With his program, Richard Williams made his daughters Venus and Serena the greatest players in tennis history. On the occasion of the release of the film retracing the childhood of the champions “The Williams method”, on Wednesday December 1, 2021, a look back at Beyoncé’s career and commitments in sport.
Champion, mom, fashion icon, businesswoman, feminist committed to women’s rights and against racism… Serena Williams imposes her style and her struggles. With more than 38 Grand Slam titles (22 in singles, 14 in doubles and 2 in mixed doubles) and 4 gold medals in Olympic Games (including one in singles and three in doubles with her sister Venus Williams, editor’s note), she is one of the greatest players of all time. A powerful game that makes her formidable at the Australian Open, at Wimbledon via Roland Garros, where the athlete impresses as much as her opponents fear her. World number one in 2015, highest paid sportswoman in the world, repeatedly elected World Champions Champion by the newspaper The team, Olympia’s mother leaves room for doubt about the rest of her career. “If one day I say my goodbyes, I won’t tell anyone, then…” she said in February 2021 after her loss in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. An unexpected setback after years of shining racquet in hand.
Video. Serena Williams develops documentary about her life for Amazon Studios
The Beyoncé of sport against sexism
Fearsome on the courts, it is just as much in the face of sexism. So when Bernard Giudicelli (the president of the French Federation, FFT) criticizes his outfit inspired by the film Black Panther at the US Open, she appears in a photo in Paris with the message: “You can take her superhero costume off but you can never take her superpowers away.” In the process, she emphasizes that her outfit is above all a medical device intended to fight against her recurring blood circulation problems. While rejoicing: “I feel like a warrior princess in it. I always wanted to be a superheroine”. No way either to let it go when it is attacked on his physique. Nicknamed the “Beyoncé of sport”, the one who is often criticized for her body considered robust, confides in the columns of Vogue. “When I grew up, what was celebrated was different. Venus looked more like what’s really okay – she has incredibly long legs, she’s really, really thin. I didn’t see people on TV who looked like me. , which were thick. There was no positive body image. It was a different time. ” Before recalling: “It’s amazing that my body was able to give me the career I had, and I’m really grateful for that. I just wish I had done it sooner. The loop is curly when I look at my daughter “.
Serena Williams “the best tennis player in the world” not “the best ‘woman’ tennis player”
And when she’s not singled out for her looks, it’s about her tennis career. Proud of her sporting prowess, Serena Williams defends her career and advocates equality between men and women, especially when compared to great champions. In 2017, McEnroe tackled her in an interview: “If she played on the men’s circuit, she would be around 700th in the world.” To which, she replies on Twitter: “Dear John, I adore and respect you, but please leave me alone with your statements which are not supported by facts. I never have. played against a ranked player (from the men’s circuit) and I don’t have the time. Respect me, respect my privacy as I try to have a child, have a nice day sir “. In 2016, she wrote an inspiring open letter on the subject, unveiled in the special edition Influential women of the magazine Porter Magazine. Looking back on her childhood dream of “becoming the best tennis player in the world” and not “the best ‘woman’ tennis player in the world”, she says she learned “how important it is to fight for her dreams, and, more importantly, to aim for the top ”. While lamenting: “But, too often, women are not encouraged enough in the pursuit of their dream, even are discouraged. I hope that together we can change that. For me, it was a question of resilience. Everything that people pointed out to be a disadvantage about me – my race, my gender – I used as fuel for my success. I never left anything or anyone behind. either define me, me or my potential “. The player asserts: “I have controlled my future”.
Serena Williams a “crazy” determined to overcome clichés about women
So when the subject of equal pay for men and women emerges, she does not hide her frustration: “I made the same sacrifices as men. I would never want my daughter to be paid less than my son for the same. work done. And neither can you “. Thus, she invites women to “break down many barriers on their road to success”. Among them, “the fact that we are constantly reminded that we are not men, as if it was a fault”. The businesswoman goes on to wonder, “People call me ‘one of the best female athletes.’ Are they saying about LeBron (James) that he is one of the best male athletes? Or Tiger (Woods)? Or of Federer? Why not ? Of course they are not women. ”“ We must never let this go. We should always be judged by our accomplishments, not by our gender (…). We must continue to aim for the stars. By doing this, we will empower the next generation of women to be as powerful as we are when they pursue their dreams. ”
In 2019, she spoke again to defend the rights of women in the Nike commercial called “Dream Crazier” (“Rêve madement”, in French). A clip, in which she denounces the allegations made against women. “If we get emotional we are called drama. If we want to play against men, we are nuts. If we dream of equal opportunities, we are delusional. If we fight for something, we go wrong. we are too strong, there is something wrong with us. A woman who does boxing is crazy. A woman who dunks, she is crazy. A woman coach of a NBA team is crazy “. A monologue, which she concludes with: “If they want to call you crazy, leave them. Show them what a crazy woman can do.”
Video. Serena Williams does her first fashion campaign with her daughter
A black woman champions a sport “that is not really made for blacks”
On the field, in her businesses and on the front pages of magazines, she defends the rights of racialized people by making her career an example. In 2017, she declared in the pages of Wired: “I am a black woman and I am in a sport that is not really for black people. So for those of you who are involved in movements that advocate equality and justice like the Black Lives Matter movement I tell you, ‘Hang on! Don’t let these trolls stop you!’ We have been through so much for centuries, and we will overcome them too. ” In April 2017, she announced on Instagram the launch of her venture capital company: Serena Ventures. Its objective: to support businesses founded and run by women of color and under-represented groups. Committed businesswoman and philanthropist, since 2014, she has financed numerous companies including Little Spoon, which delivers baby food, The Wing, a collective of women working in coworking spaces in New York and San Francisco. Not to mention its support for the Bumble dating app to “strengthen and accelerate the brand’s mission to end misogyny and empower women.”
In 2018, Meghan Marle’s best friend unveiled “Serena”, her own eponymous clothing line. Determined to fight against beauty standards, she renames the “plus” sizes to “great”. A choice she explains to Marie Claire magazine: “I’m sick of the word ‘more’. I don’t want to be ‘more’. I want to be great. I want other women to feel like that too. I wanted to create clothes that would suit a shapely woman to make her feel good “. A journey and a career, which Serena Williams owes to her work, her struggles and her strength, which began with her father, tennis coach Richard Williams. A man without experience in the sport who has nevertheless done everything so that the champion and her sister Venus Williams win on the tennis courts. While they were only four years old, “he drew up a 78-page plan describing the training of future champions”. A program that makes them two of the greatest players in the history of tennis. A story recounted by Reinaldo Marcus Green, in the film King Richard (The williams method, in French), released in theaters on December 1, 2021.
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>> Venus Williams cried in front of “King Richard”, movie about her career
>> Tennis – Serena Williams is committed to diversity in fashion with her “SW Design Crew”
>> Serena Williams: her confidences on marriage that say a lot!
