Serena Williams is an inspiration for her fan both on and off the court. She has been a source of a motivation for the people who have struggled through their lives. Her resilience and battles through the decades against the social and gender norms has given her fans to thrive.

One such story of her fan from Indonesia is worth mentioning. His love and admiration for the tennis legend changed his life in a meaningful, yet exciting way.

An ordeal of a diligent fan of Serena Williams

Diano Eko, 34 old Indonesian fan, was resilient in watching his favorite tennis player in the 2009 Australian Open. He saved enough throughout the whole year to fund his trip to Australia. And when his boss objected for a time-off, the fan quit his job as an accounts manager at a global ad company to watch Serena Williams play.

His drastic decision paved a way for his new and thrilling future. “Serena ended up winning the title. She and Venus won the doubles title. It’s one of the best decisions I ever made,” he had said.

A life turning event

After coming back, he wrote about his experience on Facebook, and this caught the attention of a TV producer. He auditioned for the Indonesian channel MNC Sports. Eko is a tennis analyst now and has been working as a TV commentator for six years.

Moreover, Eko also works for Fox Sports Indonesia and has been on air for a lot of Serena Williams’ match. He accepted being emotional and biased towards his favorite tennis player.

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He said, “My voice will be a bit shaky, and I’ll tend to be poetic about everything, But I haven’t received any complaints from viewers for being biased, so I guess I’ve been doing something right.”

Serena Williams’ battles to be the best

Serena Williams’ strong gameplay is not the only thing that made him a diligent fan of the player.

It started after he watched her 2001 Indian Wells final, where she was heckled even after being the winner. He said, “I watched a local 19-year-old player being booed by a hostile crowd in front of her family, and still manage to win not only the match but the situation. It was amazing.”

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Former world no. 1 has been through a lot of arduous trials and her fans have always looked up to her. They have learnt from her struggles and have inculcated in their lives too. Both her on and off court presence has been a source of light to millions around the world.