It’s been a little over a year since Serena Williams announced her retirement from professional tennis, and already there are plenty of players vying to be her successor. But Williams’ time in the limelight isn’t over yet. The 42-year-old American tennis legend recently announced that she will be releasing a memoir as part of a two-book deal with Penguin Random House.
The first book: A memoir
For the first time, Serena Williams will divulge intimate details of her life in a memoir, offering her fans a glimpse into the private life of a decorated tennis player who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
While the book is yet to be named, an article from Forbes promised that Williams would tell the story of her childhood, her life, and her time in the world of tennis. She will also tell the story of how she and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, met, how she raised their children, Olympia and Adira, and what it was like to be a mother.
Meanwhile, the forthcoming book will delve into Williams’ odyssey during her illustrious tennis career, shedding light on how she navigated criticism and adversity in a predominantly white and male-dominated sport. It will also explore how she grappled with poignant defeats on her journey.
The Tennis Letter also enthusiastically announced this on X, with their post stating, “Serena Williams is set to unveil an ‘intimate memoir’ as part of a 2-book deal:
“For the longest time, my sole focus was on winning, and I never took the time to pause and reflect on my life and career… In the past year, I have truly cherished the moments with my growing family, celebrating my achievements, and delving into my other passions…”
The second book will impart Serena’s ‘guiding principles for life’ and will draw from her experiences as an advocate, philanthropist, and businesswoman.
Memoirs & advice from the GOAT. These will definitely be worth reading.
Serena Williams to release ‘intimate memoir’ as part of a 2-book deal:
“For so long, all I was focused on was winning, & I never sat down to look back & reflect on my life & career.. Over the last year I've really enjoyed taking the time with my growing family to celebrate my… pic.twitter.com/zzev4WZGXs
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 18, 2023
Williams hailed as GOAT
Serena Williams is to tennis what Michael Jordan is to basketball. Her name is synonymous with ‘tennis legend’, being one of the most decorated and influential players in history.
Tagged as the “GOAT of GOATs” by none other than John McEnroe in 2022, there’s no doubt that Williams has made an impact in the sport, inspiring the youth out there to join and compete in tennis.
Take Coco Gauff, for example; she’s recently won the US Open and has cited Serena Williams, along with her equally iconic sister Venus Williams, as her role models. She said, “They’re the reason why I have this trophy today, to be honest. They have allowed me to believe in this dream growing up.”
She further explained that because of their legacy, more and more black players began to join and dominate the sport.
“There weren’t too many just black tennis players dominating the sport. When I was younger, it was just them that I can remember,” Gauff said, as per Eurosport.
“Obviously more came because of their legacy. So it made the dream more believable. But all the things that they had to go through, they made it easier for someone like me to do this,” she added.
In 2018, the 20-time Grand Slam Champion Federer also had a similar take on Williams. He said, in an interview, that Williams was ‘one of the greatest, if not the greatest tennis player of all time’ in both male and female categories.
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