spotlight

Serena Williams is without a doubt The Best. Not just the best black player or the best female player, but in the words of Tina Turner: Simply The Best!

This month is Black History Month and with Serena's recent departure from tennis, it would be hard not to put her in the spotlight. With a list of accomplishments, including winning more grand slam singles titles (23) than any other woman or man during the open era of tennis, she makes it all look easy. But Serena has had to overcome many hurdles in her career as well as her personal life.

The only privileges in her childhood were her talent and determination. On and off the court she has had to deal with racism and sexism to downright misogyny. She was paid less than less successful men in the same sport, held to different standards, and told to control her emotions on the court, in ways that her male counterparts never were. When asked what her biggest obstacle has been, she told Forbes it was pregnancy and her recovery after giving birth. Serena needed an emergency C-section and suffered a pulmonary embolism together with several other complications. It's plain to see where her inspirational quotes and words of wisdom have come from...

“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.”

“Think of all the girls who could become top athletes but quit sports because they’re afraid of having too many defined muscles and being made fun of or called unattractive.”

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up."