​"I really think a champion is defined not by their wins, but by how they can recover when they fail."

Photo by Edwin Martinez from The Bronx [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/2.0)] via Wikimedia Commons

• TENNIS PLAYER
• Battled racism and poverty to become one of the GREATEST tennis players of all time
• Began competing professionally in tennis at 14 years old
• Became known for her powerful volleys and serves, which often reached speeds of over 100 mph
• Won the US Open in 1999, becoming the FIRST African-American to win a Grand Slam singles championship since 1958, when Althea Gibson won it
• Partnered with her sister, Venus Williams, to also win the 1999 US Open doubles title​
• Suffered from a pulmonary embolism in 2011, requiring surgery and a year-long recovery
• That same year, she became a UNICEF goodwill ambassador
• Became the OLDEST number one player in history in 2013, and held the rank for 186 weeks
• In 2014, she won at Wimbledon, the French Open, the Australian Open, and the U.S. Open -- an accomplishment now known as the SERENA SLAM
• Won her 23rd career major singles title at the 2017 Australian Open, putting her second only to Margaret Court's record of 24
• Cofounded the Williams Sisters Fund with her sister Venus, which they used to build the Yetunde Price resource center in their hometown of Compton, CA in memory of their sister
• Bought an ownership stake with Venus in the Miami Dolphins in 2009, becoming the FIRST Black American women to co-own an NFL franchise

Rising Above Racism

The sport of tennis has been historically dominated by white players, and both Venus and Serena have encountered varying levels of racism as they fought to make their mark in the sport. One such example is the 2001 Indian Wells Masters in Palm Springs, CA. The sisters were scheduled to play against each other in the semifinals, but Venus had to pull out of the competition before the match due to health issues. When Serena advanced by default and began her match against the next player, the crowd, which was dismayed at not getting to see the two sisters battle it out, began booing and screaming at Serena, some even hurling racist slurs at her. Drawing strength from the few fans who cheered her on, Serena won the match, and in the press conference afterward, she took the high road by saying, "To those of you who didn't cheer, I love you anyway."

Bibliography: Allen, Kathy. Girls Race! Amazing Tales of Women in Sports. North Mankato: Capstone Press, 2014. Print.
Doyle, Caitlin. Girls Can Do Anything: From Sports to Innovation, Art to Politics, Meet Over 200 Women Who Got There First. Buffalo: Firefly Books, 2016. Print.
Elliott, Helene. (2016, Nov 12). Venus and Serena Williams return to Compton to renew ties to the community. http://www.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-williams-sisters-elliott-20161112-story.html
Hall, Brian. Pioneers In Women's Sports. Minneapolis: Abdo Publishing, 2018. Print.
Imani, Blair. Modern Herstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2018. Print.
Ignotofsky, Rachel. Women in Sports: 50 Fearless Athletes Who Played To Win. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2017.
Zuckerman, Gregory. Rising Above: Inspiring Women in Sports. New York: Philomel Books, 2018. Print.

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