In the Arena: Serena Williams (2024) s01e03 Episode Script
Point of No Return
1
[laughter]
[Serena]
In the span of 10 years
[coach] Come on, Serena. Push.
[Serena]
my life really changed.
[crowd cheering]
You have this fame,
and you have these Grand Slams,
and now it was just another level,
at another level.
-[crowd] Serena!
-[shouting indistinctly]
There's so much pressure,
and there's so much press.
-[reporter 1] Serena!
-[reporter 2] Serena!
[Serena] It's, like,
so much all on Serena.
[commentator]
Oh, and there goes the racket.
Snaps it in half.
[Serena] It was
a very difficult time for me
to be happy on the court.
I'm not used to crying.
[sniffles]
And I'm thinking at this point,
what is my motivation?
You know, what am I playing for?
Is there a reason
that tennis is in my life still?
So, I have five sisters.
The oldest is Yetunde.
Then there's Isha,
and then there's Lyn,
right smack in the middle.
And then there's Venus,
and then, um, there's me.
-[squeals]
-Oh!
-There she go, running again!
-Oh, she's about to kick.
Serena is absolutely
the baby of the family.
I only [laughs]
[Serena]
I have the best older sisters.
Everyone always
took care of Serena.
[Isha] Yetunde, as the oldest,
and Serena, as the youngest,
had a very special relationship.
She was very much, um
almost like a mom.
She would take us all to go
back-to-school shopping.
She took all the sisters.
Our parents didn't have
a ton of money 'cause
they were taking care
of a whole family.
She would spend
all her money on
on us picking out clothes,
which is like,
what teenager does that
with their sisters, you know?
So, she was
a very kind, kind person.
[Isha] Tennis was a family event,
and Venus and Serena
played seriously.
We all played.
And then there was a point
when it was really
going to be
kind of focused on them.
A little bit. [giggles]
It's been a family thing
all this time,
and I'm glad that they're able
to succeed at something.
No balls behind her.
Right there, okay?
[Serena]
All the sisters were there.
It wasn't just myself and Venus.
Everybody played a role.
[Richard] That's great. Yeah.
Boom. Now,
high backhand right there.
That's you. That's you.
[Lyndrea] If they trained,
I was there picking up balls.
All three of us,
the older sisters,
that was our role.
Like, if we liked it or not,
this is what you're going to do.
[Serena] It was a completely
family experience
that was all on the court.
And surely we all
[laughs] abhorred it
[laughs] some days, most days.
But it was all
definitely worth it.
[narrator] The Williams sisters'
meteoric rise
has not been
without controversy,
and what bothers
their critics most
is they don't seem to care
what others think of them.
[Serena] We never had agents
in the beginning.
We just had my dad,
and he would handle everything.
But my dad was someone that
always took a chance on people.
[Jill]
It was a very insulated group.
I was one of the
probably the few people on tour
that sort of, I like to think,
welcomed them.
I played on tour
when I was younger,
and then when I transitioned
out of professional tennis,
I started
in the training program at ICM
in the mailroom.
I had been an agent for
five seconds. I had no clients.
Mr. Williams, I think,
thought that I was
a little bit crazy,
and I think he appreciated
my lack of fear.
And there was a point in which
Serena took a chance
and, you know,
we've been together ever since.
[Serena] It was the beginning
of a really long,
amazing relationship.
[Jill]
When they came on the scene,
there was obviously
a lot of apprehension,
jealousy, all all the things
that you can imagine
with these two young girls,
particularly
two young Black girls.
You have taken some heat
for being so isolated
from the rest
of the people on the tour.
Do you think that criticism from
some fellow players is unfair?
Do you take
that criticism to heart?
-Does it bother you?
-No. I think that
-we like to live our lives.
-Yeah.
And we're happy
with what we're doing.
That's most important.
[interviewer] I found it interesting.
The girls, uh,
they they seem to
they trust in their family.
-Yeah.
-[interviewer] Uh, they they
there wasn't this, uh,
this thing about friends.
They actually said
they didn't really have any.
Well, they don't. [laughs]
I didn't either
as a kid coming up.
And my sisters,
we're best friends now.
But other than that
[interviewer]
This trust is very guarded.
And, in fact, there may be
no trust of outsiders.
Yeah, I think it's even better
with the situation that we're in.
[Isha] The tennis scene,
when we first entered it,
professionally,
it wasn't kind.
[interviewer] Do you think
they catch more flak
from the tennis establishment
for their behavior
because they're Black?
[woman] I think
they definitely are put
under a microscope
because they're Black.
People look at them
because they're like
look, these are different girls.
Look at them. They stand out.
[Serena] It was always
like, "Oh, she's muscular,"
or "She looks like a man"
or "She must be a man."
[commentator] Venus Williams lost
yesterday in the French Open.
That's another very debatable woman.
[commentator 2] She's not bad.
Venus Williams
and her sister Serena Holyfield.
Come on.
[laughter]
Now in the latest edition
of Time Magazine,
Hingis says being Black
only helps the sisters,
including in the arena
of sponsors.
Hingis also says
Venus and Serena
will always have advantages
because of their ability
to cry racism.
When people are purposefully
being
like, isolating you
and putting you
in a category
or putting you over there,
then it's called
you bring your team in.
And so a lot of times
it would be us walking through
the players' lounge,
and it was just all of us.
In that way,
we were our own team.
And a lot of times,
it extended even to the crowd.
You know, we'd be
the only ones clapping.
[Serena]
In a weird, negative way,
I got used to people
not cheering for me.
And that's crazy to have to
experience that, you know, um
But that's how it was back then.
We'd, um, approached it
from the standpoint
of definitely
us against the world
because that's what it
felt like at the time.
You have
this target on your back,
so that's a tough,
tough one.
-[applause]
-But we were always willing
to fight for each other.
True sisterhood,
you lift each other up.
[Jill] That's one of the things
that most drew me
to the situation,
watching how they took care
of one another.
And I thought, you know, that's
what's going to propel them,
the deep-seated family,
unbreakable bond.
[Serena] All eyes were on us
because we weren't like
anybody else.
Being in the center
of everyone's attention,
it was crazy.
A lot of things happened
in 2003.
It was an intense year.
It was after, like, an ESPY award,
and I was out,
and I had on these great heels.
I'll never forget the song
I was dancing to.
The windows to the wall ♪
[laughs]
[Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz'
"Get Low" playing]
And we were all out.
I was out with my sisters,
and we were just having fun,
you know, just dancing.
