Women in Sport: Serena Williams
Serena Williams
Tennis would not be the same without Serena Williams.
The American player conquered more titles than anyone else in the sport — men or women, accumulating 23 major singles titles. She was ranked the World’s Best Player eight times.
Because of her numbers, Williams has accumulated a lot of money throughout her career. In 2016 and 2017 she was the highest-paid female athlete. In the same year, she was the only woman on Forbes’s list of the 100 highest-paid athletes. According to Business Insider, Williams accumulates a fortune of about $88 million.
Although money does not seem to be an issue, the man in the same position, Novak Djokovic, took home $40 million more than she did throughout their careers, even though she has six more single titles than he does.
As an African American woman, playing a predominantly white sport, Williams has also been the voice against race and gender injustices.
Williams is a warrior. Injuries; her after birth come back; her memorable limp after winning an Olympic gold medal, makes Serena Williams a social change. Her career accomplishments seem small compared to what she has done to society standards. The white patriarchal supremacy never shut her voice or stopped her accomplishments. She has changed tennis and became an African American symbol in a white sport.
“I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks,” Williams said. “If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how He teaches us.”
