The Instagram account of Phiangphathu Khumueang, The Best Of Phiangphathu Khumueang, the Thai woman who married in 2005 Guillermo Vilas, act as a kind of official statement on the health of the best South American tennis player of all time, physically weakened and confined to his home in Monte Carlo. Or, at least, it allows tennis fans to make some guesses from the photos he posts.
In this case, Phiang Vilas posted two images in which you can see William Jr., the youngest of the four children they have together (he just turned 7 years old), held by the hands of his father, the quadruple Grand Slam champion.
They are both sitting and the boy is wearing the same clothes as in a publication that Phiang made days ago for his seventh birthday, so it is assumed that all the photos are from the celebration that same day.
An official report on Vilas’s health was never released. José Luis Clerc referred to this situation: “A few years ago I was at Roland Garros, I went to his tennis academy in Mallorca and he sent me a WhatsApp where he told me ‘Sweet potato, I’m a little sick.’ It’s very hard to talk regarding him. I spent my entire career alongside him, I miss him and I suffer a lot for him.”
Vilas and Clerc recomposed the relationship that was broken. Photo: AFP
Vilas and Pihangpathu will celebrate 20 years of marriage next year and they had four children: Andanin, Lalindao, Intila and Guillermo Jr. It is precisely with the youngest that the mother shows the most tender images.
On April 3 of last year, when little Willy turned 6 years old, the mother showed the little heir’s hug with his father and legend. Guillermo had the Superman t-shirt. “Happy birthday my (heart emoji). Superman Super Father”, was the message he published on Instagram.
It was in October 2022 that Phiang began sharing images of Willy. The first was a black and white photo with Vilas who, since his last public appearance, had shown the passage of years. It was shocking to see him once more, but also tender, for always being next to his wife and his children. They were from 2020, however Phiang decided to publish them more than three years later.