Whether or not you consider yourself a tennis fan, chances are, you've heard of
Serena Williams. As one of the world's biggest tennis stars, Serena is used to the spotlight.
Eager to know more about her? Here are some things you never knew about Serena Williams.
Even though Serena Williams is an ultra-talented tennis player, she didn't initially think she had
what it takes to make it as a pro. In fact, she only realized her talent when she was
17 years old. As she told Sports Illustrated, it wasn't until she actually started beating
other pros that she started to think that she might have something special. She said:
"I remember I was on a win streak. I won Paris, I won Indian Wells and I lost
the finals to Venus at the Lipton. Even though I lost the match, I went on to win the U.S.
Open that year [for her first Grand Slam title]. I feel like it gave me confidence."
Of course, her family always knew she had what it takes to become exceptional.
As The Guardian reported, Williams' father had told his wife his premonition that
their daughters would transform the sport — and, of course, he was right.
Serena Williams grew up playing tennis alongside her sister,
Venus. From the very beginning, their rivalry has been the stuff of legends.
Both sisters were exceptional players at the peak of their careers. Having two tennis champions
emerge from one family was unprecedented. As one writer put it for The New York Times,
it was, quote, "as improbable as one set of parents raising Picasso and Monet."
As Serena explained in her book "On the Line," her
ongoing rivalry with her sister has helped to spur her on. She wrote:
"When we were growing up, it was a lot about Venus — it needed to be about Venus,
because she was an incredible player. And that actually, being the little sister, the one that
wasn't as strong, wasn't as good yet, gave me encouragement and the fight I have in my game"
While the pair have always fought to the death on the court, off the court,
they couldn't be closer. According to The Guardian, the two even lived together in
Florida and consider each other best friends. It sounds like Serena could never have become
the player she is today without the support and rivalry of her sister.
"And then when you get there, you can't think of who you're playing, whether it's Venus
or whether it's someone else."
It would seem that Serena Williams is a woman of many talents.
Not only is she one of the world's best tennis players, she's also got a decent set of pipes.
When The Guardian asked her to share a secret, Williams confessed:
"I love karaoke."
It seems there is a lot of truth to her statement. In 2016,
Williams was filmed singing "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift with fans.
And, in 2019, Williams was seen in Palm Beach performing "Bodak Yellow" by Cardi B.
In 2021, W Magazine asked Williams what her go-to karaoke track is, and she replied:
"Usually Bon Jovi [...] maybe 'I Believe' — but really, anything in the 1990s realm."
And, in a 2019 interview on Strahan & Sara, Williams went into more detail about her
love of karaoke. Apparently, she tends to set up karaoke at her house parties. And,
as she explained, her go-to song can actually depend on the crowd. She said:
"I was doing karaoke the other day in California but way down south,
and I was like, 'Okay, I'm going to sing Selena."
As one of the greatest athletes in the world, it should come as
no surprise that Serena Williams is pretty careful about what she puts in her body.
Williams told Glamour that before a match she tries to eat a combination of protein and carbs,
but she often feels too nervous to get anything down. She said:
"I did have some turkey sausage and a baked potato before this last match."
When Williams isn't about to play, she's less strict with her diet,
sometimes eating fries with lunch or chowing down on pizza after a match.
As for Williams' favorite food, it sounds like
tacos are a strong contender. As she once wrote on Facebook:
"I want tacos. [Every day] I want tacos.".
Another favorite food seems to be chicken. In an interview with Sports Illustrated,
she said her ideal last meal on earth would be fried chicken. And, in an interview with
Bon Appetit, she gushed about her mom's chicken, rice, and gravy recipe. She said:
"That's my favorite meal from her or from anybody."
As it turns out, tennis isn't the only thing Serena Williams thought about pursuing when she
was young. As she explained to Oprah, she and her sister Venus have always been interested
in acting. Apparently, the young girls used to put on plays for their parents. Venus recalled:
"Serena was always the princess, and I was the warrior."
Even as an adult, Serena has remained keen on acting. In fact, she's even done
it professionally. She has appeared in "My Wife and Kids," "Law & Order: SVU," "Drop Dead Diva,"
and several other productions. Plus, she's played herself in numerous shows and movies,
including "The Simpsons," "Ocean's 8," and two Beyoncé music videos.
As Serena told Oprah, she's keen to do more acting,
although it's not always easy to find the time — being that she's still a tennis superstar.
Serena Williams' favorite poet is Maya Angelou, a fact she revealed while accepting the 2015
Sportsperson of the Year Award. During her speech, she recited part of Angelou's poem "Still I Rise."
That same year, Williams read the entire poem for a video for BBC Sport.
Then, in 2017, Williams responded to racist comments made by Ilie Nastase
with an Instagram post that included an Angelou quote from the same poem:
"You may try to kill me with your hatefulness, but still like air, I rise."
In an interview with Glamour in 2016, Williams once again spoke about her favorite poet.
