Richard Liu and Serena Williams are not related, and no credible source shows a family, business, or personal link between them. Richard Liu is the Chinese billionaire who founded JD.com, while Serena Williams is the American tennis champion with 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
The two names appear together online mostly because of confusion with Richard Williams, Serena’s father, and because both are globally famous in different fields. This guide separates the verified facts, updated in October 2026, so you know who each person is.
Quick Answer and At a Glance Comparison
If you only have thirty seconds, here is what matters.
- Richard Liu (Liu Qiangdong): Born March 10, 1973. Founder and chairman of JD.com, one of China’s largest ecommerce companies. Not a sportsperson and not related to the Williams family.
- Serena Williams: American tennis champion and investor. Born in 1981, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, and back on court in 2026 at age 44 after retiring in 2022.
- Richard Williams: Serena and Venus Williams’ father and first coach. This is the “Richard” most people are actually thinking of when they search for this pairing.
The honest answer to “Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams connected?” is no, based on everything publicly documented. Pages that claim a secret partnership, friendship, or family tie rarely name a source. That alone is a reason to be cautious.
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Who Is Richard Liu (Liu Qiangdong)?
Richard Liu, known in China as Liu Qiangdong, was born in Suqian, Jiangsu, in 1973. According to JD.com’s own biography, he earned a sociology degree from Renmin University of China in 1996 and an EMBA from China Europe International Business School in 2011.
Building JD.com
Liu opened a physical electronics shop in the late 1990s, then moved fully online. He launched his first online retail website in 2004 and founded JD.com later that year, and in 2005 he turned down an offer to sell it for 18 million yuan. JD.com later expanded from electronics into a full range of products, built its own logistics network, and listed on Nasdaq in 2014. Fortune named him one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders in 2015.
A detail most competing pages miss is how modern JD.com markets him. In April 2024, the company introduced an AI digital version of Liu in a livestream, which drew over 20 million views in the first hour and generated RMB 50 million in sales.
His Role Today
Many older articles still call him CEO. That is outdated. He has been chairman since the company began and served as chief executive until April 2022. Sandy Ran Xu became CEO in May 2023. JD.com has said that Liu, as chairman, focuses on long-term strategy, and the Financial Times reported he has been working largely from London. He also chairs JD Health and JD Logistics.
Family
Liu married Zhang Zetian in 2015. They met when he studied at Columbia University, and she was an exchange student at Barnard College. Zhang became widely known in China as an internet personality before the marriage.
Net Worth
Net worth for a stock-based fortune moves every day, so treat any single figure as a snapshot. Forbes put Liu at about 5.5 billion dollars as of October 2026. Forbes’ own profile showed roughly 5.7 billion dollars in March 2026. Some websites still repeat figures of 10 billion dollars or more. Those numbers reflect his wealth around 2018 and are outdated.
The 2018 Minnesota Investigation (Public Record)
Because this case is a large part of what people search about Richard Liu, it deserves a careful, factual summary.
In August 2018, Liu was in Minnesota for an executive business program. He was arrested by Minneapolis police and released without charges or bail the following day. A student, Jingyao Liu, accused him of rape. Liu consistently denied the accusation and said the encounter was consensual. Prosecutors declined to file criminal charges, citing profound evidentiary problems.
Jingyao Liu filed a civil lawsuit in April 2019. It was settled in October 2022, shortly before the trial was due to start, and the terms were not disclosed. A decision not to charge and a private settlement are not court findings of guilt or innocence, so responsible coverage sticks to those documented facts.
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Who Is Serena Williams?
Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, and grew up in Compton, California. Many websites get her birthplace wrong, so it is worth stating clearly.
Career Records
She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and spent 319 weeks ranked world number one. That includes six US Open singles titles, two US Open doubles titles with Venus, and a US Open mixed doubles title in 1998. She stepped away from tennis after the 2022 US Open.
Serena Williams’ 2026 Comeback
This is the part most pages either skip or get wrong. Some even say she retired in 2026. The opposite happened.
- She returned to competition in June 2026 with doubles in London.
- She accepted a Wimbledon singles wild card at age 44. She lost in the first round to Maya Joint on June 30.
- In August, she played doubles with Venus at the Cincinnati Open, and they lost in the first round.
- At the US Open, she paired with Carlos Alcaraz in mixed doubles and won their first-round match. They then lost in the quarterfinal to Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic.
- On September 4, Serena and Venus lost their US Open women’s doubles match in a match tiebreak to Hao Ching Chan and Maya Joint.
She turned 45 in September 2026. Nothing I found confirms how much more she plans to play, so any claim about her next tournament should come from an official announcement.
Serena Ventures and Business Career
Serena Ventures, founded in 2014, backs companies led by underrepresented founders and has invested in dozens of startups. Her first fund raised 111 million dollars. Forbes estimated her net worth at 400 million dollars in June 2026, making her the richest woman to build her fortune mainly as an athlete. Lower figures between 220 and 350 million dollars still circulate on older pages.
Family
She is married to Alexis Ohanian, the cofounder of Reddit, and they have two daughters.
Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams Related?
No. They have different families, different nationalities, and no documented relatives in common. Richard Liu was born in China. Serena Williams was born in the United States. The surname “Williams” does not appear anywhere in Liu’s family record, and “Liu” does not appear in Serena’s.
