After winning her 22nd Grand Slam over the weekend at Wimbledon, Serena Williams solidified her place in history. Not only is she the greatest female athlete of our time, the 34-year-old might just be the best athlete – male or female – of this generation.
Yet, despite her continuingly dominating tennis and rack up championships, she still has her critics.
Williams’ celebrity hasn’t protected her from the viciousness of racism. Each time she adds another trophy to her collection, a loud chorus rises up to not only question her skills, instead pinning her win on pure athleticism alone, but also her femininity.
Still, she excels. So it’s only fitting BBC Sports would ask the champion to read Maya Angelou’s powerful poem, Still I Rise, to narrate her latest grand slam win.
In the two-minute epic tribute, Williams recites an abridged version of the poem.
In her post-match interviews, Williams said,
I didn’t come from any money or anything, but I did have a dream and I did have hope. That’s really all you need.”
A fitting way to honour Williams’ 22nd Grand Slam title — in addition to her general awesomeness, we presume.