And I get and it says,
"Get low, get low,
get low, get low,"
and I was getting low. I was
like, get low, get low, get
-Crack!
-[cracking sound]
And I've never had surgery,
but I instantly knew
I needed surgery.
I'm the most fit I can be.
I'm winning every Grand Slam.
But for whatever reason,
my quad muscle
detaches from my knee,
and it floats all the way up
to my thigh.
So, I have surgery,
and the doctor
has to bring my muscle back down
and attach it to my knee.
And it would hurt so bad.
[reporter] Serena Williams'
knee surgery
is gonna keep her out
for six to eight weeks,
including the U.S. Open.
At that point,
I hadn't really taken time off.
I was playing so much, and I
listen, when I'm injured,
I'm fun.
Ole, ole, ole, ole ♪
I like to enjoy my injuries,
'cause I know soon
I'm gonna be back
on that court. [laughs]
And so I had surgery in L.A.,
and my sister would
come over, and both
'cause I have two sisters
that lived in L.A. at the time,
and they would
We spent so much time together.
[Isha] And Yetunde,
uh, was a nurse,
and so even though
she lived in Orange County,
she would travel to Los Angeles
and check on Serena
and basically be her nurse.
She loved being involved in
everything that we were doing.
We would always have Mexican
food night or lunch or whatever.
It was just all the time.
And I just remember a lot
of chimichangas being made.
I was the cook.
Tunde was the caregiver.
And we would have
these laugh-out-loud moments.
It was a time where
it was like we were all
kind of back together.
[Serena]
I was in Canada, I think,
shooting, like, a TV show.
I was in the bed, and then I got
this sick feeling in my stomach.
It was like, I just can't rest.
I can't rest. Something's wrong.
[indistinct radio chatter]
For whatever reason,
my gut wouldn't let me sleep,
and so I I, uh [sighs]
I called one of, like,
our second cousin,
and I was like,
"What's going on? Like, where's"
like, stuff like,
"Where's Tunde?" Like, I
Someone told me
just to ask about Tunde,
and she just started crying
and saying,
like, "I don't know
what happened,
but, like, she's been shot,
and she didn't make it."
And I'm like, you know,
when you hear that,
it's, like, impossible.
You know? Um
Ugh.
I was actually at a wedding,
and my phone was off,
so I did not get the call.
I woke up the next morning,
and not only did I unfortunately
find out that Tunde passed away,
but I also found out that Serena
was the one who had
to tell my mom.
I didn't even
have to say anything.
She just said, "My baby's dead,
right?" I said, "Yeah."
[gasps]
I finally got the full story
that of what happened was
she was out with, you know,
I think it was
her boyfriend at the time,
and someone just
sprayed the car with bullets.
Authorities in Compton, California,
have one man in custody
and are looking for as many
as four other possible suspects
in connection with the shooting
death of Yetunde Price,
the 31-year-old sister
of Venus and Serena Williams.
[Isha]
It just seemed so unreal.
Now it's on the news,
and it's everywhere.
And so the reality of it
is kind of sinking in.
[Serena] And I was just trying
to get a flight back to L.A.
'cause the kids were there.
[voice breaking]
She has three kids.
[crying]
[reporter] Today,
as Venus and Serena Williams
flew into Los Angeles,
police announced that they'd
arrested one local man
for the shooting
and was still
seeking two other suspects.
A statement
from the Williams family
said they were saddened
and devastated by the murder.
Quote, "She was our nucleus
and our rock.
Our grief is overwhelming."
A strange thing happens when
people that you love pass away.
You know, no one really knows
what to do
with their feelings
or what it actually means
or how their life
is gonna change.
[inhales and exhales deeply]
I think the hardest part
was telling the kids.
And I just remember,
like, we stayed
at my apartment at the time,
and we just
we just, like, played UNO.
Like, it was all we could do.
It was, like, the most mindless
thing that we could do.
We got so close in those,
like, last six months.
It was a miracle that
[sighs]
that I [sniffles]
It was a miracle that,
um that I broke my muscle.
[laughs]
And it's not funny,
but it was, like,
so amazing that
that happened because
[sniffles]
we were able to spend so much
time together and, like
[sighs] it was time
that I'll never forget.
We all were in this dark cloud.
I remember thinking to myself,
I don't know that
I don't know how
she survives this.
I think for all of us, um,
and for Serena in particular,
because of the relationship
that they shared,
it was important to
try to get to some semblance
of a new normal.
[Serena] Even through tragedy,
I think my way of coping
was just to keep working.
I just trained and trained
and trained,
and an injury that
should have been 12 months,
I made it, like, six months.
[grunting]
[racket thwacking ball]
[grunting continues]
I just wasn't really
dealing with a lot of it.
I was just trying to play tennis
throughout all of it
just trying to manage
how I felt
through a tennis ball
without really
understanding honestly
how I felt.
-[grunts]
-[beep]
[chair umpire] Fault.
[commentator] She's looking up to
her box in sort of bewilderment.
[commentator 2] One person
missing from that box,
older sister Yetunde.
They don't like to talk about it,
so I don't think
they're given enough credit
about how hard that has been
since last mid-September
when Yetunde was murdered.
[Serena] Even winning felt like
you have to show up,
and you have to do your chores,
and I don't think it was joyful.
Well, she was our champion in 2003.
Once again,
she is our champion in 2005.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Serena Williams.
I think my celebrations
in the middle of my career
were very blah.
[cheers and applause]
She's very introverted, so most
of that stuff stayed inside,
and it was, like,
probably eating away at her.
She never really processed it,
never took the time to grieve,
but also just shut it out,
and it wasn't anything
that we could talk about.
Whatever you don't deal with
brings you to your knees
inevitably.
You can't outrun
pain and suffering.
You have to deal with it.
[Serena] Going into Australia, I was in
a really bad place emotionally.
I was dealing
with a lot of things,
and I wasn't dealing
with them well.
[cheers and applause]
But I remember
just being in Australia
and just playing, playing
and trying
not to think about Tunde.
But it's impossible
not to think about when
when it's always in your mind.
[commentator]
Oh, she's just misfiring
a little bit, isn't she?
And I'm thinking at this point,
what is my motivation?
You know, what am I playing for?
Is there a reason that tennis
is in my life still?
[grunts]
[cheers and applause]
It eventually
all catches up with me.
I actually retired in 2006.
I never told anybody.
I told Venus.
I was like, I mean, I didn't
make, like, an announcement,
but I just was, like,
I'm done with tennis,
and I needed to figure out,
like, kind of,
what makes me happy,
and if I wanted
to ever play tennis again.
