I'm not a huge tennis fan but I go hard for the Williams Sisters. It's a little ridiculous how much I love these two, and I don't even play tennis! So, one of the greatest tennis players of all time. ALL TIME people. She's been ranked #1 in world singles five times. She's got 30 Grand Slam titles. 13 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus and the pair is unbeaten in Grand Slam finals (they've been called "invincible" in this year's Australian open). Did I forget to mention those 4 Olympic Gold Medals? Yeah, let's talk about those 4 gold medals and the fact she's the only female tennis player to win over $40 million in prize money. Oh and she's what, 31? What have YOU done with your life?
She was born in Michigan but relocated to Compton, CA as a little girl where she and her sister started playing tennis. When the girls were 9, the family relocated to Palm Beach so they could attend Rick Macci's tennis school. Macci noticed the girls incredible talent but respected the fact their father pulled them out of national junior championships because he wanted them to focus on school. Oh, and the other parents were racist and he didn't want his girls around that. They compeltely left the school when teh girls were in 9th grade and their dad started doing all their coaching from home. At this point, Serena was already number one in her league.
So let's fast forward some, 1995. Her first professional game at 13. Which well, she lost in the first round to no. 149 in the world. In less than an hour. Which really isn't that bad! She's a teenager! Her first round in a major tournament! The fact she made it, I think, is pretty exemplary. Fast forward again, 1998. She's ranked 96th in the world. She beats #3 in the world but loses in the semifinals, again, not bad. She's what, 16 at this point?
Things didn't start picking up for her until 1999 when she won her first major title. And well, you know how the rest of this story don't you? (If not, see the first paragraph of this article!) So we can pass all that. Let's talk about her clothes? She's one of the first female tennis players to make waves for her hair and fashion choices on the court. Which has made the game way more interesting. Remember the boots?
7 comments:
Alice, thank you for posting Serena...the hair, the body, the talent...and no drama. A positive and inspiring young woman. Keep up the hair idols
cb
Thanks cb! I'm glad you're liking the hair idols! Is there anyone in particular that you would like to see?
I love her game, she is really the epitomy of 'never give up'. I love how no one can feel safe serving for a match against her, she inspires me. I am actually sitting up tonight to 4am to watch her.
I like her current weave, she seems to have settled on a good one for her face. I actually prefer Venus's natural hair because it looks like mine. I have never seen Serena's own hair, I hope it is as pretty as Venus's.
Ahaha! You're a die hard fan! I only do 4am for the world cup and other major MAJOR tournaments. Otherwise I would never sleep!
I just looked up Venus' hair and OMG I didn't know these photos existed! She's definitely on my list of future hair idols. Thank you so much for telling me about this!
Seriously thank you for having Serena as a Hair idol. She is an inspiration to younger African Americans coming up. I was happily surprised to see her.
Awww Anon! No need to thank me! I try to keep my Hair Idols as diverse an inspiring as I possibly can. If there is anyone else you'd like to see feel free to email me or tell me in another comment! :)
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