American tennis legend Serena Williams has achieved almost everything a tennis player could ask for. Twenty-three Grand Slam titles, four Olympic gold medals, three hundred nineteen weeks as the world No. 1 singles player, and whatnot. But none of these achievements make the 42-year-old the most proud in her career.
When asked about the thing she is most proud of in her career, Williams was quick to talk about her perseverance. The 42-year-old said that she is proud of herself for being able to live through the thick and thin. Williams said that this trait of athletes often gets overlooked but she is proud of her perseverance.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion said that staying in the hunt for over two decades despite all the negatives as well as positives is something she is most proud of. Williams also called herself fortunate for being able to have done that.
I'm most proud of just being able to persevere. I think perseverance is something that is not often talked about. But I think staying in it, through the negatives and positives and still having a career that expands well over two decades, is pretty awesome. And I'm really fortunate that I've been able to do that. Serena Williams said.
Serena Williams talks about the win that changed her career
Serena Williams had a career that many dream of but which was the win that changed her career’s trajectory? The 42-year-old talked about her first Grand Slam title win at the 1999 US Open and how it “propelled her career to the next level”.
Williams said she was happy to have created history as she became the first African American woman to win a Grand Slam title in a long time. She also talked about the after-effects of that win and how it motivated many other black women to take up the sport.
That win (US Open 1999) really propelled me to the next level and it propelled me to being just…everywhere. It had been so long since an African American had won a Grand Slam — it had been a very, very long time. And I was the first to do it since Althea Gibson in the 50s. It pushed so many more amazing young Black women into the sport. And it was fun. Serena Williams said to People Magazine.
Notably, Williams was only 17 years of age when she won the US Open in 1999. She beat Martina Hingis in the final in straight sets of 6-3, 7-6 to win her first major title. The American tennis star added 22 more Grand Slam titles to her kitty with the 2017 Australian Open being her last major title on the tour.
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