Battling At The Baseline
- Skylaur Morris
- Mar 15, 2015
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 10, 2024
By Skylaur Morris
In March 2001, Serena Williams defeated Kim Clijsters in the women’s final of the Indian Wells tennis tournament. Although Serena had won that tournament for a second time, she and her sister Venus vowed to never play in that tournament again due to unfair treatment and accusations made by the public and other pro players. For 13 years, the Williams sisters had boycotted the tournament until now. The 1999 and 2001 winner of the Indian Wells Championships has decided to return to the championship to rewrite her story (her 1st rd match on 3/13/15). A champion with 65 pro singles titles including 19 Grand slams singles has already made history in so many different ways. One would think she has nothing else to prove, but not Serena. This is bigger than winning another title. For her, this is about facing negativity, bigotry, prejudice, and a testament to what it truly means to be a champion. Bravery is her definition for standing back on the baselines at the very tournament that once put her family through pain and controversy.
With the focus of rewriting her story, Serena is focusing on forgiveness and positive outcomes for the future. In her press conference leading up to the BNP Paribas Open (also known as the Indian Wells Championships) she said it was time to comeback. “Well, the whole point of me coming back was not to necessarily focus on what happened 13 years ago. It was more to focus on how I felt and if it was the right opportunity for me to comeback now and for me to be at this tournament, I think I kind of let that go.”
Displaying growth and maturity, she also got blessings from her father and sister before she returned to the tournament. “I was taught when I was young to always forgive and to always try to look at the bigger picture. With that being said I think it’s been a good opportunity not only for me to be here, but also I was able to raise awareness for charities like EJI (Equal Justice Initiative, a civil rights and Advocacy charity), and just, you know, point out different things that you can be better.”
“You can overcome things even though they might not be the best of situations, it just depends on how you look at it and how you overcome them,” said Serena.
How will you rewrite your story? Personal triumphs and forgiveness could be a great beginning.
Comments