Serena Williams has done it all in tennis, but there’s so much more to come from the champion. The former No. 1’s quest for the best was not only about winning, but also about changing the world and making a world-beater that women can look up to. Serena has conquered her sport and her life with a mix of strength, tenacity, and guts, proving that the old adage is truly true: “You can’t handle the truth.”
A year ago at the U.S. Open in New York, Serena stunned all with her comeback, a win that was a tribute to her game, her mental toughness, and her desire to win. But this past weekend, she showed the world that she is still the top competitor she’s always been, even after losing to her sister, Venus, at the 2015 Australian Open. And after dominating a match with her sister at Wimbledon, she was no longer the new kid on the block, and the next big thing, as she had been five years ago, when she beat Martina Kravishina in the final (10-8). She had finally become something more.
She’s achieved so much, and she’s proven that she’s not only a tennis genius, but also a woman who has accomplished great things because she’s had the courage to go after what she wants.
Serena Williams is not only the most accomplished woman athlete of all time, but she’s the biggest role model women have to look up to.
I first met Serena Williams when I was working for the New York Times. She asked me to write about her for the magazine’s All Access series about the New York Times. I thought it was an honor to talk to her, as she has been such an inspiration to me since. (I’ve since written four articles about her, and I’m doing a short series on her life.) Her journey from tennis world number one to role model to best-ever athlete took her to some of the most unlikely places in the world, and it was a journey filled with amazing highs and even more amazing lows.
When I met Serena back in September 2014, she was going through an unusual time. Her career had taken a different and unexpected look, and she was struggling. She was playing in the Australian Open’s first-round match against Victoria Azarenka, who was ranked No. 14 in the world (Serena
