Advertisement

Roo News

The Student News Site of University of Missouri - Kansas City

Roo News

Roo News

Amidst the festive spirit of St. Patricks Day, the iconic symbol of luck, the clover, reminds us of the rich traditions and celebrations honoring Irish heritage.
Exploring St. Patrick's Day Alternatives in Kansas City
Aydan Stigler and Grace Beshore March 14, 2024

  The annual St. Patrick's Day celebration is just around the corner, and with celebration comes large crowds.    The annual city parade...

Visit the City Market to explore local vendors.
Smart Saving Strategies for a Wallet-Friendly Spring Break
Emily Wheeler, Staff Writer • March 14, 2024

  UMKC students are ready for the upcoming week-long spring break, but are their wallets?   From travel adventures to staycations, spring...

Earth Mother by Sheron Smith
Her Art/Their Art Explores the Female Experience in the 21st Century
Elyse Bredfeldt, Staff Writer • March 12, 2024

  Her Art/Their Art is a collection that aims to answer the question: “What does it mean to identify, live, navigate, or be perceived by society...

Nina Simone: Four Women” playbook.
The KC Rep’s “Nina Simone: Four Women” is both timeless and poignant.
Maisy Blanton, Staff Writer • March 5, 2024

  The Kansas City Repertory Theater (KCRep) recently performed “Nina Simone: Four Women.” The show follows musician Nina Simone as she...

Around 1 million people were estimated to be in attendance at the parade.
One Dead, Several Injured During Chiefs Parade
Zach Gunter and Jazlyn Summers February 14, 2024

Update:   As of 2:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, the number of those injured at the Union Station shooting after the Chiefs Super Bowl parade...

The legacy of Serena Williams

The+legacy+of+Serena+Williams

Resilient. Strong. Beautiful. Over the last four decades, Serena Williams has proven herself to be all three. From learning tennis on public courts in Compton with her father, Williams has risen to become one of the greatest athletes of all time.

​She has won 23 major single titles, the most ever by any man or woman. She was ranked No. 1 on eight separate occasions between 2002-2017 by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). With 39 Grand Slam titles, Williams holds the record for the most titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles amongst all active tennis players combined. She holds the record for the most women’s singles matches won at majors with a whopping 351 matches. Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in doubles. In 2016, she was the highest paid female athlete, and in 2017, she was the only woman on Forbes’ “100 highest paid athletes” list. In December 2019, The Associated Press named Williams “Female Athlete of the Decade” for the 2010s. She is ranked No. 9 in the world as of January 2020, according to the WTA.

Even with tremendous success throughout the years, Williams still had obstacles to overcome both on and off the court.

In 2017, after the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., Williams suffered from a pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism is when a blood clot travels to an artery of the lungs, blocking normal air flow.

“My embolism sparked a slew of health complications that I am lucky I survived,” she said in an opinion piece she wrote for CNN. “When I finally made it home to my family, I had to spend the first six weeks of motherhood in bed.” 

After returning to tennis in 2018, Williams struggled to regain dominance over the game. She failed to win a Grand Slam that year and faced scrutiny over her heated reaction to an umpire’s call in her 2018 U.S. Open defeat against 19-year-old Naomi Osaka.

Losing only made Williams stronger. Going to therapy after the loss against Osaka, she realized the true key to success was to reflect on the life and the legacy she wanted to leave and not worry about anything else.

“I had lost every Grand Slam that year,” Williams said in a CNBC interview. “I was in the U.S. Open, and Patrick (Mouratoglou), my coach, said, ‘Serena, this doesn’t make sense. You’re so stressed about 18 wins. Why not 30? Why not 40?’”

“Why would I want to stand side by side when I can stand out on my own?” she said. “I think sometimes women limit themselves. I’m not sure why we think that way, but I know that we’re sometimes taught to not dream as big as men.”

Williams came back from her defeats by winning the ASB Classic in January of this year.

Off the court, Serena has made a name for herself in the fashion and beauty industries. In 2004, she signed a deal with Nike for her own apparel line. That same year, she launched her own line of designer apparel called “Aneres.” In 2009, she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry exclusively for the Home Shopping Network (HSN). In 2010, she became a certified nail technician to prepare for her nail collection with HairTech. In 2015, she presented her HSN Signature Statement collection for a second time at New York Fashion Week. In 2019, Williams was appointed to the board of directors for the online fashion market Poshmark.

From being a dominant force in tennis over the last four decades, to now dominating fashion, activism, business, entertainment, being a wife, and most importantly, motherhood, Serena has been a true inspiration to women and girls and has shown you can accomplish whatever you set out to do. This is the lesson she wants to teach her daughter.

“I’m so glad I had a daughter,” she said in a CNBC interview. “I want to teach her that there are no limits.”

[email protected]

Leave a Comment
Donate to Roo News

Your donation will support the student journalists of University of Missouri - Kansas City. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

More to Discover
Donate to Roo News

Comments (0)

All Roo News Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *