Serena Williams’ dad King Richard had secret ‘brain surgery’ in Miami before the ex fought his home collapse

SERENA Williams’ elderly father ‘King Richard’, who was struggling with health conditions and suffered a stroke, underwent surgery in secret, The US Sun can reveal.

Richard Williams, 80, whose life story was told in King Richard, starring Will Smith, is said to have previously suffered from irreparable “brain damage” and “dementia”.

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Court documents from a divorce battle with his estranged wife, Lakeisha Williams, which included testimonies from his own doctor, claimed his health had seriously deteriorated.

But his son, who is Williams’ general manager, has now revealed in a statement that he has been doing “much, much better” in recent years after an operation in Florida.

Chavoita LeSane told The US Sun: “He’s definitely okay and happy. After he had the stroke I lived with him for about two years, maybe a little longer.

“The Miami doctors did a great job, especially with his neuralgia/brain surgery.

“He’s driving now and mostly taking care of himself, he’s really blessed.”

According to online health sites, microvascular decompression (MVD) relieves “abnormal compression of a cranial nerve that causes trigeminal neuralgia, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, or hemifacial spasm.”

The skull is opened and a sponge is inserted between the nerve and artery, which triggers the pain signals.

The brain itself remains untouched during the procedure as doctors access the membrane covering the brain.

Williams is now living alone again in West Palm Beach and is keen to finalize his divorce with his ex – after years of litigation amid a dispute over their marital home.

His son Chavoita, a producer, director and writer who also has an office in Atlanta, said he regularly checks in with his father, who also has a caregiver, but he’s “mostly independent.”

He has shared a series of pictures on Instagram in recent months showing his father in better health and calling him “his best friend and rock” and his “fountain of wisdom”.

A snap shows the couple posing next to a red car with LeSane’s arm around his father, who can be seen barefoot and beaming.

A video also shows Williams appearing in high spirits as he carries a watermelon while walking alongside his son, captioned, “Love these days with my dad.”

FAITHFUL SON

Chavoita said: “That’s what we do when we’re on the field all day. We carry the watermelon.”

He urged his father, who was clutching the fruit tightly, not to drop it.

He added: “You’ve got that watermelon tough boy. Don’t drop that melon boy. Don’t drop that melon.”

Chavoita also appears to have direct access to his half-sisters Serena and Venus, as his children have been pictured with the two sports legends at their tennis matches.

In his 2014 memoir, Black and White: The Way I See It, Richard paid a lavish tribute to his son, writing, “Chavoita LeSane, my son, who brought us all together and tirelessly kept this project alive than any other would have failed.

“He deserves great credit.”

Meanwhile, his ex, Lakeisha Williams, is facing the loss of the tennis star’s crumbling childhood home after blowing up over half a million dollars over the past six years.

She and Williams have been in a messy divorce battle since 2017.

BRIDGE HOUSE

Lakeisha is also in a long and bitter dispute with her creditor David Simon.

On February 16, 2017, Lakeisha signed a mortgage document, allegedly forging Willaims’ signature, to borrow $152,000 from Simon.

A few months later, she was loaned another $127,000 and only ever repaid about $24,000.

According to court documents, Lakeisha spent the money on a failed trucking business.

When Williams found out his signature on the documents was forged, giving his wife control of the four-bed property in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., he filed for divorce, which is still pending.

Lakeisha claimed he told her to sign for him.

The US Sun has previously highlighted how the property has fallen into disrepair.

The roof appears to have been haphazardly repaired dozens of times while an abandoned truck sits on the property.

And the outbuildings in the country seem to be crumbling.

Simon has claimed it is uninsurable – with the home being worth only half of its true value of $1.4 million.

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