The Story Behind Serena Williams
Summary
TLDRThe video script chronicles Serena Williams' journey, highlighting her record-breaking achievements and the adversities she faced. It details her rise in a predominantly white sport, the impact of her powerful play style, and her resilience in overcoming injuries and personal tragedies. The narrative also touches on her advocacy against racism and her ventures beyond tennis, showcasing her as a global icon and a trailblazer in and off the court.
Takeaways
- 🎾 Serena Williams is considered one of the greatest athletes in history, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 doubles titles, and 4 Olympic gold medals.
- 👨👧 Serena's father, Richard Williams, had a significant influence on her and her sister Venus' tennis careers, starting their training from a young age on public courts in Compton.
- 🌟 Serena's playing style, characterized by powerful ground strokes and an aggressive baseline game, revolutionized women's tennis and forced other players to adapt.
- 🏆 Serena won her first major title at the 1999 U.S. Open, defeating Martina Hingis, and has since accumulated numerous records and achievements in the sport.
- 👭 Serena and Venus Williams have had a complex rivalry, with Serena often struggling to play her best against her sister in singles matches.
- 😔 Serena faced significant challenges, including injuries, illnesses, personal tragedy, and racism, throughout her career.
- 🚫 The Williams sisters boycotted the Indian Wells tournament for 14 years due to racial abuse they experienced during a match in 2001.
- 💪 Serena's resilience was evident when she returned to tennis after a series of setbacks, including the murder of her half-sister Yetunde Price.
- 🤰 Serena won the 2017 Australian Open while eight weeks pregnant, marking a significant achievement in her career.
- 🏥 Serena's difficult childbirth and the health complications that followed highlighted the disparities in maternal health care for black women in the U.S.
- 💔 Serena's controversial loss at the 2018 U.S. Open final against Naomi Osaka sparked discussions about sportsmanship and the treatment of black athletes.
Q & A
What significant achievements has Serena Williams accomplished in her tennis career?
-Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and has had 843 match wins. She has spent 319 weeks at world number one and earned over 93 million dollars in prize money, making her the most decorated tennis player.
What challenges did Serena Williams face throughout her career?
-Serena Williams has had to overcome chronic injuries, life-threatening illnesses, personal tragedy, relentless pressure, and racism, both overt and coded, from fans and the tennis establishment.
How did Serena Williams' father, Richard Williams, influence her and her sister Venus' early tennis training?
-Richard Williams decided to train Serena and Venus to be professional tennis players after watching a tennis tournament on TV. He moved the family to Compton, California, and trained them on public courts, instilling in them toughness, strong-mindedness, and fearlessness from a young age.
How did the Williams sisters change the dynamics of women's tennis?
-Venus and Serena brought a power game with their baseline play to the WTA, which was previously more focused on finesse and consistency. Their style forced the rest of the tour to adapt to the new level of power and athleticism.
What was the turning point in Serena Williams' rivalry with her sister Venus on the court?
-Serena stopped looking at Venus during their matches because seeing her sister's disappointed face made it difficult for her to try her hardest to win, which helped her to start winning more of their head-to-head matches.
How did the incident at the 2001 Indian Wells tournament affect Serena Williams and her family?
-Serena and Venus boycotted the Indian Wells tournament for 14 years following the incident where they faced racial slurs and boos from the crowd. This event highlighted the racism they faced in the tennis world.
What personal tragedy did Serena Williams experience that affected her tennis career?
-Serena's oldest half-sister, Yetunde Price, was killed in a shooting in Compton, which deeply affected Serena and Venus. Serena took eight months off from tennis and suffered from depression as a result of the tragedy.
How did Serena Williams' injury and health issues impact her performance and ranking in tennis?
-Serena faced multiple injuries and health issues, including a pulmonary embolism and a life-threatening blood clot in her lungs, which interrupted her progress and caused her ranking to fall to 140th in the world.
What was the significance of Serena Williams' return to Indian Wells in 2015?
