Serena Williams recalls sabotaging her rackets as a child to avoid training
Serena Williams and Venus Williams have been at the top of women's tennis for a long time. Their careers have been filled with trophies and successes, and most look back with nostalgia on their beginnings in the late 1990s. Serena Williams decided to put an end to her career three years ago, while her sister has continued playing tennis, despite being 45 years old.
Becoming a star involves a lot of training and spending time on the tennis courts, and the two looked back on their childhood and some of the difficult moments during an episode of the Stockton Street podcast.
Serena Williams once felt so averse to training that she decided to cut the strings on her rackets. However, after seeing her father's reaction, she never resorted to such methods again.
“Remember, I used to cut the strings in the rackets because I didn’t want to practice,” she said, as quoted by Tennis Gazette.
“I remember going to practice, we drove all this way, it was way far, Anaheim or something, and I was bad.
I took these scissors and I cut the racket, we got there, and dad pulled out the rackets, and all the rackets’ strings were broken.
I saw his face, and his face was heartbroken; he just looked so sad. I felt so bad, I never did it again.”
Serena believes that at some points they worked too much and admits that she hated training. However, looking from this perspective, he understands why they trained and how important every second spent on the field was.
Today, the popular tennis player shares the same advice to her daughter, wanting her to become world class. However, as a girl she didn't always understand some things, so now she understands that her daughter Olympia has similar thoughts.
“Absolutely, I felt like it was too much, I felt like it was unnecessary,” said Serena Williams.
“I hated practice, I really did.
But, looking back, we needed every second of that. In order to be the best, you have to put in the time, and you have to be willing to work harder than anyone else. I think those practices made me want to practice in the future. Once I became my own professional, I never skipped practice.
I always try to tell Olympia [her daughter], you don’t understand the benefits now, it sucks today, but tomorrow, you’re going to be so happy that you did it."
Venus Williams' views
On the other hand, her sister, Venus Williams, had a slightly different view. She admitted that she never thought too much about training and whether they were training too much, because she was focused on the present moment and did what she was told. However, she later said that they probably trained much more than necessary, but that training did not bother her because she knew that she would become a champion.
Their main source of motivation was also their father, who sent them a clear message: “You will become world number 1 and 2.”
This best shows how important parents can be for children, but on the other hand, sometimes it is important to have a measure and let children be children. Either way, the two of them have made a great career and really laid the foundation for the future of this sport.
Vikings' Justin Jefferson is Setting New Standards in Humility and Performance
The Minnesota Vikings don't just have a super talented wide receiver in Justin Jefferson, they also have a special person.
Every single time Jefferson takes the field, he does so with a lot of attention and fanfare from the fanbase and the opposing team. Even though he wears multiple jewelry chains on and off the field, Jefferson isn't like other players at his position: he's not boastful nor tries to bring attention upon himself. It's a special trait in a world where wide receivers are often considered divas.
Justin Jefferson Facts
- Minnesota Vikings selected him 22nd overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, one pick after the Philadelphia Eagles selected Jalen Reagor
- Holds the NFL record in receiving yards per game at 95.8
- Is a two-time first-team All Pro and four-time Pro Bowler
Justin Jefferson proves why he's on a different level
One of the interesting things with Jefferson's career has been how inconsistent the quarterback position has been. In his career, the Vikings have started eight different quarterbacks. For most players, that would be a major issue. It hasn't been for Jefferson, and he said that on Thursday after practice.
"That's kind of been my whole entire career since I've been here," said Jefferson, "It's just not really flinching on that type of deal. The only thing that I can't control is going out there and catching the ball, winning on my routes and making sure that I'm open for the quarterback to see. So it really doesn't matter who's out there throwing the ball, and I've always had, always have confidence in myself and the person throwing the ball that we're going to make something shake."
It's not just Jefferson's words that exemplify that, it's his actions and performance on the field. In 2023 when Jefferson had four different quarterbacks start in the 10 games he played, his targets, catches, and yards remained steady. The touchdowns were significantly higher with Kirk Cousins (seven) than it was with the other three quarterback (three), but touchdowns for an individual player is somewhat random.
We've seen many wide receivers have a "diva" mentality where they publically talk about how they need to get the ball more. In fact, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown has already shown frustration
"At the end of the day, my job is to go out there and catch the ball and be an open target for my quarterback."
The man they call Jets is special, and the Vikings are very lucky to have him.