She mentioned another of Angelou's poems called "Phenomenal Woman." Williams said:
"I appreciate the hardships she went through for our generation.
I'm super influenced by the Black people that paved the way for us."
It's clear that Angelou has been a huge influence
for Williams throughout her journey as a Black woman in the public eye.
As most Serena Williams fans probably know, fashion is a big part of the tennis star's
life. Her outfits on the court have been assessed by fashion critics for years.
She even has a fashion brand called S by Serena. In many ways, Williams' tennis
career actually helped her achieve another big goal of hers — entering the fashion world.
As she told Glamour, fashion has always been one of her greatest loves. Even as a child,
she was fascinated by clothes. She said:
"My mom taught me how to sew when I was super young; I used to make clothes for my dolls."
In 1999, Williams even went to fashion design school and
fell in love with pattern design. She recalled:
"I was the person, if you need help with your patterns,
you come to me and I would help you out."
It's amazing that not one but two of Williams' goals have become reality.
Serena Williams certainly has some friends in high places. One of her best friends is none other than
the Duchess of Sussex herself, Meghan Markle. When Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, sat down for
their famous interview with Oprah, Williams tweeted in support of her friend, writing:
"Meghan Markle, my selfless friend,
lives her life — and leads by example — with empathy and compassion."
In an interview for Shine Series later that week, Williams said:
"I just think that she is the strongest person I know. I don't know anyone else
that could handle everything on such a global scale the way that
she's had to handle things that are just untrue, minute after minute."
The pair first became friends while playing flag football for a celebrity event in 2014.
Markle even wrote about their friendship on her blog The Tig, saying:
"We hit it off immediately, taking pictures, laughing through the flag
football game we were both playing in, and chatting not about tennis or acting,
but about all the good old fashioned girlie stuff. So began our friendship."
Since then, they've always been there for each other. Talk about BFF goals.
On September 1, 2017, Serena Williams gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia. So far,
Williams has absolutely adored motherhood. As she told The Guardian, her daughter is,
quote, "the greatest love of my life."
"I've always wanted to start a family. I've always envisioned myself as a mom."
In an interview for Vogue, Williams confessed that she'd been afraid to
become a mother because she's such a perfectionist. However,
once the baby arrived, she realized that being a mother was a dream come true. She said:
"We're not spending a day apart until she's [18]. Now that I'm 36 and I look at my baby,
I remember that this was also one of my goals when I was little."
In another interview for Today,
Williams spoke about how she was raising her daughter to be free and "wild." She said:
"She's curious, she has fun, she's learning different things, and so for me,
I love that she wants to explore and kind of just wants to be herself."
It sounds like Williams is a fantastic mother — Alexis Olympia certainly is a lucky little girl.
As if Serena Williams wasn't cool enough already, it turns out she's completely fluent in French!
As USA Today reported, the star has earned herself plenty of French fans for consistently speaking
French during on-court interviews at the French tournaments. Apparently, she owes her bilingualism
to her French coach and her apartment in Paris. In 2014, Williams gave an interview in French at
the Roland Garros and even said that Paris was the most beautiful city in the world — and that
it had the best restaurants. During the interview, the reporter even complimented her on her French.
According to The New York Times, Williams had hoped to start giving interviews in French at
the 2012 Roland Garros competition, but she never got the chance, as she lost in the first round.
As she told some reporters, getting up the nerve to speak in French wasn't easy. She said:
"It's way, way more nerve-racking than playing tennis."
Based on her French interviews, she has nothing to worry about — she sounds like a natural!
Serena Williams certainly has some cash to burn. After all, winning just one grand slam
will make you millions of dollars richer — and Williams has won 23 over the course of
her career. Nevertheless, Williams tries to be frugal — for the most part, that is. In a 2020
interview with People, Williams explained that saving money was important to her. She said:
"I usually invest my funds. I am the most boring [spender] ever."
In fact, Williams confessed that she actually finds it hard to treat herself.
When Williams does spend money, though, it's either on her daughter or on basic,
practical items. As she went on to explain, her most frequent purchases include tennis balls,
resistance bands, Beats headphones, an indoor bike, exercise mats, massage guns,
and tools for muscle relaxation. Based on her spending habits, it's pretty clear
that Williams is focused on two things and two things only — tennis and motherhood.
Serena Williams turns 40 in 2021. As any aging athlete knows, her career won't last forever. And
while she will be sad to put down the racket, she has a lot to look forward to. As she told Vogue:
"There's something really attractive about the idea
of moving to San Francisco and just being a mom."
FYI: Her husband is based in Silicon Valley, California, where the pair bought a house in 2019.
While Williams clearly visualizes her future,
she isn't quite ready to dive into it just yet. She said:
"I absolutely want more Grand Slams. I'm well aware of the record books,
unfortunately. It's not a secret that I have my sights on 25 [grand slams]."
It sounds like Williams isn't afraid of her career ending,
but she's still setting herself some pretty big athletic goals.
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