What would that look like?
It was"I'm not ready,
you know, and I need some time."
I've been going
since I was two years old.
It was always just like,
play, play, play, play,
play, play, play.
The last thing
I needed at that point
was to have a racket in my hand.
Serena, away from the game,
expects to return
to the courts this summer,
but a lot of speculation.
I remember having a conversation
in my office at William Morris,
um, and Serena came in,
and she was struggling.
She wasn't in a place where,
based on how they were raised,
getting help
was a thing that you did.
I think I was able to say, like,
"You're not okay.
You're not gonna be okay.
You have to talk
about what's inside of you,
or it's going to kill you."
I did start seeing
a therapist at that time.
I hadn't seen a therapist
before, you know?
Back then, it was definitely
more taboo, but I didn't care.
Like, I knew
that I needed to get
figure out
what's going on here
-[Richard] Very good, Serena.
-whether it was in tennis,
whether it was
so much negativity.
[commentator 1] Serena Williams
is at a crossroads.
[commentator 2]
She's not gonna be number one.
Serena says
she wants to go undefeated
-this season.
-Yeah, but she won't. No!
I think she checked out
mentally a long time ago.
It was always, she's not
really focused on tennis,
all these things.
How about the closest
one of the closest people
in her life was murdered,
and she can't get out of bed?
And let's applaud her
for picking herself up
and trying to figure out how
to fight her way back into life.
I think you get to a point
in your life when things are
a little bit jumbled,
and you're grieving,
and you're not really
sure about, you know,
which direction you wanna go.
Sometimes you just need
a little bit of focus.
[Serena]
I just need that fire.
And I was just looking
for any sort of match
or any sort of light
to just explode,
and I found that in Africa.
I remember UNICEF reaching out,
seeing if we wanted to help,
um, build beds
to fight against malaria.
[Isha] It was Lyndrea,
my mom, Serena, and me.
[Lyndrea] It was an eye-opening
trip for us all,
especially for Serena.
[Serena] It was an amazing trip,
and we were just helping kids.
And I see these kids,
like, writing their problems,
their math problems,
and doing their homework
in the dirt, and I'm, like,
feeling so grateful.
And one of the things
I remember clearly
is visiting the slave dungeons.
That was, like, a holding area
before you got on the boat
to go to either Americas
or the islands.
They have a sign that says,
"Point of No Return,"
and it was really daunting.
[Serena] In one of the prisons
that they had for the slaves,
it was on the wall, like,
up to my knees.
There was,
like, this dark line,
and they were explaining
that's how high the feces were.
By that time, most of the slaves
were shipped to America
and then have to deal
with life in America,
being a slave,
being, like, abused
and raped and being, like,
tortured
and working
for 20 hours a day.
Man, it was crazy,
like, seeing
[sighs] seeing what
we had to our ancestors
had to go through.
It was unthinkable,
unimaginable
that another human could
do that to any other human.
Literally,
only the strong survived.
And I couldn't get that
out of my mind.
And I felt like if
if they could do that,
I would be letting
my ancestors down
if I couldn't show up.
[Serena] I went to Hobart to get
ready for the Australian Open,
wanted to play
a pre-tournament to try to
try to get back.
She went there,
and she was, you know,
again, still struggling.
[commentator] The former
world number one has slipped
to 95th in the rankings
due to injury and a lack of tournaments.
She's using the event to prepare
for the Australian Open,
a tournament she's won twice.
I play this lady
named Sybille Bammer.
Sybille was a
a staple on the tour,
so she obviously played well.
[crowd gasps,
cheers and applause]
I feel like I fought
really hard in that match.
[cheers and applause]
I wasn't Serena of 2002 or 2003,
so I wasn't firing off
all cylinders.
[cheers and applause]
She was ranked 50s, 60s,
and these are people
that I felt like
if I wanna be a top player,
I should be able to beat easy.
It was a very discouraging
moment for me.
I just was, like,
very down after that match.
If I can't if I can't win this,
then who am
who can I beat, you know?
Like, Serena, like, why
you you said
you wanted to be out here,
but you're losing matches
that you should never lose.
It was a rough start,
and I think she was
probably questioning, you know,
what she was doing.
And I just was sulking,
but then I said,
why am I sulking?
Like, what can I do?
What can I do to be better?
So, I just got up,
and I just went for a run.
And I ran to, like, this garden.
I don't know. It was like a mile.
I don't know, 2 miles.
And then
I would go in the garden.
I just did squats
and, like, calisthenics.
Like, I just was like,
what can I do?
Like, what can I do
to just be better?
[thunderclap]
[electronic beeping]
[camera shutter clicks]
So, I was just, like,
running up the steps
and then running
down the steps
and then doing squats and doing
lunges and then going back home.
And the next morning,
I did it again.
'Cause I was like, I don't want
to drown in this sorrow.
So, I did it again. I just,
like, even further the next day,
just ran further,
and I ran harder,
and I ran faster,
and I did just so many sprints,
sprints, sprints,
just to work on my first step
and just to go, go, go, go.
That was what I did.
I just kept running,
and I just, like,
I just was so angry.
[commentator] Greetings,
live from Melbourne, Australia.
A very pleasant
summer evening here
at opening night
of the first Grand Slam of 2007.
[Serena] So, Australia
got really tricky because
my back was against the wall.
My sponsor, Nike, was like,
they're gonna pull my contract
and, you know,
go in a different direction
if I didn't do well.
[commentator 1]
Who knows what to expect?
[commentator 2] Right.
Even a couple years ago
when she was coming back
from injury, she had surgery,
you knew
she was gonna win,
get through her matches somehow.
Now she's very unpredictable.
You just don't know.
You don't know how fit she is.
I think coming
into a Grand Slam 81st
is not as much pressure on you.
People are like, not,
"Is she gonna lose?
When is she gonna lose?"
[commentator 1]
Part of the bigger context
is that this really is
an all-time low point
for American women's tennis.
With Serena ranked
down there at 81,
there are no
American women seeded.
Question is,
can Serena rebuild her ranking,
or is this
a sign of things to come?
[commentator 2] Let's hope not.
When I got to Melbourne,
I remember wearing,
like, some white tights.
And then the next day,
I was on the cover of the paper,
and it was calling me a whale.
They called her overweight.
This one Australian paper
referred to her as a cow.
I literally legit thought they
were talking about someone else,
and I was like,
oh, that's so sad.
