DOZ Issue 38 December 2018 | Page 13

DOZ Leadership Lessons SERENA WILLIAMS S erena Williams needs no introduction. She is a tennis superstar who has won many titles. Serena was first introduced to playing tennis at the age of three. Her father had decided even before she was born that herself and her older sister Venus would play tennis and he had a plan on how he was going to train them. Serena loved the sport and was determined to be the best tennis player the world had seen. She kept pushing herself and by the time she was a teenager she was already a pro and amongst the 100 top players in the world. In 2002, for the first time, she won three major tournaments, Wimbledon, The French Opens and The US Opens. This win changed the course of her career and made her one of six women to complete a career Grand Slam. She was named world No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). She was only 21 years old. Serena’s career began to rise higher from that point, but this is not to say 13 Eturuvie Erebor that it was without challenges. She had to contend with those who did not like the colour of her skin. Then in 2003, she underwent knee surgery which affected her ability to play in top form. Gradually she dropped from number one in the world to number 139! At this stage in her career, Serena took time off to recover and rediscover herself and the game she loved. When Serena returned, she returned in top form, and she returned with a fierce determination to reclaim her place at the top. She began by winning the Olympic gold and went on to win her 23rd Grand Slam, and she achieved this feat when she was eight weeks pregnant! Serena Williams is currently one of the highest paid female athletes in the world. Some famous Serena Wiliams quotes include the following; “I’m really exciting. I smile a lot, I win a lot, and I’m really sexy.” DOZ Magazine | December 2018