Nationwide — Serena Williams is constantly redefining what it means to be a female athlete. Since her first court appearance, she developed a presence within many worlds – she’s an entrepreneur, wife, mother, and activist. Although so many aspects of her life are torn apart by critics, Williams continues to receive praise and respect from those who matter. Here we will discuss the incredible efforts and events that have shaped Serena Williams into the undeniable talent and life force she is today.
Brief History
Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan to Oracene and Richard Williams. She is the youngest of five daughters – 3 of which are half-siblings to Serena. Her full sister, Venus, is also a very talented tennis player. Her family moved to California, and this is where Serena began her tennis career at four years old. From that point on, her talent was undeniable.
When she was nine, the family moved again to West Palm Beach, Florida. While there, she attended the tennis academy of Rick Macci. Both Macci and Williams’ father coached Serena – as her talent took off, as did her career. As she excelled in her younger years, reaching top performance standards for children her age, people took notice. In her freshman year of high school, Richard Williams pulled Serena from Macci’s academy and began coaching her and Venus himself. From then on, Serena worked even harder to make a name for herself within the professional tennis world.
Tennis Success
There are many aspects of Serena’s game that have wowed people for years. One of which is her ability to dominate the baseline and bring a lot of force with her serves. Not only that, but her forehand is considered to be one of the most powerful shots in the women’s game.
Throughout the multitude of games she dominated, as well as those that were a close call, Serena has earned 72 career Singles Titles. She’s won close to 800 matches. Outside of her singles game, when Serena plays with her sister Venus in doubles, no one can contain their talent on the court – the two have only lost 6 matches together.
It’s immense talent and a lot of hard work that leads an athlete to consistently win – and constant wins are exactly what Serena is known for. The Serena Slam first happened in the 2002-03 season; she won four Grand Slams in a row—from 2002’s French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open to 2003’s Australian Open. Her second Serena Slam was during the 2014–15 season – Serena knows how to dominate the court.
Part of what makes Serena such a great athlete is her ability to bounce back. She’s had numerous injuries and has come back stronger every time. She even played while pregnant and then while breastfeeding – and won. Her training regimen has been something people have admired and tried to replicate for years now. Aside from outside training, tennis, in general, is an incredible sport to get fit and energized, and when you’ve been playing for as long as Serena has, it’s no wonder she’s in such great shape.
“Dream Crazier” Williams
Throughout her career, Williams has made sure to keep true to herself; she supports and fights for what is important to her. Throughout her tennis career, those within the world of professional tennis have ridiculed Serena for her clothing, her body, and more – but these obstacles only push her to work harder. Recently, Nike pinpointed this idea was in their commercial, “Dream Crazier.” Serena narrates the commercials, which feature several trailblazing female athletes. The commercial ends with motivating and inspirational words from Serena: “So if they want to call you crazy, fine. Show them what crazy can do.”