American tennis legend, Serena Williams, has gone through various challenges in her career. The 41-year-old had a hard childhood as she grew up with a dream of tennis. Later, when her persistence bore fruits and she started getting her due respect in the tennis world, injuries occurred.

Serena had to go through surgery and was away from the court for quite some time. Meanwhile, she gained weight, and instead of supporting her in tough times, the media made headlines about her weight. The former world number one later spoke about her situation in an interview.

Serena Williams on getting fat-shamed

In an interview back in 2009, Serena Williams recalled the tough phase of her life. When she was world number 1 she had to go through surgery and had to sit out of action for quite some time. This way, the American ended up gaining weight and dropped below 200 in the ranking.

Recalling the challenging phase of life, Serena said, “I went through a really tough stage that took place when I was No. 1 and I had surgery and fell to almost 200 in the ranking.” She further added, “Everyone called me fat, saying I was really unfit. Every [news]paper, the headline was ‘fat, fat, fat.”

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This is one of the many challenges Serena overcame in her career. The American kept amassing records and ended up with 23 Grand Slam titles. With all those challenges in her way, the way she kept winning till the end, makes her arguably the best tennis player in the modern era.

Williams doesn’t read news about herself

Being Serena Williams is not easy. You are under constant pressure to perform well. Added to that, the media is always there to pinpoint and criticize her. To deal with these challenges, the 23-time Grand Slam champion revealed that she doesn’t read what the press writes about her.

Instead, the American collects the clippings and says that she will read them after retirement.

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In a world full of negativity, this is a great approach. Serena definitely knows her thing and unnecessary negativity will only add to the existing problems. Serena has inspired many with her journey. What is your favorite memory from her career? Let us know in the comments.