And I realized it was me.
I was like, wait,
you gotta be kidding me.
Is this, like, a joke?
She has gotten overweight.
She is not interested.
She's much more concerned
about her design business,
her jewelry business,
about out partying,
the reality show
that she did with her sister,
so the media hadn't been
too hard on her. She's
[bleep] you.
[commentator] She's a big girl
and a beautiful girl.
We looked at her, and we
thought she was overweight.
She does look like she's taking
the comeback seriously,
but she still does
need to get in shape.
-Absolutely.
-She has a ways to go.
[Serena] They're used to seeing
women that didn't have a figure,
and I was a Black woman
with a figure,
and that doesn't make you fat
or doesn't make you a whale.
It just makes you
a girl with a butt
and a small waist.
With all that sort of
negative press,
it was heavy, right?
And she was heavy emotionally.
You know, she wasn't free
and feeling good and happy,
but it fueled her.
She's like, "I will show them."
[Lyndrea] I know Serena.
I know my youngest of five.
I knew with that mindset
she had
[clicks teeth]
it was lights out.
[cheers and applause]
[commentator] Mara Santangelo.
She kind of walks out
with a little bit
of an Italian swagger there,
and certainly she shouldn't
fear Serena Williams.
I mean, Santangelo,
after all, is the seed.
And even when Serena
was playing a little bit,
you know, better
a couple years ago, took her
-to three sets at Wimbledon.
-Yeah, I don't think
the intimidation factor
is there.
I think Santangelo goes
onto the court believing that
I remember playing Santangelo,
and I remember thinking,
I'm glad I don't have
to play the
a top seed in the first round.
I knew that, okay, I can
I can win this match.
[chair umpire]
Game, set, match, Williams.
[commentator] Ace number 10.
Strong finish to a strong
first round performance.
[cheers and applause]
My first round opponent,
I was super comfortable.
I won easily.
In the second round,
it was like you put yourself
in these
uncomfortable positions,
but you still come out
on top.
[grunts]
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] That is a nice way
to close out this match.
[chair umpire] 7-6, 6-2.
[commentator 2] She showed
that she has the intensity
that hasn't gone away,
the will to win.
And I think because
she's not match fit yet,
she needs to be on the offense
all the time,
and that is gonna be
very important
in her next match
against Petrova.
But Petrova had
a great year last year,
winning five tournaments.
She's more confident now,
and I have to favor Petrova
in that match.
[cheers and applause]
[Serena]
And then there was the blister.
Ugh. You do not wanna get
a blister in Australia
in tennis during a Grand Slam.
And I remember going
in the locker room after,
seeing a trainer,
and I remember
taking my sock off
and my ankle tape, and I'm
like, yep, it's a blister.
They were gross to look at.
It was really extreme.
All the skin underneath
is incredibly raw.
And so that
that's what I get
for not playing
for such a long time.
My feet get softer,
and it's honestly one
of the most painful things
'cause you're on your feet,
and you have to go back,
and it's on the pad. It's here.
It's right where you stand
every single day.
With a blister,
you have to drain it.
So, they take a scalpel
yes, a scalpel,
and they slice it open,
and they let that drain out.
And then you stuff it
with zinc to dry it out.
And then you come back
the next day to play.
[clock ticking]
[alarm beeping]
And it hurts like crazy.
So, I would go back to my hotel,
put my foot in a crazy hot bath,
as hot as I could stand it,
and I would let it soak.
[sighs] That was rough.
I also got sick.
Thank God I stayed
at this hotel,
um, that had, like,
a little kitchen.
So, I would put my head
over this giant pot,
and I would cover it with this
the Australian Open towel,
and I would put, like,
essential oil drop,
and then I would just
steam out, like, 'cause I was
let it steam out, like,
whatever was in me,
and I would just cough it up
and cough it up and cough it up,
trying desperately
to feel better.
[commentator 1] A very nice
dynamic in this match
between the number five seed
at this year's
Australian Open, Nadia Petrova,
and unseeded Serena Williams
of the USA.
[commentator 2]
She's got through
the first couple of rounds
pretty easily,
but today's assignment
is much tougher.
The fifth seeded Russian,
Nadia Petrova, a woman she beat
a couple of years ago
in three sets en route
to that last title, and she's
dominated head to head.
But Serena, these days,
you certainly never know.
[Serena] She was actually
a very good player.
We always had
these crazy matches.
So, it wasn't ideal for me
to have to play Petrova
in the third round.
I could just
My Australian Open
could be over.
[grunting]
[commentator] That's a great
first point from Serena.
[Serena]
I remember before going
into that third round match
against Petrova,
Venus told me to,
"Make sure you see the ball.
Make sure you watch the ball."
I was just trying to make sure
that my eyes
never left the ball.
[grunts]
[cheers and applause]
That was a tough match.
She got blown off the court,
I think, on the first set.
[commentator] Set point.
-[chair umpire] Game
-[commentator 2] And set.
[commentator 3] It's just hard
once you lose control.
You know, you haven't
played that many matches.
Now the rust factor
is rearing its head for Serena.
[Serena] And I remember just
sticking to my strategy
and sticking to thinking
what Venus said.
Just see the ball,
just keep seeing it.
And that's what I did.
I kept seeing it and kept
seeing it, and I kept losing.
And I think I was down 5-3.
[grunts]
[chair umpire]
Game for Williams.
[applause]
[commentator] And Serena's
made too many unforced errors,
and now it's Nadia Petrova
in the driver's seat here
at 5-3.
[Serena] I was doing
all the right things,
and I'm down a set in a break,
but I'm always
doing the right things.
I never for a minute thought
that I was
gonna lose that match.
'Cause I thought,
it's gonna come. It has to come.
'Cause I'm doing the right
things, and I'm playing okay.
It's gonna come.
[commentator] You can hear
the effort from Serena
in every point now.
[Serena] I knew at that moment
I was stronger,
because only the strong survive.
I remember grunting really loud
and just like, "Come on!"
really loud.
And then it came.
[racket thwacking ball]
I just need that fire.
And once I have that fire,
you see me across the sky.
[Jill] When she turned
that match around,
when she won that second set
[commentator]
Double fault on set point
gives Serena Williams
the second set.
we all sat back,
and you could sort of
you could sort of feel her
starting to come to life.
[commentator 2] All of a sudden
got her second win,
and things have
drastically changed.
-Oof.
-[commentator 1] Another one.
Another one
from Serena Williams.
She maintains
and extends the lead.
Would you believe it?
