Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player that is known as one of the best professional athletes in the world. Not female athlete, not tennis player but one of the best athletes to have ever played a professional sport. To date, Serena holds the most major titles, making history with doing so, of any current active tennis player with a record number of 39.

Along with her winnings, Serena is endorsed by Gatorade, Pepsi, Beats by Dre, IBM, Chase Bank, Nike, and many more. She has launched her own collection of handbags and jewelry with a partnership of the Home Shopping Network and has created her own line of clothing called Aneres.

She is an author and has acted on several television shows. Through her dedication and perseverance Serena, a young Black Woman that grew up in Compton, created a brand off of her talents in a male and white dominated sport.

Who is she?

Serena’s brand of being one of the best athletes in the world is strong because of the story it emits. A young black woman in a poverty stricken city became one of the best athletes in the world. Without even knowing an ounce of what she has done, that in itself is inspirational. But she was not alone in her success; her older sister was right by her side climbing the ranks with her.

Venus Williams is a top athlete in the professional tennis world and was even ranked number one, a few years ago.

But Serena that has trained, competed with, and against Venus surpassed her older sister in winnings and rank. Which is an amazing feat. The little sister of a woman that was beginning to dominate the court came in and started beating her.

Their father was the force behind their training and the shaping of their professional career.

At the start of their tennis career, their father, Richard Williams, took Serena and Venus out of junior tennis competitions and placed them in an academy to hone their skills. At the age of fourteen, Serena Williams turned pro. Gradually rising in rank she has dominated the profession ever since and has won more titles than her sister.

It is fascinating that even though both sisters that has trained and honed their skills together, Serena’s natural talent boosted her way past her sister to making history.

Unapologetically making History

What is most interesting about Serena is how unapologetic she is about her accomplishments and her confidence. Interviews dating back to the early 2000s, shows Serena as a young teenager that knew she would win against any opponent she competed against. There is no question of her talent and her confidence. That is what is so appealing about Serena. She does not fit into a box and has broken the mold of what a female athlete should look like or behave like. She has broken the stereotype that a female tennis player has to be thin, white, and meek.

The self-reliance her father instilled in her when she was young just keeps reverberating with each win and each record she breaks. Serena is not only an inspiration to women but to black women to be unapologetic with the way they should carry themselves and know that believing you can be the best, further pushes you to be the best.