Talk about the weaknesses of Serena Williams and you will have a hard time finding them. Such was the multi-faceted nature of the American legend that she went on to become one of the most successful athletes the sporting world has ever seen. However, things weren’t the same during her childhood, when Williams struggled to rise up in the ranks. In a new docu-series, ‘In the Arena: Serena Williams,’ the American legend reflects on how her biggest weakness turned into her biggest strengths.

Williams came from a humble background and didn’t have the best facilities to train. Despite that, she made full use of whatever was available to make it big early on in her career. While her backhand was second to none during her childhood days, Williams used to struggle with her forehand. As it is often said that legends rise every time they fall, Williams faced a similar fate after getting injured.

Along with tennis, the American legend also loved skateboarding as a kid. In the new docuseries, Williams revealed, “My backhand used to be really, really amazing. And one day, I was at school but I didn’t want to be there, so I took a skateboard and went out in the neighborhood. I fell, hurt my wrist really bad and I never told my dad, so I couldn’t really hit backhands. I’m like, I want to work on my forehands. I remember my forehand getting much better after that.”

Although that fall was nasty and scary, it did her more good than damage as Williams worked on her weakness to turn it into her biggest strength. It eventually paved the way for her to win as many as 23 Grand Slam titles. Additionally, legendary coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, also had a big involvement in improving Williams’ forehand.

Patrick Mouratoglou points out a secret in Serena Williams’ game

Earlier this year, the French coach took the subject of forehands in his coaching video on Instagram. While explaining how to ace this skill, Mouratoglou used the example of Williams and pointed out how the American legend used an incorrect technique while hitting them and how he helped her to improve it.

He revealed, “When I started with Serena, she was doing the same. She was doing this. Why do this? Because if you hit flat like this, you feel very risky. Subconsciously, you think, if I do this, there will be more margin. She corrected it. And after she was like this. She was using her hand more. So she had a bit of spin all the time. And then she is consistent and powerful.” In the caption, he also wrote, “Do you also have this bad habit when you hit a forehand?”

Mouratoglou eventually corrected the fault in Williams’ forehands and the duo went on to win many big titles together. Did you enjoy Williams’ forehands more or her backhands? Let us know your views in the comments below.