In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, 23-time grand slam champion Serena Williams talks about her rise to tennis stardom, changing the narrative around her father, overcoming racism in tennis and the double standards that exist within the sport.
“I should have been at like 30 or 32” [grand slam singles titles]…I should have had it [the record], really, I've had many opportunities to have it. But I'm not giving up,” Williams tells CNN, and says she’s still aiming to beat Margaret Court’s record of 24.
Although she was forced to miss January’s Australian Open following the advice of her medical team, Williams says she will play at the French Open in May if her body allows.
Williams tells CNN how they aimed to change the narrative that has been grown up about their dad, Richard Williams, through the Hollywood film “King Richard,” which Williams and her sister Venus executive produced.
Also read:
- Obi-Wan limited series coming in May to Disney+
- March on Cartoon Network and Boomerang (finalized)
- March on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons
- Sonic The Hedgehog 3 + Earthworm Jim + Crazy Mr. Dong + The Simpsons: Bart's Nightmare = APK Download
- International companies postpone the release of their products to Russia
- Kevin McCallister working on travel series
- March on Disney Channel and Disney Junior
- Possible channel closures from Warner Bros. Discovery
- Iron Chef reboot is coming to Netflix
- Paramount+ working on Knuckles TV series and Seal Team feature film
“Unfortunately, entering a new sport where it's predominantly, you know, White and having my dad have like this villain character, when it just wasn’t true, just having to deal with that my entire career, from day one to the very end, was just really important for us just to tell the truth,” she says.
Williams also talks about how her and her sister overcame the racism that they experienced as tennis players in a predominantly White sport, saying: “We changed it from being two great Black champions to being the best ever, period. And that's what we did. We took out color, and we just became the best.”
Williams has been heavily criticised for showing anger with umpires on the court on different occasions. Williams said: “There is absolutely a double standard,” given men routinely act out at umpires.
Lastly, she tells CNN: “I am who I am, I love who I am -- I love the impact that I’ve had on people, that I continue to have on people.”
Key quotes from the interview:
Williams on whether she’s still committed to beat Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles:
“I don't know, I still play tennis obviously and I still train and you know, but I think I'm the kind of person who's like, well, honestly, I should have been at like 30 or 32… I've had many opportunities to have it, but I'm not giving up to answer your question.”
Also read:
- YouTube bans Russia Today from generating revenue
- Captain America and Black Adams team up for new Amazon film
- Big Cook Little Cook is back on CBeebies
- WildBrainTV launched in Canada, could it expand to more regions?
- Megamind and Abominable TV series currently in development for 2023
- The Casagrandes will be folded under The Loud House
- More Sonic The Hedgehog projects underway plus a free android game
- Jimmy Neutron revival might be on the cards
- DreamWorks Jr. greenlit several preschool content
Williams on changing the narrative around her father, Richard Williams, through the Hollywood film “King Richard”:
“Unfortunately, entering a new sport where it's predominantly, you know, White and having my dad have like this villain character, when it just wasn’t true, just having to deal with that my entire career, from day one to the very end, was just really important for us just to tell the truth.”
“You know, in order to be an athlete, especially in a single sport, it takes a lot of work, and it takes a lot of dedication, and I look at my daughter and I say, wow, I don't think I could do what my dad did every single day. It's a lot of work.”
Williams on how her and her sister Venus perceived and overcame the racism they experienced in what is a predominantly White sport:
“We changed it from being two great Black champions to being the best ever, period. And that's what we did. We took out color, and we just became the best.”
“We never looked at it as a color thing, or we knew that we were entering an all-white sport, but for us it was like we're entering tennis and we're here to win. And yeah, we had to play harder and we had to be better, but it made us better. And at the end of the day, every time we faced a challenge and every time we overcame that challenge, it created Venus and Serena.”
Williams on the impact she has had on people throughout her career and her passion for what she does now:
“I am who I am and I love who I am, and I love the impact that I've had on people. I love the impact that I continue to have on people. Now the impact that I can have on people through companies that I invest in and having an opportunity to invest in women and people of color, and that is, if I didn't have the passion that I have on the tennis court, I wouldn't have passion for what I do now, and I accept it and I'm excited to continue to have that passion.”
You can also find me through the other platforms by pressing this link in brackets and if you're struggling to share the article through certain platforms use this link (Lnk.Bio).
No comments:
Post a Comment