Are They Business Partners or Connected in Any Way?
I found no public report of a partnership, joint investment, endorsement deal, or shared event between the two. JD.com’s executive biographies, its investor filings, and Serena Ventures’ public coverage do not mention each other. If you see a headline claiming otherwise, check whether it cites a named outlet and a date. If it does not, treat it as unverified.
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Richard Williams vs Richard Liu: The Name Confusion Explained
This is the real reason the search exists. “Richard Liu” and “Richard Williams” share a first name, and both are famous. Typing “Richard” and “Serena Williams” together is enough to surface both men in autocomplete.
- Richard Liu builds companies. His field is ecommerce and logistics.
- Richard Williams built champions. His field was tennis coaching.
Who Is Richard Williams?
Richard Williams was born February 14, 1942, and is the former coach and father of Venus and Serena Williams. Will Smith played him in the film King Richard and won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film tells how he planned his daughters’ careers and coached them on public courts in Compton.
Where Is Richard Williams Now?
Reliable recent updates are scarce. His third wife said in 2016 that he had suffered a stroke. He has lived in Atlanta and has been involved in a long legal dispute with his third wife since their 2017 divorce filing. He rarely appears publicly now. Many websites recycle old reports, so be careful with any page that gives exact health claims without a dated, named source.
Why Do People Search These Names Together?
From the way these queries behave, three patterns stand out. First, people mix up the two Richards. Second, trending Serena news, like her 2026 comeback, pulls in related searches. Third, some low-quality websites publish pages with both names in the title to capture traffic, which then makes the pairing look more meaningful than it is. If you arrived here from one of those pages, the pairing is a search habit, not a real story.
Career Comparison: Business vs Elite Sport
- Field: Liu works in ecommerce and logistics. Serena works in tennis and venture investing.
- Defining achievement: Liu built JD.com into a major retailer and took it public. Serena won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
- Role in 2026: Liu is chairman of JD.com. Serena is a returning player and investor.
- Main source of wealth: Liu’s fortune is tied to JD.com stock. Serena’s comes from earnings, endorsements, and Serena Ventures.
- Public attention: Both have faced intense scrutiny, but in very different ways. Liu’s has focused on a legal case. Serena’s has focused on records and her return.
Timeline: Key Dates for Both
- 1973: Richard Liu is born.
- 1981: Serena Williams is born.
- 2004: Liu founds JD.com.
- 2014: JD.com lists on Nasdaq. Serena Ventures is founded.
- 2015: Liu marries Zhang Zetian.
- 2018: Liu is arrested in Minneapolis and released without charges.
- 2022: Liu steps down as CEO. Serena steps away from tennis. Liu’s civil case is settled.
- 2023: Sandy Ran Xu becomes JD.com CEO.
- 2026: Serena returns to competition at 44.
What They Have in Common
Beyond fame, there are only a few honest overlaps. Both built large organizations around their own names. Both operate globally. Both have been written about far beyond their main field. That is about the full list, and it does not add up to a connection between them.
What We Know Today (Updated October 2026)
Richard Liu remains founder and chairman of JD.com, and his Forbes net worth sits around 5.5 billion dollars. Serena Williams is playing again, has lost at both Wimbledon and the US Open this year, and remains an active investor. There is no verified link between them. If new credible reporting appears, this page will be updated.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Richard Liu Serena Williams’ father?
No. Serena’s father is Richard Williams, a tennis coach.
Who is Serena Williams’ father?
Richard Williams, who coached Serena and Venus when they were young.
Are Richard Liu and Serena Williams related or business partners?
No documented family or business connection exists.
Is Serena Williams playing tennis in 2026?
Yes. She returned in June 2026 and has played singles at Wimbledon and doubles and mixed doubles at other events.
Is Richard Liu still the CEO of JD.com?
No. He stepped down as CEO in April 2022 and remains chairman.
Who is Richard Liu’s wife?
Zhang Zetian, whom he married in 2015.
What happened to Richard Liu in Minnesota?
He was arrested in 2018 and released without charges. Prosecutors declined to charge him, and a later civil suit was settled in 2022 on undisclosed terms. He denied the accusation.
What is Richard Liu’s net worth?
About 5.5 billion, according to Forbes in October 2026. It changes with JD.com’s share price.
Where was Serena Williams born?
Saginaw, Michigan. She grew up in Compton, California.
Sources and How We Verified This Article
Facts about Richard Liu come from JD.com’s investor relations biography, Forbes, Reuters and CNBC coverage, Fortune, the South China Morning Post, and the Financial Times via City AM. Facts about Serena Williams come from the Associated Press, CNN, Al Jazeera, the USTA, and Forbes figures reported in June 2026. Facts about Richard Williams come from ESPN and other sports reporting. Net worth figures are estimates and change often.
I’m Elyon Marwood, the voice behind BlessWithUs. Writing has always been more than just words for me; it’s a way to share faith, spread hope, and bring light into someone’s day. Through heartfelt blessings, meaningful prayers, and uplifting messages, I create moments that help you slow down, feel at peace, and reconnect with what truly matters. Every piece I write carries a purpose to comfort your heart, strengthen your faith, and remind you that even in the quietest moments, you are deeply guided, loved, and blessed.
