
USA Today via Reuters
Sep 2, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Serena Williams of the United States gestures to the crowd after a match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

USA Today via Reuters
Sep 2, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Serena Williams of the United States gestures to the crowd after a match against Ajla Tomljanovic of Australia on day five of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports
Serena Williams has become the tennis legend that she is, basing her life upon some set principles both on and off the court. The player has kept them in her personal life too; loyalty being one of them. Be it romantic relationships or friendships, Serena Williams made it clear that she had some set rules and explained the deal breakers for her.
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The player always stayed loyal to her game, and this resulted in millions of die-hard fans admiring her for her resilience and tenacity.
Serena Williams explained her rules of relationship and friendship
The American tennis legend now has millions of fans and well-wishers around the world. For her close circle, she believes that loyalty is a must as she herself is someone who does not compromise in that sphere. In an old interview with Essence, Williams talked about it. She said, “Loyalty is you’re with me, you ride.”

USA Today via Reuters
Aug 29, 2022; Flushing, NY, USA; Serena Williams (USA) (M-L) poses for a picture with family members after a ceremony honoring her career after her match against Danka Kovinic (MNE) (not pictured) on day one of the 2022 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Further explaining her take on it, she said, “Obviously in a romantic relationship, loyalty is definitely a deal breaker for me, but it’s also important in friendships.” However, loyalty goes beyond romantic relationships for her and Williams expressed her loyalty to her friends. She said, “I’m really super loyal. I will go all out for my friends and I expect the same.”
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She detailed her principles on cutting people off and said, “I’m a kind of person that it takes me a long time to cut someone off, but if I do, you never hear from me again. But I am loyal to a fault, actually.” Explaining one more condition that she believes loyalty comes with is, “If I don’t talk to somebody because of certain reasons, I actually expect my friends not to talk to them too and that’s kind of my loyalty.”
Williams and her iconic rivalries
The player had various competitors during the span of her 27-year-long career. However, she stayed resilient in their faces and overcame every hurdle. Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova shared a rivalry where the former had an upper hand. However, their rivalry always brought a lot of audiences. Additionally, Williams shared a short-lived but iconic rivalry with Martina Hingis. 17-year-old Williams had defeated Hingis at the US Open in 1999 where she had clinched her first grand slam title.
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Rivals came and went but Williams stayed true to her game and ended up being the champion of 23 grand slam titles, setting an iconic legacy.
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