The sun was blazing down on Ayan Broomfield when she was personally invited to play Venus Williams’ tennis double in King Richard a biographical film about Serena Williams,Venus and their father Richard Williams.

These were the days before the COVID-19 pandemic and Canadian-born Broomfield, who had been playing tennis since childhoodwas in Africa at a major tournament when she got the call.

“They were like, ‘You need to come to LA’ and I was like, ‘Alright’. I pulled out of the tournament,” the former NCAA national tennis champion tells 9honey.

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And just like that, she was on a flight back to the US, where she joined the star-studded cast of King Richard alongside major Hollywood names like Will Smith, who earned an Academy Award for his portrayal of Richard Williams.

Stepping on set for the first time was a full-circle moment for Broomfield, who grew up idolizing Serena and Venus Williams.

She’d crossed paths with the tennis legends before taking the role as Venus’ tennis double on the film but grew even more connected to the “inspiring” women during filming, something she’s deeply grateful for.

“Both Venus and Serena, they’ve always been very positive, always been very uplifting,” Broomfield says, beaming.

“They’re always wondering what’s going on in my life, what’s next for me … they want the best for me and every other girl that is coming up through the tennis system.”

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Of course, it wasn’t all inspiring pep talks and trading tennis secrets on the set of King Richard where she filmed tennis scenes as Venus (actress Saniyya Sidney played Venus in the rest of the film).

Broomfield spent plenty of time with Venus and Serena’s half-sister Isha Price, who was an executive producer, learning how to move exactly like Venus did as a young player.

“She would be helping me, making sure that I was emulating Venus’ technique, emulating her persona and how she carried herself on the court, because that was something that Venus was known for,” Broomfield explains.

“She was always, you know, shoulders back, chin up. She was a very confident player. She had very specific and unique techniques, so that was something that they really wanted me to emulate.”

Being part of the film was thrilling and in the years that followed King Richard‘s 2021 release, Broomfield found herself in front of the camera more and more often.

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Prior to the film, she’d been focused solely on her professional tennis career but when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she was forced to take a step back.

When the world reopened, Broomfield realized she wanted to explore a different a career – one that still involved tennis, though.

Today she runs the Ayan Broomfield Foundation, empowering underprivileged kids to get into tennis, serves as an ambassador for brands like Piper-Heidsieck, Official Champagne of the Australian Open, travels the world with tennis pro partner Frances Tiafoe, and documents it all on her growing social media platforms.

It’s been a big change for the 27-year-old, who admits life in the public eye has taken some getting used to.

“When I was playing tennis, being in the public eye was based on my athletic achievements. It was based on whether I won or lost matches, and that was something that didn’t bother me,” she says.

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But when she started traveling with Tiafoe, supporting him at matches and behind the scenes, the tune changed.

Suddenly, people wanted to talk about what Broomfield was wearing, what she looked like, and other personal topics she wasn’t used to seeing dissected online in real time.

”I had a little moment of like, a ‘woah’ moment,” she says, then laughs bashfully.

“Even my parents, when I was younger, they wanted me to play a sport that didn’t require judgment based on how you looked because it’s difficult, especially as a woman, to be dealing with that. It was definitely an adjustment.”

Fortunately, Broomfield had a number of high-profile women she could go to for advice about navigating her new life in the spotlight.

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“Their advice is always to have a very small circle of people around you that you genuinely care about, people that know you the best,” she says.

Women like the Williams sisters encouraged her to ignore criticism from strangers online and focus on the people who know her best; after all, they’re the only ones whose opinions really matter.

“I’ve really tried to focus on that even in terms of social media, like blocking out negative comments, not even looking at it or internalizing it,” she adds.

“Because at the end of the day, people don’t really know you on social media.”

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