I knew that
if I could win this match,
then I could really, like
take a big step forward.
[ball bouncing]
[grunts]
Aah!
[announcer speaks indistinctly,
cheers and applause]
[commentator] Pretty remarkable.
Pretty incredible,
'cause Petrova did dominate
a good set and a half
of this match.
But never underestimate
Serena Williams,
has a great head to head
against
[Serena] After every match,
I would limp off the court
because my feet
my feet were, like,
literally in casts by then.
I was getting more blisters.
So all you could see
was basically my toenails.
And Serena Jameka Williams
pushed through all of that
and said,
"I know where I come from
and what I'm capable of."
One thing that I would do
on my off days,
I would go out,
and I would do sprints,
and I would take that off day,
and I would focus,
and I would watch film,
and I would work
on my first step.
Then I would go back,
soak my feet,
take my ice bath,
and I would go to sleep.
[alarm beeps]
I saw Serena
getting her footing.
She was getting back to herself.
After beating Petrova
in the third round,
I just felt good.
[grunts]
[chair umpire]
Match point, Williams.
[Serena] Jankovic she would
eventually become number one,
and we had a lot of battles,
and she's a very good player
at this point.
[chair umpire]
Game, set, match, Williams.
[cheers and applause]
[chair umpire
speaks indistinctly]
You started this tournament
81 in the world.
You're on the express lane.
[commentator] She looked so
scratchy coming into this thing
and with every round,
she has built on her confidence.
[commentator 1]
She's got the pole position now.
She's got the chance to drive
all the way
into Saturday's final.
[Serena]
I'm really enjoying the battle.
Every day I wake up, and I'm
like, "I can't wait to play."
I believe in my game, and more
than anything, I believe in me.
And then I knew
I could beat Shahar Pe'er.
[commentator] The pressure now
is on Serena. I think she now
believes that she should get
to the final.
[Serena]
It ended up going three sets,
and it ended up
being a really long match.
-[commentator] That's it!
-[cheers and applause]
[chair umpire
speaks indistinctly]
[cheers and applause continue]
[Jill] Every single round
she got through, it fueled her.
[commentator]
First up, it will be
Serena Williams
on this court behind me.
She's enjoyed some
of her career highlights.
But coming into this event,
she was a long shot,
34 to 1, said the oddsmakers,
to take this title.
[Serena]
Vaidisova was a young player
and had just
started playing really well.
She had a big serve.
[grunting]
-[chair umpire] Out!
-[commentator] And she hits long.
And the break back for Williams
It's 3-all.
She morphed
in those three weeks.
Finally,
I started feeling better.
My head cold was better
by the semifinals.
And before I knew it
I won that match.
[grunts]
[commentator] There it is!
[cheers and applause]
There was no way
we could rehearse this line.
[both commentators]
Serena Williams
[commentator 1]
is in the finals.
[commentator 2]
In the finals. Unbelievable.
[Serena] I went from losing
in a small tournament,
I mean, a very small tournament,
to being in the finals
of the Australian Open.
[commentator]
Serena Williams becomes just
the fourth unseeded woman in
the Open era to make the finals.
[Serena] More than anything,
I've been working so hard,
contrary to the popular belief,
you know,
so it's like all my hard work
seemed to not
be going anywhere, and now
it's finally, you know, added
It's all coming together,
so it's awesome.
[Jill] She was with Nike
at the time.
As we were getting
closer and closer to the end,
they were starting to panic,
and they wanted to get
this deal closed,
and were like, you know what?
We're now gonna roll the dice
till after the tournament.
[Serena] The narrative went from,
you know, Serena being unfit
to you can never count her out,
but they were definitely
counting me out
when the tournament
first started.
You doubt her,
you question her, look out.
She's going to prove you wrong
on the other side
every single time.
[woman] Serena's out to prove
to everybody
that she can still win
this thing.
She can still be
a major force.
[Serena]
Maria was the number one seed.
She had been playing
really well.
[commentator] They are both
about as tenacious
and competitive as you'll
ever find in women's tennis.
[Serena] She was a competitor,
and she was the girl to beat,
and she relished being great,
and she relished being
the number one seed,
and it fit her well.
It really did.
When she stepped on the court
with Maria,
it was always another level.
[commentator] You know
it's gonna be very noisy
with these two on court, could
be even a little bit feisty.
Drama never far away when
Serena Williams collides
with Maria Sharapova.
I think that Serena never really
got over that Wimbledon loss.
[crowd cheering]
I said to myself,
one thing I can promise
as God is my witness,
she's never beaten me again.
Never, ever, ever, ever,
ever, ever
ever.
I knew one thing
that I was gonna do.
I was going to attack
anything short,
and I was gonna just play light.
I was gonna play
like I knew I could play.
And I have to say, going into
the final was the first time
since the second round
that my feet didn't hurt.
[commentator]
Well, to be mentally tough,
you have to have a world
of self-confidence.
Serena has that in bundles.
And I was ready to go in there,
and I was ready to play.
I wrote this letter to myself
at the beginning
of the tournament
because I wanted to be free.
I wanted to play free.
"Your destiny has just begun.
Remember your people.
Remember your sister.
I am proud of you.
Your people are proud of you.
Tunde is proud of you.
Always, always, always
keep it up.
Play for the moment.
Play for yourself.
Play for your people.
Play for Tunde.
You are capable of anything."
[chair umpire]
Ready? Play.
[grunting]
[racket thwacks ball]
-[grunts]
-[cheers and applause]
[commentator 1] Almost hypnotic.
[commentator 2]
That's her ninth winner.
[grunting]
[cheers and applause]
[commentator 1]
With authority. 30-15.
[commentator 2] I think
Sharapova yet to hit a winner.
[commentator 1]
Here's a second set point.
[grunting]
[chair umpire] Game.
[commentator] And Serena Williams
overwhelming her opponent
in the start.
I knew that I wanted to be
very aggressive in this match.
I wanted to assert myself early,
assert who I was.
[commentator 2]
She's just outplaying Sharapova.
[grunts]
[cheers and applause]
There's a controlled aggression
in her game today.
[Serena] It was like I was
shedding weight in this match.
I was shedding negativity.
I was shedding grief.
[cheers and applause]
I was a different person.
I was a girl before,
and now I became a woman.
And I didn't look the same,
and I didn't feel the same,
but I definitely had
the same firepower
to just wanna be great
and just wanna win.
[Jill]
Something inside of her clicks,
and she refuses to lose.
[commentator] Oh, my.
