their second daughter, Adira, in August 2023.

Relationship Timeline

Since there is no relationship between Richard Liu and Serena Williams, the honest timeline is the story of why their names get searched together — alongside the real milestones of each person’s life:

  • March 1973: Liu Qiangdong (Richard Liu) is born in Suqian, Jiangsu, China.
  • September 1981: Serena Williams is born in Saginaw, Michigan, the daughter of Richard Williams and Oracene Price — the “Richard” who actually belongs in Serena’s story.
  • 1998: Liu opens his first retail business in Beijing, selling magneto-optical products.
  • 2004: After the SARS outbreak disrupts his brick-and-mortar stores, Liu takes the business online and launches JD.com.
  • May 2014: JD.com lists on the Nasdaq in a landmark IPO.
  • October 2015: Liu marries Zhang Zetian, the internet-famous “Milk Tea Girl,” in a ceremony near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
  • September 2017: Serena Williams gives birth to daughter Olympia; two months later she marries Alexis Ohanian in New Orleans.
  • September 2022: Serena announces she is evolving away from tennis after the US Open.
  • April 2022: Liu steps down as JD.com’s CEO while remaining chairman of the board.
  • August 2023: Serena and Ohanian welcome their second daughter, Adira.

Latest Updates

As of 2026, both individuals are firmly in their own lanes — and both still happily married to other people. Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian stepped out together as a family of four at the Athlos London women’s track and field meet on September 18, 2026, the international debut of Ohanian’s all-women’s athletics series. Earlier in the summer, Williams returned to Wimbledon in June 2026 for the first time in four years, flashing her $2 million engagement ring, while continuing to build her Serena Ventures investment portfolio.

Richard Liu, meanwhile, made a notable return to the public stage in 2025 after years of keeping a low profile: he co-chaired the Summer Davos Forum in June, delivered a keynote at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, and appeared alongside his wife Nancy Zhang at the APEC summit in South Korea. Under his renewed chairmanship, JD.com posted its fastest quarterly revenue growth in nearly three years in early 2025.

Neither has said a word about the other — because, quite simply, there is nothing to say. If you were hoping for a secret romance between an e-commerce titan and a tennis legend, this is the point where the rumor officially dies: both are spoken for, and always have been.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams dating?
No. There is no evidence — not even a rumor from a credible outlet — that they have ever dated or even met. Liu is married to Zhang Zetian; Williams is married to Alexis Ohanian.

Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams married to each other?
No. Each is married to someone else, and both marriages are well documented. Liu married Zhang Zetian in 2015, and Williams married Ohanian in 2017.

Why do people search for “Richard Liu and Serena Williams” together?
The likeliest explanation is name confusion. Serena’s father, the famous tennis coach Richard Williams, shares a first name with Richard Liu. Searches pairing “Richard” with Serena Williams were probably meant for her father, but autocomplete and curiosity landed on the JD.com founder instead.

Have Richard Liu and Serena Williams ever worked together?
There is no record of any business partnership, investment, endorsement, or joint appearance between them. Their worlds — Chinese e-commerce and American sports — have simply never intersected publicly.

If you enjoy explainers that clear up mix-ups like this one, you’ll find more explainers at AllAboutFacts.

Faizi is a content writer at AllAboutFacts (hotteamnames.com), covering vocabulary, language tips, and everyday explainers.

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