-Serena Williams' return to Indian Wells in 2015 was significant as it marked her decision to speak out against racism and support the Equal Justice Initiative. She also raised $200,000 for the cause.
How did Serena Williams' pregnancy and the complications that followed affect her career?
-Serena's pregnancy and the complications, including life-threatening health issues and multiple surgeries, led to her taking over a year off from tennis. However, she returned to the tour and made it to the Wimbledon final as a mother.
What is the current status of Serena Williams' career and her thoughts on retirement?
-As of August 2022, Serena Williams announced that she is evolving away from tennis to focus on her venture capital firm and spend more time with her family, potentially marking the end of her highly decorated career.
Outlines
🎾 Serena Williams: The Path to Greatness
This paragraph introduces Serena Williams as the most decorated tennis player and one of the greatest athletes, detailing her record-breaking achievements including Grand Slam titles, Olympic gold medals, match wins, and prize money. It also touches on the adversities she faced such as injuries, illnesses, personal tragedies, and the racism within the tennis establishment. Serena's early life, her family's move to Compton, and her father's vision to make her and her sister Venus professional tennis players are highlighted. The paragraph also discusses how Serena and Venus revolutionized women's tennis with their powerful playing style, leading to Serena's dominance on the court with her exceptional skills and fierce competitive spirit.
🏆 Overcoming Challenges and Controversies
The second paragraph delves into the controversies and challenges Serena faced throughout her career, including the speculation of match-fixing by her father, Richard, and the racial tensions that marred her matches, particularly at Indian Wells. It recounts the incident in 2001 where Venus withdrew due to injury, leading to accusations of a fix, and the subsequent racial abuse Serena and her family faced at the tournament. The paragraph also covers Serena's personal struggles, such as the murder of her half-sister Yetundi Price, which led to her taking an extended break from tennis and battling depression. Despite these setbacks, Serena's determination saw her return to the sport and achieve further success, including winning more Grand Slam titles and regaining the world number one ranking.
🔥 Serena's Intensity and Impact on Tennis
This paragraph focuses on Serena's intense competitive nature and its impact on her career and the sport of tennis. It describes a pivotal moment in the 2009 U.S. Open where Serena's frustration led to a controversial incident with a line judge, resulting in penalties and a fine. The incident affected her image within the sport but did not deter her from continuing to excel. Serena's resilience is highlighted as she overcame a life-threatening injury after stepping on broken glass, leading to multiple surgeries and a pulmonary embolism. Her return to tennis saw her win more Grand Slam titles, achieve a 'Serena Slam,' and make a significant social impact by returning to Indian Wells to speak out against racism. The paragraph also mentions her pregnancy and the challenges she faced during childbirth, which brought attention to the healthcare crisis affecting black women in the U.S.
🌟 Serena Williams: Legacy and Farewell
The final paragraph reflects on Serena Williams' enduring legacy in tennis and her decision to step away from the sport. It discusses her return to Wimbledon as a mother and her continued efforts to compete at the highest level, despite facing tougher challenges and losing multiple Grand Slam finals. The paragraph also recounts the controversial 2018 U.S. Open final against Naomi Osaka, where Serena's confrontation with the umpire overshadowed Osaka's victory. Serena's influence extends beyond the court as a businesswoman, philanthropist, and advocate for social justice. The paragraph concludes with Serena's announcement of her departure from professional tennis in 2022, emphasizing her status as one of the greatest athletes of all time and her lasting impact on the sport.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Serena Williams
💡Grand Slam
💡Olympic gold medals
💡World number one
💡Prize money
💡Chronic injuries
💡Racism
💡Aggressive play style
💡Depression
💡Philanthropist
💡Business mogul
💡Greatest of all time (GOAT)
Highlights
Serena Williams is the most decorated tennis player and one of the greatest athletes ever, with 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 doubles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and over $93 million in prize money.
Serena had to overcome chronic injuries, life-threatening illnesses, personal tragedy, relentless pressure, and racism throughout her career.
At 39, Serena was still the most feared player in women's tennis, 25 years after turning pro and 21 years after her first major win.
