Serena Williams, who started playing tennis at the age of 4, has pretty much lived her entire life on the tennis court. It was more than just a sport for her, it was her passion that she is living and breathing every day in her life.
"I started playing when I was 4 and I didn’t play a tournament. It was much later after that but tennis so fun for me and for my sister we just have a lot of fun and it was like our life; we knew that we would go to the tennis court every day and it just became a part of our life and at the same time it was just something that I did and I can’t imagine life without it," Serena Williams told CNBC-TV18's Young Turks in an interview that aired on March 13, 2008.
Serena, born in Michigan's Saginaw, won her first major championship in 1999 and completed the career Grand Slam in 2003. 2007 was a turnaround year for her as she moved back into the top ten rankings after a couple of bad years.
"I am just keeping a positive attitude and my main goal is to just have a lot of fun and I enjoy what I do and really enjoy about it," Williams said when asked
how she was preparing for 2008 season.
Along with her individual success, Serena has teamed with sister Venus Williams to win a series of doubles titles. In 2017, she defeated her big sister at the Australian Open to claim the 23rd Grand Slam singles title of her career.
Considered the most talented woman tennis player of all-time, Serena has become the epitome of willpower and bravery for women the world over.
Her eye for style and eagerness to get involved reflect her combination of public passions and private interests. She developed her own Aneres line of clothing, and in 2002 People magazine selected her as one of its 25 Most Intriguing People. She has also launched a totally new eponymous fashion line.
"My parents raised all of us, all my sisters, we really into the business side of thing because that I think this is more important," said Serena.
And for the tennis icon, her biggest learning in business has been something which we all need to grow in our respective fields.
"The biggest learning for me is that you can’t give up. If one direction doesn’t work then you have to go another direction and we have been trying so many different directions but we always keep a very positive attitude."
Off the tennis court, Serena is someone who is creative, likes reading romance, loves happy endings and pens down her thoughts on day-to-day things. She loves to listen to music, to paint and to do something for those who are less fortunate than us.
"I always have fun in what I do. I think it’s important to enjoy life and enjoy what you do and I learned that that’s what I want to do. I want to enjoy my life and have fun."
Serena married Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian in 2017 and gave birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. last year. In 2010, Williams had released an autobiography, Queen of the Court.
She's also made television appearances, and lent her voice to shows such as The Simpsons.
It goes without saying that Serena is one of the greatest tennis icons of all times, who doesn't take failures to heart. And as fas as disappointments are concerned, she ain't any.
"I don’t even think about disappointments."
First Published: Sept 12, 2019 12:48 PM IST
