Serena Williams has done it all in tennis, but there’s so much more to come from the star. Photo: Getty
Since she turned pro, Serena has had one distinct focus: winning. The first time she was in the news, she was facing a drug violation charge in 2006 after the WTA suspended her for four months after the release of a sex tape. Now, there are four times in as many years that she has been charged with misconduct in the wake of controversial comments.
In a conversation with Sports Illustrated, the 24-year-old American says that the constant attention has had its benefits. “I don’t like doing what I’ve been doing in tennis, but I’m getting a lot of positive feedback, a lot of positive coverage, and it’s really a lot of fun and it is what I want to do for a living. It’s what I am doing, and that’s a good thing.”
She says she’s been called a “cancer” for her on-court fighting, but she doesn’t see herself as a fighter. “I don’t think I’m really, like, a fighter. I’m just going to play as hard as I can and try to win every match as much as I can. I don’t care if it’s a 5-set match in which I’m only down one set. It doesn’t matter, in terms of me not fighting, that’s just part of the experience. If I feel like I want to fight and want to get into a scrap, I will.”
Williams also believes the constant media attention is a good thing. “I like that you can’t really hide from the press, I think that’s good. I don’t like to be the person who hides. I know that’s kind of the perception, but I don’t want to ever be that.”
She says she knows her career will probably be winding down, but she isn’t thinking about retiring. She’s just thinking