Serena and her sister Venus were trained by their father Richard on public courts in Compton from the age of four.
The Williams sisters revolutionized women's tennis with their powerful style, forcing the rest of the tour to adapt.
Serena's dominance in tennis is attributed to her powerful ground strokes, serve, athleticism, and intense mental strength.
Serena won her first major at 17, and her rivalry with sister Venus was intense, though they never played their best against each other.
The sisters faced resistance and accusations of match-fixing due to their success and unique style in a traditionally white sport.
Serena and Venus boycotted Indian Wells for 14 years following racial abuse they experienced there in 2001.
Serena's career was interrupted by multiple injuries and personal loss, including the murder of her half-sister Yetunde Price.
Serena's 2003 Serena Slam was a remarkable achievement, winning all four majors in a row, often against Venus in the finals.
Serena's 2009 U.S. Open incident with a line judge led to a record fine and probation but did not deter her winning streak.
Serena's return to tennis after a life-threatening injury and surgeries showcased her resilience and dedication.
Serena's 2015 return to Indian Wells was a stand against racism and supported the Equal Justice Initiative.
Serena's 2017 Australian Open win was historic, as she was eight weeks pregnant during the tournament.
Serena's difficult childbirth and subsequent health complications highlighted the crisis of maternal mortality among black women in the U.S.
Despite setbacks, Serena returned to the tour and reached a Wimbledon final, showing her enduring competitiveness.
Serena's 2018 U.S. Open controversy with the umpire overshadowed Naomi Osaka's victory and sparked debate on fairness.
Serena's impact on and off the court as a businesswoman, philanthropist, and advocate for racial equality is significant.
Serena's legacy in tennis is immense, influencing the next generation of players and changing the sport's landscape.
Serena's decision to step away from tennis in 2022 marks the end of an era but her influence will continue to be felt.
Transcripts
if you're a tennis player who would you
want to be like
we are like other people to be like me
[Applause]
[Music]
again in history
[Music]
she's amassed 23 Grand Slam singles
titles 16 Grand Slam doubles titles four
Olympic gold medals 843 match wins 319
weeks at world number one and over 93
million dollars in prize money
the most decorated tennis player and one
of the greatest athletes ever to walk
the earth
to achieve all that she's had to
overcome chronic injuries
life-threatening illnesses personal
tragedy Relentless pressure and racism
often coded sometimes overt from fans
and the tennis establishment
at 39 years old 25 years after she
turned Pro and 21 years after she won
her first major she was the most feared
player in the women's game
so how did this Compton raise black
woman become the goat in a historically
affluent overwhelmingly white sport
[Music]
this is the story behind Serena Williams
[Applause]
[Music]
Serena Williams was born in Saginaw
Michigan to orasin price and Richard
Williams she had several half-siblings
from orascenes and Richard's previous
marriages but only one full sibling her
older sister Venus
what do you want to be when you grow up
tennis player
I like to be a tennis player
The Story Goes that Richard Williams
flipped on the TV one day watched the
great Romanian player Virginia rosici
win a tournament and decided right there
and then that his daughters would be pro
tennis players I had watched the tennis
match on TV
and it was giving this young lady forty
thousand dollars because she won the
tournament
and I figured since I worked for 52 000
all year
and this girl make forty thousand
dollars in four days I knew I was in the
wrong business
he moved the family from Long Beach to
Compton California where he homeschooled
the girls and began to train them on
Rough and Tumble public courts in gang
territory with shopping carts full of
used balls from the time they were four
years old
that was part of his plan to mold his
daughters not only to be great tennis
players but into tough strong-minded
Fearless competitors
that's great
when Serena was 9 and Venus 10 the
family moved to Florida to attend a
prestigious Tennis Academy and begin
competing in junior tournaments
four years later Richard pulled the
girls out of the academy and began
coaching them himself they each turned
pro at 14. Venus in 1994 and Serena in
95.
before the Williams sisters showed up
the women's game was predicated more on
touch finesse and consistency rather
than raw power
but once Venus and Serena brought their
ball bashing baselining to the WTA the
rest of the tour had to adapt
[Music]
once Serena became a permanent fixture
on tour she overwhelmed her opponents
with her thundering ground strokes her
masterful manipulation of angles her
foot speed her athleticism and her serve
which was a weapon unlike any women's
tennis had ever seen
foreign
but her greatness wasn't just about
skill it was about her smoldering
intensity her unshakable will her
refusal to tolerate or even contemplate
the notion of defeat
she won her first major two weeks before
her 18th birthday beating Martina Hingis
in the 1999 U.S Open final
[Applause]
while Venus was the first of the sisters
to reach world number one and won five
of their first six head-to-heads it
wasn't long before Serena began to
separate herself she'd later say that
the turning point in their on-court
rivalry came when she stopped looking at
Venus during their matches because
seeing her sisters disappointed face
made it impossible to try her hardest to
win
together they formed an unbeatable
tandem that racked up countless doubles
titles but there are singles matches
against each other was tense and
uncomfortable for reasons that should be
obvious they never played as well or
competed as fiercely against one another
as they did against everybody else
[Music]
in their early years that fueled
speculation that Richard was rigging the
outcomes a baseless theory that was
perpetuated by commentators like John
Mcenroe and fellow players like Elena
dementieva
even as the Williams sisters raised the
sports profile and brought it to a
completely new audience their Ascent
wasn't exactly greeted with open arms by
the tennis world of the 90s
there was resistance to their aggressive
play style their physical stature the
loudness of their games and their
outfits even their braided and beaded
hair
well you can hear them and you can you
can see them a little bit I mean you
know fortunately you know you learn to
play the ball but I'm not going to say
it was a total distraction but it is a
little Annoying maybe no I shouldn't
have to change for any other
circumstance I like my hair it's just
things flying in the air that you're not
supposed to be seeing
all of this reached a boiling point in
2001 at Indian Wells Venus and Serena
rolled through their draws to set up a
hotly anticipated semi-final but just
minutes before they were set to take the
court Venus pulled out with a knee
injury enraging the fans in attendance
and setting off the accusations of a
Williams family fix
when Venus and Richard showed up to
watch Serena play Kim klysters in the
final the next day they were greeted
with a chorus of booze that Richard
claimed were peppered with racial slows
foreign
American crowd booing an American family
[Applause]
and you have to say that it does smack
of a little bit of racism
Serena just 19 at the time walked onto
the court not knowing why the fans were
seething why their booze turned into
cheers anytime she double faulted or
committed an unforced error
or why when she beat clusters and went
to hug her sister and father in the
crowd the booze rained down louder than
ever
she would later say that she too heard
racial slurs that day
the sisters boycotted the tournament for
the next 14 years
at every other tournament they continued
to dominate later that year they met in
the U.S Open final with Venus prevailing
then between 2002 and 2003 Serena went
on a all-time tear that saw her win all
four majors in a row completing what
came to be called the Serena slam all
four times it was Venus she beat in the
final
[Music]
foreign
but just six months later Venus and
Serena's oldest half-sister yatundi
price was killed in a shooting in
Compton
the sisters had all been extremely close
and utindi had been a part of Venus and
Serena's traveling team on the tour for
a Time
she was working as a nurse at the time
she was murdered and had three children
[Music]
Serena sat out eight months and returned
to match play in 2004. as she sought out
to regain her world meeting form her
progress kept getting interrupted by
injuries to her knee ankle abdomen rib
groin shoulder knee again ankle again
she pursued off-court interests and
became an increasingly inconsistent
presence in the game
some began to question her desire after
the run in 2002 and 2003 in which she
won five slams in a 13-month period she
won just one over the next four years
that included a six-month stretch in
2006 when Serena stepped away from
tennis entirely she told reporter she
was dealing with an injury but later she
revealed that she was actually suffering
from depression stemming from utility's
murder her ranking fell to 140th in the
world
[Music]
according to Serena it was a chance
