Serena Williams, who I fittingly refer to as “the queen of tennis” is just that. She has won 17 Grand Slam titles in singles and 13 more in doubles with her older sister, Venus Williams. Add to that the four Olympic gold medals that she has won, tied for the most in tennis with Venus, and she has a trophy room the size of a Manhattan apartment. But what does Serena say about herself?
“Who am I? I’m just an average person,” she said after winning two matches yesterday, a 6-1, 6-0 singles win over American Vania King, and then a three-set doubles match with Venus, 7-6 (0), 6-7 (4), 6-1. This writer is an average guy and I am tired just from watching both matches!
How does she do it? “You just got to do it. I’m ready, fit and feeling good,” she explained.
There are those out there who question whether Serena should be playing both singles and doubles. Her response? “Well, to be honest, doubles helps me in my singles game. If it comes to a point where I don’t feel good, then I probably wouldn’t play. But it really helps me make better returns, know what to do better. So that’s why I’ve always actually played doubles.”
How much of a role does playing doubles have to do with bonding with her sister as well? “We really enjoy playing, you know, together.” Later, she continued discussing playing with Venus saying, “It’s a great experience for us because we get to play together and we get to, you know, be together. We just get to talk and spend some time together because we don’t get to spend as much time together as we want to because we’re always doing our thing.”
Friday, that thing for Venus will be playing #13 Sara Errani in the afternoon. For Serena? She will most likely play Saturday night with another doubles match with Venus as well. Just an average day in the life of Serena Williams.
