‘Just Serena’: Williams’ upset win at US Open keeps the legend advancing in final days of her storied career – and her legacy
When her mom, motherhood, fatherhood and legacy are mentioned, Serena Williams is sure to be named in any conversation.
It is something she has known for many years, as she has always come out of the closet during the course of her many public events.
She is the first athlete to be openly gay in mainstream media when she announced her sexuality in an all-female talk show in New York in 2005 – while the US Open was just weeks away.
“Even when I was a little girl, I thought I was the cutest little girl in the world,” she said when the US Open began in Flushing Meadows Park.
“When I made it to America, I thought I was going to be a pro tennis player. That’s where my dreams, my goals, my aspirations were. But after the first couple of months, I didn’t know what I was going to do next.
“Then I found out about the [New York] Stock Exchange and I realized I could do anything I wanted – if I took this road.
“As a little African-American girl, I was always really worried that I would be the next Michael Jordan or the next LeBron James, or the next Serena Williams. But I have never let that discourage me.
And now, after more than two years away from the sport, she has a new place to call home in Florida.
“It will probably be for the rest of my life as I have the greatest support system around me,” she said.
“It’s such a great feeling right now. I’m really excited for it. I don’t know if I will have the right words to explain it, but just being with my family and with my brother and sister and my friends who were here last time, they are really important parts of me. I look up to them so much.”
– Serena Williams’ triumph –
Williams broke four centuries at the US Open last year, but was not able to break into a Grand Slam semi