[cheers and applause]
It's a passion and a fire
inside of her that's ignited
by everything
she's been through in her life,
and it comes through
in her emotions on the court.
[grunting]
[commentator] An expression of
omnipotence by Serena Williams.
Convincingly, she is the 2007
Australian Open champion.
[cheers and applause]
[Serena]
I was like, man, I did it.
Like, I can't believe it,
but I came here, and I won.
And, like,
this is what I should be doing.
This is where I belong.
[Isha] The overweight,
out of shape, African American,
beautiful woman won that
tournament, blisters and all.
I'd like to thank my mom.
I was a bad student
these fortnights.
I yelled at her, said some
things under my breath, but
[laughter]
And most of all, I would
like to dedicate this win
to my sister, who's not here.
[voice breaking]
Her name is Yetunde,
and I just love her so much.
[applause]
[Lyndrea]
I was in L.A. with the kids.
We were watching
the matches on TV.
When they heard
their mother's name,
they started crying,
and I was cr I
There was not a dry eye
in the place.
In that moment, because there
was such a struggle
that I had such
an overwhelming feeling
of relief for her,
but such a sense of pride.
And And I think I never
really knew
the fullness of her strength
as well as I did in that moment.
It had been three years
since she passed,
and I never really dealt it
with it or talked about it.
[applause]
I'll try not to get teary-eyed,
but, um, a couple days ago,
I said, if I win this,
it's gonna be for her.
So thanks, Tunde.
[cheers and applause]
[announcer] Serena Williams,
ladies and gentlemen.
2007 Australian Open champion.
[cheers and applause continue]
I think this tournament
is definitely one
of the big victories
of my career.
I gave myself permission
to be a great athlete again,
even without
the support of our sister.
This is the start of Serena 2.0.
I was back,
and in my wildest dreams
couldn't imagine that
that was just the beginning.
[laughter]
[Serena]
In the span of 10 years
[coach] Come on, Serena. Push.
[Serena]
my life really changed.
[crowd cheering]
You have this fame,
and you have these Grand Slams,
and now it was just another level,
at another level.
-[crowd] Serena!
-[shouting indistinctly]
There's so much pressure,
and there's so much press.
-[reporter 1] Serena!
-[reporter 2] Serena!
[Serena] It's, like,
so much all on Serena.
[commentator]
Oh, and there goes the racket.
Snaps it in half.
[Serena] It was
a very difficult time for me
to be happy on the court.
I'm not used to crying.
[sniffles]
And I'm thinking at this point,
what is my motivation?
You know, what am I playing for?
Is there a reason
that tennis is in my life still?
So, I have five sisters.
The oldest is Yetunde.
Then there's Isha,
and then there's Lyn,
right smack in the middle.
And then there's Venus,
and then, um, there's me.
-[squeals]
-Oh!
-There she go, running again!
-Oh, she's about to kick.
Serena is absolutely
the baby of the family.
I only [laughs]
[Serena]
I have the best older sisters.
Everyone always
took care of Serena.
[Isha] Yetunde, as the oldest,
and Serena, as the youngest,
had a very special relationship.
She was very much, um
almost like a mom.
She would take us all to go
back-to-school shopping.
She took all the sisters.
Our parents didn't have
a ton of money 'cause
they were taking care
of a whole family.
She would spend
all her money on
on us picking out clothes,
which is like,
what teenager does that
with their sisters, you know?
So, she was
a very kind, kind person.
[Isha] Tennis was a family event,
and Venus and Serena
played seriously.
We all played.
And then there was a point
when it was really
going to be
kind of focused on them.
A little bit. [giggles]
It's been a family thing
all this time,
and I'm glad that they're able
to succeed at something.
No balls behind her.
Right there, okay?
[Serena]
All the sisters were there.
It wasn't just myself and Venus.
Everybody played a role.
[Richard] That's great. Yeah.
Boom. Now,
high backhand right there.
That's you. That's you.
[Lyndrea] If they trained,
I was there picking up balls.
All three of us,
the older sisters,
that was our role.
Like, if we liked it or not,
this is what you're going to do.
[Serena] It was a completely
family experience
that was all on the court.
And surely we all
[laughs] abhorred it
[laughs] some days, most days.
But it was all
definitely worth it.
[narrator] The Williams sisters'
meteoric rise
has not been
without controversy,
and what bothers
their critics most
is they don't seem to care
what others think of them.
[Serena] We never had agents
in the beginning.
We just had my dad,
and he would handle everything.
But my dad was someone that
always took a chance on people.
[Jill]
It was a very insulated group.
I was one of the
probably the few people on tour
that sort of, I like to think,
welcomed them.
I played on tour
when I was younger,
and then when I transitioned
out of professional tennis,
I started
in the training program at ICM
in the mailroom.
I had been an agent for
five seconds. I had no clients.
Mr. Williams, I think,
thought that I was
a little bit crazy,
and I think he appreciated
my lack of fear.
And there was a point in which
Serena took a chance
and, you know,
we've been together ever since.
[Serena] It was the beginning
of a really long,
amazing relationship.
[Jill]
When they came on the scene,
there was obviously
a lot of apprehension,
jealousy, all all the things
that you can imagine
with these two young girls,
particularly
two young Black girls.
You have taken some heat
for being so isolated
from the rest
of the people on the tour.
Do you think that criticism from
some fellow players is unfair?
Do you take
that criticism to heart?
-Does it bother you?
-No. I think that
-we like to live our lives.
-Yeah.
And we're happy
with what we're doing.
That's most important.
[interviewer] I found it interesting.
The girls, uh,
they they seem to
they trust in their family.
-Yeah.
-[interviewer] Uh, they they
there wasn't this, uh,
this thing about friends.
They actually said
they didn't really have any.
Well, they don't. [laughs]
I didn't either
as a kid coming up.
And my sisters,
we're best friends now.
But other than that
[interviewer]
This trust is very guarded.
And, in fact, there may be
no trust of outsiders.
Yeah, I think it's even better
with the situation that we're in.
[Isha] The tennis scene,
when we first entered it,
professionally,
it wasn't kind.
[interviewer] Do you think
they catch more flak
from the tennis establishment
for their behavior
because they're Black?
[woman] I think
they definitely are put
under a microscope
because they're Black.
People look at them
because they're like
look, these are different girls.
Look at them. They stand out.
[Serena] It was always
like, "Oh, she's muscular,"
or "She looks like a man"
or "She must be a man."
[commentator] Venus Williams lost
yesterday in the French Open.
