"King Richard" - Father of Tennis Champions Venus and Serena Williams: "It's Time to Forgive Will Smith After Oscars Slap Incident with Chris Rock".

The father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams has broken his silence to defend Will Smith, who slapped Chris Rock at last year's Oscars ceremony.

Richard Williams - the father of Venus and Serena Williams - has defended actor Will Smith for slapping comedian Chris Rock at the Oscars nearly a year ago. Earlier, Will Smith, portraying Richard Williams in the biographical film King Richard, won the Best Actor award at the 94th Oscars.

However, last year's ceremony also saw Will Smith take the Oscar stage and slap Chris Rock after comments the comedian made about Will's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Smith apologized to Rock after the incident, but he has been banned from participating in any Academy events or programs for the next 10 years - since the time of the incident.

Williams (81), who recently recovered from a series of health issues,

In his latest statement, the father of tennis champions Venus and Serena Williams expressed his support for Smith, saying he "doesn't feel sorry" for Chris Rock.

"I think he [Smith] did what he needed to do best, but I will never hate Mr. Smith. In fact, I appreciate Mr. Smith," Richard Williams told Good Morning Britain.

When asked if he saw anything wrong at the Oscars, Williams said, "I don't see anything wrong with that." He then added, "It's time for everyone to forgive Will Smith."

The interview with Richard Williams took place one day after Rock commented on the slap in a Netflix special titled Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.