Serena Williams says growing up in Compton gave her the ability to adapt to nearly any playing condition during her career. Compton, a popular neighborhood in Los Angeles, is known for violence and gang activity. Getting started in tennis in Compton was less than ideal, as there were no luxury tennis courts and the balls used at the time weren’t all that good either.
But Serena and her sister Venus were determined to make their dreams come true. Now the Williams sisters are true tennis icons of all time and will forever be remembered as some of the greatest and most inspiring female players in the history of the sport.
Serena explained during an event organized by Wilson Tennis: “If it’s not a storm, I don’t feel it. Honestly, every time I try to prove something, I go back and say: Serena, you’re from Compton, yeah! I can adjust to anything.
Because of everything we’ve been through, I think about playgrounds and dropshots, and then feel literally nothing. But when I hear something, I always look at my training partner or my coach and say: Something’s wrong, because if I feel it, then something is really wrong.”
Serena Williams, 41, ended her incredible career after the US Open. In her last tournament, the US champion still sold her life dearly before giving up. In her US Open debut she defeated Danka Kovinic. Later, she got the better of Anett Kontaveit, who was the second-largest player in the world at the time.
Instead, she fell in the third round, where she was defeated in three sets by Ajla Tomljanovic.
Serena Williams is the GOAT
Serena Williams opened up about the mental stress she’s experienced throughout her career and how she’s learned to handle it over the years: “For me, mental fitness is about learning to shut down.
I did this years ago, even before mental fitness was in anyone’s attention. I thought: Today I’m turning off, unconsciously, and it’s something I’ve always done. Now that I know it’s so important to put yourself first, especially mentally.
I always have moments where I shut myself down. I have very specific limits and I don’t allow anyone to cross them. I do nothing for myself and I’m a landslide. Over and over I’ve said I’m working on it, but more or less, at least prioritizing what I have to do and then when I shut down, I shut down.”