That's another very debatable woman.
[commentator 2] She's not bad.
Venus Williams
and her sister Serena Holyfield.
Come on.
[laughter]
Now in the latest edition
of Time Magazine,
Hingis says being Black
only helps the sisters,
including in the arena
of sponsors.
Hingis also says
Venus and Serena
will always have advantages
because of their ability
to cry racism.
When people are purposefully
being
like, isolating you
and putting you
in a category
or putting you over there,
then it's called
you bring your team in.
And so a lot of times
it would be us walking through
the players' lounge,
and it was just all of us.
In that way,
we were our own team.
And a lot of times,
it extended even to the crowd.
You know, we'd be
the only ones clapping.
[Serena]
In a weird, negative way,
I got used to people
not cheering for me.
And that's crazy to have to
experience that, you know, um
But that's how it was back then.
We'd, um, approached it
from the standpoint
of definitely
us against the world
because that's what it
felt like at the time.
You have
this target on your back,
so that's a tough,
tough one.
-[applause]
-But we were always willing
to fight for each other.
True sisterhood,
you lift each other up.
[Jill] That's one of the things
that most drew me
to the situation,
watching how they took care
of one another.
And I thought, you know, that's
what's going to propel them,
the deep-seated family,
unbreakable bond.
[Serena] All eyes were on us
because we weren't like
anybody else.
Being in the center
of everyone's attention,
it was crazy.
A lot of things happened
in 2003.
It was an intense year.
It was after, like, an ESPY award,
and I was out,
and I had on these great heels.
I'll never forget the song
I was dancing to.
The windows to the wall ♪
[laughs]
[Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz'
"Get Low" playing]
And we were all out.
I was out with my sisters,
and we were just having fun,
you know, just dancing.
And I get and it says,
"Get low, get low,
get low, get low,"
and I was getting low. I was
like, get low, get low, get
-Crack!
-[cracking sound]
And I've never had surgery,
but I instantly knew
I needed surgery.
I'm the most fit I can be.
I'm winning every Grand Slam.
But for whatever reason,
my quad muscle
detaches from my knee,
and it floats all the way up
to my thigh.
So, I have surgery,
and the doctor
has to bring my muscle back down
and attach it to my knee.
And it would hurt so bad.
[reporter] Serena Williams'
knee surgery
is gonna keep her out
for six to eight weeks,
including the U.S. Open.
At that point,
I hadn't really taken time off.
I was playing so much, and I
listen, when I'm injured,
I'm fun.
Ole, ole, ole, ole ♪
I like to enjoy my injuries,
'cause I know soon
I'm gonna be back
on that court. [laughs]
And so I had surgery in L.A.,
and my sister would
come over, and both
'cause I have two sisters
that lived in L.A. at the time,
and they would
We spent so much time together.
[Isha] And Yetunde,
uh, was a nurse,
and so even though
she lived in Orange County,
she would travel to Los Angeles
and check on Serena
and basically be her nurse.
She loved being involved in
everything that we were doing.
We would always have Mexican
food night or lunch or whatever.
It was just all the time.
And I just remember a lot
of chimichangas being made.
I was the cook.
Tunde was the caregiver.
And we would have
these laugh-out-loud moments.
It was a time where
it was like we were all
kind of back together.
[Serena]
I was in Canada, I think,
shooting, like, a TV show.
I was in the bed, and then I got
this sick feeling in my stomach.
It was like, I just can't rest.
I can't rest. Something's wrong.
[indistinct radio chatter]
For whatever reason,
my gut wouldn't let me sleep,
and so I I, uh [sighs]
I called one of, like,
our second cousin,
and I was like,
"What's going on? Like, where's"
like, stuff like,
"Where's Tunde?" Like, I
Someone told me
just to ask about Tunde,
and she just started crying
and saying,
like, "I don't know
what happened,
but, like, she's been shot,
and she didn't make it."
And I'm like, you know,
when you hear that,
it's, like, impossible.
You know? Um
Ugh.
I was actually at a wedding,
and my phone was off,
so I did not get the call.
I woke up the next morning,
and not only did I unfortunately
find out that Tunde passed away,
but I also found out that Serena
was the one who had
to tell my mom.
I didn't even
have to say anything.
She just said, "My baby's dead,
right?" I said, "Yeah."
[gasps]
I finally got the full story
that of what happened was
she was out with, you know,
I think it was
her boyfriend at the time,
and someone just
sprayed the car with bullets.
Authorities in Compton, California,
have one man in custody
and are looking for as many
as four other possible suspects
in connection with the shooting
death of Yetunde Price,
the 31-year-old sister
of Venus and Serena Williams.
[Isha]
It just seemed so unreal.
Now it's on the news,
and it's everywhere.
And so the reality of it
is kind of sinking in.
[Serena] And I was just trying
to get a flight back to L.A.
'cause the kids were there.
[voice breaking]
She has three kids.
[crying]
[reporter] Today,
as Venus and Serena Williams
flew into Los Angeles,
police announced that they'd
arrested one local man
for the shooting
and was still
seeking two other suspects.
A statement
from the Williams family
said they were saddened
and devastated by the murder.
Quote, "She was our nucleus
and our rock.
Our grief is overwhelming."
A strange thing happens when
people that you love pass away.
You know, no one really knows
what to do
with their feelings
or what it actually means
or how their life
is gonna change.
[inhales and exhales deeply]
I think the hardest part
was telling the kids.
And I just remember,
like, we stayed
at my apartment at the time,
and we just
we just, like, played UNO.
Like, it was all we could do.
It was, like, the most mindless
thing that we could do.
We got so close in those,
like, last six months.
It was a miracle that
[sighs]
that I [sniffles]
It was a miracle that,
um that I broke my muscle.
[laughs]
And it's not funny,
but it was, like,
so amazing that
that happened because
[sniffles]
we were able to spend so much
time together and, like
[sighs] it was time
that I'll never forget.
We all were in this dark cloud.
I remember thinking to myself,
I don't know that
I don't know how
she survives this.
I think for all of us, um,
and for Serena in particular,
because of the relationship
that they shared,
it was important to
try to get to some semblance
of a new normal.
[Serena] Even through tragedy,
I think my way of coping
was just to keep working.
I just trained and trained
and trained,
and an injury that
should have been 12 months,
I made it, like, six months.
[grunting]
[racket thwacking ball]
[grunting continues]
I just wasn't really
dealing with a lot of it.
I was just trying to play tennis
throughout all of it
just trying to manage
how I felt
through a tennis ball
without really
understanding honestly
how I felt.
