Dressed in black pants and a sleeveless top, a very athletic yet glamorous-looking Serena Williams walks into a Hollywood photo studio all smiles. Tucked under her arm she’s carrying a little canine companion, sister Venus’ dog Khan (named after singer Chaka Khan). The woman who captured the U.S. Open at age 17 and has gone on to break tennis records ever since—including two Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles—is known as much for dominating the courts as she is
for her colourful tennis garb.
“I don’t wear a lot of black,” says the 5’9” powerhouse who has 27 Grand Slam titles to her name. “I can’t say ‘never’ to anything. I like really bright colours because I think they brighten up any mood and can make me feel sexy. They also empower me as a woman, especially sitting in a boardroom full of men.”
Williams says her own fashion line this summer will reveal cheerful hues ranging from orange to yellow, green to bright purple “and my favourite, pink. Just feel-good colours and clothes — that’s my story.”
Feminine side
Williams likes to surprise her fans by revealing her feminine side, something not often seen on the court. After all, it’s her agile, muscular body that she relies on to get her to the ball with lightning speed.
“I think each of those characteristics helps balance me and everything else in my life,” she says. “A lot of people say to me ‘wow, you look different in person’ and I say ‘well, I’m not sweating and grunting.’ It’s a big difference when I’m working so hard in tennis—that’s my job. But being an athlete makes me never want to give up on things; whatever I believe in, I fight for and will do it again and again until it’s right.”
At 30, an age when most female tennis players hang up their rackets, Williams is competing in this summer’s Wimbledon tournament, and believes her body can still stand the rigours of stiff competition and practice. “I think I can; I feel really young again,” she says. “Just the other day when warming up, I was thinking ‘I don’t feel too bad overall. This is really kind of cool.’”
A bad year
A feeling of optimism could not come at a better time for Williams, who faced various health challenges last year. This left everyone wondering if the greatest female player of her generation could reign supreme again. Williams’ health scares began shortly after she won Wimbledon in July 2010, with two right-foot operations due to ripped tendons after stepping on a shard of glass.
Then, in February 2011, she experienced a life-threatening episode, suddenly finding it difficult to breathe, and soon was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism (PE). “I didn’t know that shortness of breath was a main symptom of a PE,” reflects Williams. “I went to see my doctor, complaining of difficult breathing, and he found the embolism after doing a CAT scan of my lungs. I’m so thankful he did.”
Adding to her medical problems, she soon developed a hematoma in her stomach, requiring another surgery. “I was giving myself blood thinner injections for my embolism and unfortunately, hit a blood vessel, which couldn’t clot,” she recalls.
Having always been a vibrant, active and physical woman, Williams went into a funk during the ensuing recuperation period. “I couldn’t perform the functions I normally did, such as tennis, driving, exercising…even walking, so I became somewhat depressed,” she says. “For a person like myself who is used to going 200 mph every day, I found I had a problem becoming stagnant and slow.”
Busy life
With all that in the past, Williams has the energy to stay busy with many interests. She has enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, majoring in business, nutrition and health; her clothing line and accessories are sell-outs at HSN.com; she has become a certified nail technician in preparation for her upcoming nail collection with Hair Tech; she’s filmed an appearance on Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva as an ace family attorney, and is involved with several charities.
“I do a lot of work where I send girls to school in Africa and the United States who can’t afford it. I don’t talk about that a lot because I want to do it for the pure love of it,” Williams states.
And let’s not forget her regular workouts that include elliptical training, running, Plyometrics, bike riding and serious stretching. “Stretching is really good for me as an athlete,” Williams says. “I don’t lift weights, but I keep very busy with exercise…and then I’m on the court too.”
Reducing stress
So with this flurry of off-court activity, Williams says she has become more emotional than ever due to lack of sleep, only getting about five to six hours of shut-eye a night. “That’s okay,” she quickly says. For some stress reduction, reading of fiction helps (“when I’m not reading textbooks”), watching reality TV, playing games on her iPod, laughing with sister Venus, and “prayer, which is important to me. Faith helped me get through some pretty tough times.”
Nutritional staples that help sustain energy reserves and maintain focus include a protein shake for breakfast or a fresh green juice.
“Cucumber juice with ginger—that really gives me energy,” Williams says. “I’m not a big morning eater, and I don’t drink coffee. Beans have become a really big staple for me because they’re both protein and carbohydrates. In fact, dinner last night was a black-eyed pea soup with a big salad. I haven’t eaten meat in over a decade, very little chicken or fish, and I’ve been omitting wheat from my diet and will only have it from time to time.”
Peanut butter
Yet Williams reveals it’s hard to pass up red licorice or chocolate-covered peanut butter cups. “They are so good that I’ll have fun with those things sometimes and go a little crazy…. but you know, it’s not really crazy. It’s just normal and is another thing that helps keep me balanced. I think being crazy is saying no to everything,” she says.
As for relationships, Williams admits she is not in love at present, but hopes to be soon for the sheer “companionship it gives me and that youthful feeling. Plus, I’m really happy then, and that’s a good sensation.”
Ready to win
Williams says she feels strong and competitive once again, and is looking forward to a winning year and beyond: “I would say this year is just beginning for me, and I’m only getting better. Hey, I’m still competing, and I wondered if I ever would again, during those medical struggles.”
Yet with all her charismatic court displays, the woman whose name is synonymous with tennis champ, and temperamental diva, would rather be remembered for her personal reality checks.
“I don’t really care what others think of me because life is too short to worry about what someone else says or thinks about you,” she says. “I’d rather people think of me as a real person—a really funny person who cares about education and helping those who want to further theirs…..Extremely caring, really funny….and young.”