encounter with a starry-eyed young fan
that finally motivated her to reassert
herself as the best player in the sport
though she started the 2007 season out
of shape and unseated at the Australian
Open she scrapped her way to the finals
where she demolished Maria Sharapova
6162 yeah
the fairy tile comeback is complete
Serena Williams for the third time is
the champion in Melbourne
and most of all I would like to dedicate
this win to my sister who's not here her
name is yatundi
and I just love her so much
[Applause]
a couple days ago I said if I win this
it's gonna be for her so thanks trendy
it was the second of 19 straight wins
she'd record against Sharapova over the
next 13 years turning an opponent many
tried to build as a rival into a hapless
punching bag
2008 brought another slam title and a
return to world number one
2009 brought two more slams though it's
likely remembered better for featuring
one of the ugliest incidents of Serena's
Career One in which her famed intensity
got the better of her
in the U.S open semi-final against
clysters Serena was down a set serving
to stay in the match trailing 15-30 she
was called for a questionable footballs
on a second serve which brought up match
point incensed at the timing of the call
for a selectively enforced rule Serena
approached the Lions woman who had made
the ruling and said I swear to God I
will take this ball and shove it
down your throat foreign
[Applause]
[Music]
Serena who'd received a warning for
smashing a racket earlier in the match
was given a point penalty which ended
the match she was hit with a record fine
and placed on two years probation by the
Grand Slam committee
the incident colored the perception of
her within the sport for years
thereafter
Serena issued a public apology then put
her head down and kept winning she took
home another two major titles in 2010
but in July of that year just four days
after winning Wimbledon for a fourth
time she stepped on broken glass in a
restaurant while wearing sandals and
lacerated a tendon in her right foot in
the course of two surgeries that
followed she developed a
life-threatening pulmonary embolism a
blood clot in the lungs for which she
had to undergo emergency treatment
at the time she'd won 13 Grand Slams she
was 30 years old no one would have
blamed her for hanging up her racket
right then after all Steffi Graf the
consensus goat before Serena came around
had retired at the same age
I wouldn't push the retirement button
yet because I think this girl has proved
over and over when you counter up here
She is again and she shows up and wins
not only big tournaments at Grand Slam
Serena decided to press on she refocused
put more work into her body hired
Patrick morato as her coach and produced
a second act that's arguably been even
more impressive than the first
since then she's won another 10 slams
which is more than all but five women
have won in their careers in 2013 she
retook the world number one ranking for
a sixth time becoming the oldest woman
in the open era to claim it she then
proceeded to hold the top spot for 186
consecutive weeks tying the record graph
had set 25 years earlier
in 2015 she won the year's first three
Majors which following her 2014 US Open
title completed her second Serena slam
more than 12 years after the first one
and also we can now mention the s word
the Serena slam it's happened
[Applause]
four days after winning the Australian
to claim the second of those four
straight Majors she announced that she
would return at long last to Indian
Wells she said she came to the decision
in the wake of Michael Brown's death at
the hands of police in Ferguson Missouri
and saw it as a chance to speak out
Against Racism
as part of her much publicized return
she partnered with the Equal justice
initiative and raised two hundred
thousand dollars
in her first match Serena walked out to
a decidedly different reception
ladies and Gentlemen please welcome
[Applause]
Menards
later that year at the U.S Open Serena
had a chance to both complete her first
calendar Slam by winning all four majors
in the same year and to tie Graf's
open-air record with her 20 second slam
title but suffered the most stunning
defeat of her career in the semi-finals
against aging double specialist Roberta
Vinci Serena took the rest of the year
off then as she always does she bounced
back she equaled Graf's Mark by winning
Wimbledon in 2016 and finally at the
2017 Aussie opened more than 17 years
after winning her first major she
claimed her record setting 23rd and as
it turns out she won that tournament
while she was eight weeks pregnant
it was the last match Serena would play
for over a year she announced her
pregnancy shortly thereafter and gave
birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia
Ohanian Junior in September
the delivery was anything but smooth an
emergency C-section led to a series of
harrowing complications another
