There’s Serena the designer.
There’s Serena the celebrity dater.
Serena the actress and Serena the pitchwoman.
There’s Serena the nail technician and there’s Serena with
the great, athletic body, donning a two-piece at the beach.
Then there’s Serena the tennis player. And, boy, can she
play. With all the other things she’s evolved into, growing from a little girl
with braids and multicolor beads in her hair into the lovely woman we see
before us today, we sometimes forget that her bread and butter is her tennis
game.
She truly is a “personality” in every sense of the word, but
tennis is what put her on the map. As I watched “Breakfast at Wimbledon” on
Saturday morning, I was reminded of just how great a player she is as she captured
her fifth Wimbledon and 14th Grand Slam title. The power, the shot placement,
the aces, the backhand, the baseline play and the emotions—they’ve all played a
critical role in her success.
As I watched Wimbledon, the announcer reminded the audience that
the Williams Sisters—both Serena and Venus—have dominated tennis for nearly two
decades. (Really, has it been that long?) During a time when American tennis
has struggled from a lack of recent dominance on the men’s side, the American
women’s side has been strong and secure for a while—a remarkable feat
considering the wealth of global talent.
Serena has come a long way to get back to this point,
overcoming serious illness, injuries and, yes, non-tennis distractions.
But when it counted most, on Saturday morning at Centre
Court, she shined as Serena, the tennis player. And what a treat it is to be
able to sit in witness as her legacy continues to flourish.
