FEB 4, 2015
Serena Williams:
I’m Going Back
to Indian Wells
The tennis star writes exclusively in TIME about her decision to return to a tournament that has haunted her
We were outsiders.
It was March 2001, and I was a 19-year-old focused on winning and being the best I could be, both for me and for the kids who looked up to me. I had spent tens of thousands of hours—most of my adolescence—serving, running, practicing, training day in and day out in pursuit of a dream. And it had started to become a reality. As a black tennis player, I looked different. I sounded different. I dressed differently. I served differently. But when I stepped onto the court, I could compete with anyone.
The tournament in Indian Wells, Calif., held a special place in my heart. I won my first pro match there in 1997, alongside my sister in doubles. I then sat and watched Venus qualify for the singles event and make a magical run all the way to the quarterfinals. It was a giant win not only for her but also for our whole family, and it marked the beginning of a new era that we were unknowingly writing. My first big tournament win also happened there, when I beat Steffi Graf in the ’99 final.
When I arrived at Indian Wells in 2001, I was looking to take another title. I was ready. But however ready I was, nothing could have prepared me for what happened in the final. As I walked out onto the court, the crowd immediately started jeering and booing. In my last match, the semifinals, I was set to play my sister, but Venus had tendinitis and had to pull out. Apparently that angered many fans. Throughout my whole career, integrity has been everything to me. It is also everything and more to Venus. The false allegations that our matches were fixed hurt, cut and ripped into us deeply. The undercurrent of racism was painful, confusing and unfair. In a game I loved with all my heart, at one of my most cherished tournaments, I suddenly felt unwelcome, alone and afraid.
For all their practice, preparation and confidence, even the best competitors in every sport have a voice of doubt inside them that says they are not good enough. I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.
When I was booed at Indian Wells—by what seemed like the whole world—my voice of doubt became real. I didn’t understand what was going on in that moment. But worse, I had no desire to even win. It happened very quickly.
This haunted me for a long time. It haunted Venus and our family as well. But most of all, it angered and saddened my father. He dedicated his whole life to prepping us for this incredible journey, and there he had to sit and watch his daughter being taunted, sparking cold memories of his experiences growing up in the South.
Thirteen years and a lifetime in tennis later, things feel different. A few months ago, when Russian official Shamil Tarpischev made racist and sexist remarks about Venus and me, the WTA and USTA immediately condemned him. It reminded me how far the sport has come, and how far I’ve come too.
I have thought about going back to Indian Wells many times over my career. I said a few times that I would never play there again. And believe me, I meant it. I admit it scared me. What if I walked onto the court and the entire crowd booed me? The nightmare would start all over.
It has been difficult for me to forget spending hours crying in the Indian Wells locker room after winning in 2001, driving back to Los Angeles feeling as if I had lost the biggest game ever—not a mere tennis game but a bigger fight for equality. Emotionally it seemed easier to stay away. There are some who say I should never go back. There are others who say I should’ve returned years ago. I understand both perspectives very well and wrestled with them for a long time. I’m just following my heart on this one.
I’m fortunate to be at a point in my career where I have nothing to prove. I’m still as driven as ever, but the ride is a little easier. I play for the love of the game. And it is with that love in mind, and a new understanding of the true meaning of forgiveness, that I will proudly return to Indian Wells in 2015.
I was raised by my mom to love and forgive freely. “When you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in the heavens may also forgive you” (Mark 11:25). I have faith that fans at Indian Wells have grown with the game and know me better than they did in 2001.
Indian Wells was a pivotal moment of my story, and I am a part of the tournament’s story as well. Together we have a chance to write a different ending.
>via: http://time.com/3694659/serena-williams-indian-wells/
__________________________
February 02, 2015
SERENA
WILLIAMS:
HER PLACE
IN HISTORY
Serena Williams
MELBOURNE, Australia – Serena Williams‘ triumph at the Australian Open didn’t just represent the No.1 player in the world solidifying her status at the top of the sport, it represented one of the all-time greats getting even greater. So what did Williams accomplish over the past two weeks?
Well we know she now has the second-most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era with 19, trailing just Steffi Graf‘s 22, and she already had the most Australian Open titles in the Open Era with five, and now she has six. But there’s more – much, much more – to the World No.1’s win in Melbourne.
Here are 10 more takeaway stats from Williams’ triumph at the Happy Slam…
1) Serena’s now tied for third-most Grand Slam titles all-time.
Everyone’s talking 22, but is 24 within reach too? On the all-time list, not just the Open Era, Serena is tied for third-most Grand Slam titles of all time – Margaret Court is in first place with 24, Steffi Graf is in second place with 22, and Serena is tied with Helen Wills with 19. Bring on Roland Garros…
2) Serena has won twice as many Grand Slams in her 30s as anyone in the Open Era.
Serena has won six Grand Slam titles as a 30-something – Wimbledon and the US Open in 2012, the French Open and US Open in 2013, the US Open in 2014 and the Australian Open in 2015. The players with the next-most Grand Slam titles in their 30s are Court and Martina Navratilova with three.
3) Serena is the third player in the Open Era to win two Grand Slams six or more times.
Serena has now won six Australian Opens and six US Opens in her illustrious career. Only two other players have won two different Grand Slams six or more times each like that – Chris Evert, who won seven French Opens and six US Opens, and Graf, who won six French Opens and seven Wimbledons.
4) Serena is the second player to pull off the US Open-Australian Open double three times.
Serena has now pulled off the US Open-Australian Open double three times – in 2002/2003, 2008/2009 and 2014/2015. Graf did it three times as well, in 1988/1989, 1989/1990 and 1993/1994.
5) Serena is the second-oldest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era.
Navratilova is the oldest Grand Slam champion in the Open Era, winning Wimbledon in 1990 at 33 years and 263 days old. Serena was already the second-oldest, winning the 2014 US Open at 32 years and 346 days, but she’s bettered that now, winning the 2015 Australian Open at 33 years, 127 days.
6) Serena already had the most hardcourt majors in the Open Era – now she has even more.
Serena has now won 12 hardcourt Grand Slams, six in Melbourne and six in New York, which is the most in the Open Era. Graf has the next-most with nine (four in Melbourne and five in New York).
7) Serena has now won 23 of her last 24 matches against fellow Top 10 players.
Since the start of the 2013 US Open fortnight, Serena is 23-1 against Top 10 players. The only loss? Simona Halep beat her in the 2014 WTA Finals round robin – and Williams won the title anyway.
8) Serena has won her last 11 finals.
Since losing to Victoria Azarenka at Cincinnati in 2013, she’s a perfect 11-0 in WTA finals.
9) Serena is now 17-0 in Grand Slam finals when winning the first set.
If history is anything to go by and you lose the first set to her in a major final, you’re probably toast. She’s never lost from a set up in a major final (and she’s 2-4 when losing the first set).
10) Serena has almost as many Grand Slam titles as all other active players combined.
Serena’s 19 Grand Slam titles comes in just under 21, which is the combined total of all other active players (Venus Williams has seven, Maria Sharapova five, Azarenka, Petra Kvitova and Svetlana Kuznetsova two each, and Ana Ivanovic, Samantha Stosur and Francesca Schiavone one each).
>via: http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/4458593/title/serena-williams-her-place-in-history