‘Didn’t See Them With Everyone’- Serena Williams on How She Mirrored Steffi Graff and Pete Sampras to Focus Better on Her Game

Published 07/21/2022, 12:00 PM EDT

Serena Williams sat alone and aloof from whatever was going on around her. She kept her focus on and conserved her energy before going out into the court. People and media portrayed her as unsocial and unfriendly but these were the qualities that the player had cultivated in herself through deliberate efforts.

She was an ardent believer in the Bible. She emulated the lessons that she learned from them in her real life. Seeing her idols like Pete Sampras, Monica Seles, and Steffi Graf, the player focused her energy on her herself before any match.

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Why did Serena Williams stay aloof before her matches?

Serena Williams had talked about why she and Venus Williams kept to themselves. She learned the values behind this habit from the Bible. She said, “The Bible says a bad association spoils useful habits.” Furthermore, this was reinforced by her the behaviors of her idols.

She said, “When I first came on the tour, I’d see Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Pete Sampras, observe them, and you didn’t see them with everyone else.” She took an oath to be like them.

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Serena Williams added, “The people who are working to be the greatest have this extra focus.” Besides that, she did not exactly have to be alone. The presence of her sister and best friend Venus Williams comforted her.

How is Williams faring in the second half of 2022?

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The 23-time grand slam champion could not fair well at the Wimbledon 2022. She had to take leave after the first round of the grass-court major. Now, she is gearing up for the US Open.

Before that the player will play at the National Bank Open in Toronto. Moreover, her name has come up on the draw list of the Cincinnati Masters.

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‘Still Need Some Gym Workout’ – When Serena Williams and Novak Djokovic Displayed Rare Friendship With a Hilarious Photo

The six-time US Open champion is now looking forward to claim her seventh title there and increasing her total count of grand slam titles to 24.

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Written by:

Shivali Sharma is a tennis author at EssentiallySports. She has pursued her Master's in history from Himachal University, but her love for the game has driven her to write about tennis. Shivali is a huge fan of Naomi Osaka and admires Osaka not only for her on-court performances, but also for her off-court actions.

Edited by:

Deepakshi Chaudhary

‘Didn’t See Them With Everyone’- Serena Williams on How She Mirrored Steffi Graff and Pete Sampras to Focus Better on Her Game

Why did Serena Williams stay aloof before her matches?

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How is Williams faring in the second half of 2022?