pulmonary embolism a hematoma in her
stomach and later hemorrhaging at the
site of the C-section five surgeries
ensued
Serena later revealed that the doctors
at the hospital initially disregarded
her when she told them what was
happening and her outspokenness about
the ordeal brought the attention to an
underreported crisis in the American
Health Care system which is that black
women in the U.S are three to four times
more likely than white women to die of
pregnancy or childbirth related causes
Serena spent weeks in bed recovering
during which she described suffering
from postpartum depression in time
though she was able to turn her Focus
back to her career and return to the
tour
[Music]
in just her second Grand Slam as a
mother she made the Wimbledon final it
was a sign of things to come an
indication that she could still very
much contend but that the going was
getting tougher she since lost three
more slam finals to three separate
opponents and hasn't won a set in any of
them
the most acrimonious of those finals
came at the US Open in 2018 against
Naomi Osaka trailing in the match Serena
received a code violation when chair
umpire Carlos Ramos noticed morotaglu
making a hand gesture that he
interpreted as illegal coaching from her
box
telling me to come
up we don't have any code and I know you
don't know that and I understand why you
may have thought that was coaching but
I'm telling you it's not I don't cheat
to win I'd rather lose I'm just letting
you know there's a coaching violation I
guess it was a thumbs up and Serena is
setting him straight he issued her a
second code violation when she smashed
her racket several games later which
resulted in a automatic point penalty
when she confronted him about the calls
he gave her a third violation this one
for verbal abuse which cost her a whole
game one game later she lost the match
the aftermath was an ugly scene in which
the pro Serena crowd drowned out the
trophy ceremonies with booze while a 20
year old Osaka after decisively
outplaying Serena to win her first Grand
Slam pulled her visor over her eyes and
saw
[Applause]
blamed Ramos for overstepping some
blamed Serena for inciting the crowd
with her reaction some did well this
foreign
look Serena isn't above criticism she's
human she's imperfect and she's never
tried to hide it but because of what
she's come to mean not just to her sport
but to the world it often feels like
she's expected to be more than that but
at the end of the day Serena's imprint
on women's tennis dwarfs that of anyone
aside from maybe Billie Jean King her
popularity took the sport to new heights
and her power forever changed the way
it's played the players who are rising
up in today's game are players she
helped to inspire to take up the sport
in the first place
well it was always my dream to play
Serena in the US Open finals so I'm
really glad that I was able to do that
and I'm really grateful I was able to
play with you thank you
this wasn't the only time I visualized
playing in the finals actually against
Serena Williams I think it's so crazy
man I've been
I've been dreaming of this moment
for the longest time
her impact also extends beyond the court
Serena is a global icon a business Mogul
with her own fashion line and a
philanthropist whose charity Foundation
has funded the construction of schools
in Kenya and Jamaica and University
scholarships for underprivileged
students in the U.S in 2016 she and
Venus founded the utility price Resource
Center in Compton a community center
that provides support services to
families affected by violence
she's also a pretty attentive working
mom if you haven't noticed
[Music]
at this point the loan marker that can
conceivably be held against Serena as
the greatest of all time is that
Margaret Court won 24 Grand Slams
compared to her 23. but court won more
than half of her Majors during an era in
which only amateurs were allowed to
compete at them back when the draws ran
just 32 players deep
still the chase for Court's record has
become a capital T thing not just for
fans or the media but to Serena
personally if for no other reason then
she is a born striver
in August of 2022 Serena announced that
she was evolving away from tennis in
hopes of working with her own Venture
Capital firm and spending more time with
her family and while she's probably
stepping away from the sport following
what may be a fitting Final Chapter at
the 2022 U.S open the same place she
started her highly decorated career all
the way back in 1999 there is no
question the massive imprint she leaves
behind as the Sport's most prevailing
champion and one of the greatest
athletes of all time
if you're a tennis player who would you
want to be like
we are like other people to be like me
thanks for watching if you like this
video and want to see more content like
this hit that subscribe button
[Music]
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