Serena
I was going to start this blog post by taking the meaning of the name “Serena” and making it a big metaphor for the career Serena Williams had, but it turns out her name means peace, calm, and tranquility and I feel like that’s the exact opposite of who we know Serena Williams to be.
In fact, she carved out an identity for herself that can only be described as tenacious, powerful, and aggressive—a force to be reckoned with. Basically, the exact opposite of the meaning of her name. As a lover of literary elements, I love Serena’s irony.
Throughout her 27-year career, the media has attempted to villainize Serena for her aggression (remember the cartoon in 2018?). Instead of changing her ways or catering to the norms of the tennis world, Serena stepped into her power unapologetically. She refused to cater to the fragility of the tennis world. Plus, she was winning. Who could stop her?
I’m not an avid tennis watcher, yet I have always considered Serena Williams one of my role models. When you think of tennis, what do you see? For me, it’s white skirts, white socks, white shoes, white visors, white officials, white ball boys, and white audiences. Serena Williams was a dark-skinned woman in the midst of all this whiteness. I knew that all too well.
She filled a void in the sports world and young black athletes like me were drawn to who she was and how she operated.
For me, the most powerful aspect of Serena Williams’ being is her physical presence. Something about the way sweat glistens on her skin, the definition of her broad shoulders, or the muscular legs that carry her to victory speaks volumes to me. As female athletes, we build our bodies for performance on the court, on the field, in the pool, and in the ring or rink. But outside of those spaces, the body we worked hard to build is “too muscular,” and “not lady-like.” We struggle to “fit in.” And I’m not speaking in a social sense. I mean, clothes fit weird and next to our non-athlete friends we look dominant. Y’all know what I mean right? (One time I spent hours in the mall trying on dresses that didn’t highlight how big my shoulders were.)
Serena Williams never minimized herself. She carried herself with conviction. She built that body and nobody was going to tear it down. In Serena Williams fashion, all my female athletes reading this right now, push your shoulders back and lift up your chin. Step into your power and embrace the body you built for years.
I think there’s also something to be said about how Serena is still sought after, muscles and all. You could even call her a sex symbol. Remember when Drake rapped, “I’m joking, I mean that thing is poking/ I mean you kinda like that girl that’s in the U.S Open?” Or in 2011 when he tweeted, “@serenawilliams I cannot wait to put it on you and make you sweat……….during our match this weekend?”
Now more than ever, I’ve needed to be reminded of the beauty in strength. I’m a firm believer that real men won’t shy away from a strong woman (aka a woman that holds their own in the weight room). Serena Williams is the blueprint for beauty in strength. Your favorite rapper, Drake, sure thought so.
My hope for Serena Williams’ retirement is first and foremost peace. Without the media’s watchful and judgemental eye, she has the chance to live out the true meaning of her name. (See what I did there? I had to fit it in somewhere!)
Next, I hope for a period of re-branding or self-worth identification outside of tennis. There’s value in being a mother, value in having a platform to speak on important issues, in charity, in womanhood, in being black, in intelligence…
Serena now has the space to explore other avenues and to show the world who she is outside of tennis.
Selfishly, I think I am more excited for this new era of Serena than any match or set or whatever they call it in tennis.
