Serena Williams has been an inspiration for millions of people around the world. She has led herself both on and off the court and has been vocal about prevalent issues. Her life is always in the spotlight and some people have questioned the tennis legend about various things throughout her storied career. However, the 23-time Major champion has stayed strong and has focused on what she has to concentrate her energy on. Recently, she opened up about how she has handled and channelized hate throughout her career.

Serena Williams on handling hate

Serena rose to limelight when she won her first major title at the 1999 US Open when she was only 17. After that, there was only a way up ahead for Serena. However, with her rise in the tennis world, she had to face various discriminative instances.

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Speaking to Insider about it, she said, “Growing up in the public eye, you really are affected by what people say. But there was a point where I said, ‘I don’t care what people think.’ God made us able to make our own decisions, and if people don’t want to like me or what I do, that’s okay. Get in line — there’s going to be a long waiting list.” She has kept her resilience and strong mindset on. She has always focused on her work.

Channelizing hate

She has not let others’ opinions become a hurdle in her way. Her unwavering focus has not only made her a tennis legend but also a brilliant entrepreneur and also a wonderful mother. Serena recently came into the limelight when Serena Ventures gained huge investment. She added, “Whether it’s venture people saying that I shouldn’t be doing it, or it’s tennis when people said I’ll never be good at it. I do think there’s a part of me that always will enjoy proving people wrong. And sometimes you just need something to feed the fire, right?” She has channelized negative comments into a source of motivation for achieving her goals. She said, “I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s what I needed to hear. You’re going to regret what you just said.’ But that’s me, and growing up behind Venus, I had to have that personality.”

Serena on court

As far as her tennis in recent times is concerned, the 40-year-old has been on the sidelines for almost ten months now. She suffered a hamstring injury in her tournament opener at Wimbledon last year, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament. Subsequently, she missed last year’s US Open and this year’s Australian Open as well.

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Nonetheless, she has hinted at a possible comeback at Wimbledon later this summer. However, the exact timeline of her comeback is unknown.

With age not on her side, it remains to be seen how Serena fares upon her return after a long injury lay-off.