Serena Williams is good at tennis. Really good. She's won the French Open, the US Open,
the WTA Tour Championship, and Olympic golds. And a lot of people say she's the best female
player of all time.
But for her entire career she's been followed by a dark cloud of racism and sexism.
The first instance a lot of fans will remember was the 2001 tournament in
Indian Wells California.
Serena and her sister Venus were booed by fans who accused them of match fixing
Keep in mind that tennis fans are typically well-behaved.
Then, according to the Williams family, things got worse.
Serena said she heard people shouting the n-word. And then she heard someone tell her
to "go back to Compton."
What's crazy is that even after that first incident these comments didn't stop.
And it's not just racial slurs. A lot of the language used to praise Williams' skill
is also based in racial stereotypes.
Example: Peter Larkins, a sports doctor in Australia, tried to explain Williams' win by
saying "it's the African-American race. They just have this huge gluteal strength...
with Serena, that's her physique and genetics."
She's had to deal with a ton of bizarre scrutiny of her body
that taps into the politics of racism and sexism.
For some commentators that has meant stripping her of her femininity.
the President of the Russian Tennis Federation infamously called the
Williams sisters "brothers."
Others have sexualized her body.
One writer decided he should comment on the size of her breasts.
Another said that her butt was bigger than he preferred.
There was even this incident in 2012 where Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki
mocked Williams' body by stuffing her top and tennis skirt
with towels at an exhibition match.
People have also linked her sexualization
to that a a woman who was called the Hottentot Venus
Her name was Sarah Baartman and she was an African woman who was put on display
basically as a freak show exhibit
for Europeans. Unlike most other tennis stars, Williams' incredible career has
been surrounded by racism and sexism.
And that's why her wins often feel like victories over these things
as much as over her opponents.