-[grunts]
-[beep]
[chair umpire] Fault.
[commentator] She's looking up to
her box in sort of bewilderment.
[commentator 2] One person
missing from that box,
older sister Yetunde.
They don't like to talk about it,
so I don't think
they're given enough credit
about how hard that has been
since last mid-September
when Yetunde was murdered.
[Serena] Even winning felt like
you have to show up,
and you have to do your chores,
and I don't think it was joyful.
Well, she was our champion in 2003.
Once again,
she is our champion in 2005.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Serena Williams.
I think my celebrations
in the middle of my career
were very blah.
[cheers and applause]
She's very introverted, so most
of that stuff stayed inside,
and it was, like,
probably eating away at her.
She never really processed it,
never took the time to grieve,
but also just shut it out,
and it wasn't anything
that we could talk about.
Whatever you don't deal with
brings you to your knees
inevitably.
You can't outrun
pain and suffering.
You have to deal with it.
[Serena] Going into Australia, I was in
a really bad place emotionally.
I was dealing
with a lot of things,
and I wasn't dealing
with them well.
[cheers and applause]
But I remember
just being in Australia
and just playing, playing
and trying
not to think about Tunde.
But it's impossible
not to think about when
when it's always in your mind.
[commentator]
Oh, she's just misfiring
a little bit, isn't she?
And I'm thinking at this point,
what is my motivation?
You know, what am I playing for?
Is there a reason that tennis
is in my life still?
[grunts]
[cheers and applause]
It eventually
all catches up with me.
I actually retired in 2006.
I never told anybody.
I told Venus.
I was like, I mean, I didn't
make, like, an announcement,
but I just was, like,
I'm done with tennis,
and I needed to figure out,
like, kind of,
what makes me happy,
and if I wanted
to ever play tennis again.
What would that look like?
It was"I'm not ready,
you know, and I need some time."
I've been going
since I was two years old.
It was always just like,
play, play, play, play,
play, play, play.
The last thing
I needed at that point
was to have a racket in my hand.
Serena, away from the game,
expects to return
to the courts this summer,
but a lot of speculation.
I remember having a conversation
in my office at William Morris,
um, and Serena came in,
and she was struggling.
She wasn't in a place where,
based on how they were raised,
getting help
was a thing that you did.
I think I was able to say, like,
"You're not okay.
You're not gonna be okay.
You have to talk
about what's inside of you,
or it's going to kill you."
I did start seeing
a therapist at that time.
I hadn't seen a therapist
before, you know?
Back then, it was definitely
more taboo, but I didn't care.
Like, I knew
that I needed to get
figure out
what's going on here
-[Richard] Very good, Serena.
-whether it was in tennis,
whether it was
so much negativity.
[commentator 1] Serena Williams
is at a crossroads.
[commentator 2]
She's not gonna be number one.
Serena says
she wants to go undefeated
-this season.
-Yeah, but she won't. No!
I think she checked out
mentally a long time ago.
It was always, she's not
really focused on tennis,
all these things.
How about the closest
one of the closest people
in her life was murdered,
and she can't get out of bed?
And let's applaud her
for picking herself up
and trying to figure out how
to fight her way back into life.
I think you get to a point
in your life when things are
a little bit jumbled,
and you're grieving,
and you're not really
sure about, you know,
which direction you wanna go.
Sometimes you just need
a little bit of focus.
[Serena]
I just need that fire.
And I was just looking
for any sort of match
or any sort of light
to just explode,
and I found that in Africa.
I remember UNICEF reaching out,
seeing if we wanted to help,
um, build beds
to fight against malaria.
[Isha] It was Lyndrea,
my mom, Serena, and me.
[Lyndrea] It was an eye-opening
trip for us all,
especially for Serena.
[Serena] It was an amazing trip,
and we were just helping kids.
And I see these kids,
like, writing their problems,
their math problems,
and doing their homework
in the dirt, and I'm, like,
feeling so grateful.
And one of the things
I remember clearly
is visiting the slave dungeons.
That was, like, a holding area
before you got on the boat
to go to either Americas
or the islands.
They have a sign that says,
"Point of No Return,"
and it was really daunting.
[Serena] In one of the prisons
that they had for the slaves,
it was on the wall, like,
up to my knees.
There was,
like, this dark line,
and they were explaining
that's how high the feces were.
By that time, most of the slaves
were shipped to America
and then have to deal
with life in America,
being a slave,
being, like, abused
and raped and being, like,
tortured
and working
for 20 hours a day.
Man, it was crazy,
like, seeing
[sighs] seeing what
we had to our ancestors
had to go through.
It was unthinkable,
unimaginable
that another human could
do that to any other human.
Literally,
only the strong survived.
And I couldn't get that
out of my mind.
And I felt like if
if they could do that,
I would be letting
my ancestors down
if I couldn't show up.
[Serena] I went to Hobart to get
ready for the Australian Open,
wanted to play
a pre-tournament to try to
try to get back.
She went there,
and she was, you know,
again, still struggling.
[commentator] The former
world number one has slipped
to 95th in the rankings
due to injury and a lack of tournaments.
She's using the event to prepare
for the Australian Open,
a tournament she's won twice.
I play this lady
named Sybille Bammer.
Sybille was a
a staple on the tour,
so she obviously played well.
[crowd gasps,
cheers and applause]
I feel like I fought
really hard in that match.
[cheers and applause]
I wasn't Serena of 2002 or 2003,
so I wasn't firing off
all cylinders.
[cheers and applause]
She was ranked 50s, 60s,
and these are people
that I felt like
if I wanna be a top player,
I should be able to beat easy.
It was a very discouraging
moment for me.
I just was, like,
very down after that match.
If I can't if I can't win this,
then who am
who can I beat, you know?
Like, Serena, like, why
you you said
you wanted to be out here,
but you're losing matches
that you should never lose.
It was a rough start,
and I think she was
probably questioning, you know,
what she was doing.
And I just was sulking,
but then I said,
why am I sulking?
Like, what can I do?
What can I do to be better?
So, I just got up,
and I just went for a run.
And I ran to, like, this garden.
I don't know. It was like a mile.
I don't know, 2 miles.
And then
I would go in the garden.
I just did squats
and, like, calisthenics.
Like, I just was like,
what can I do?
Like, what can I do
to just be better?
[thunderclap]
[electronic beeping]
[camera shutter clicks]
So, I was just, like,
running up the steps
and then running
down the steps
and then doing squats and doing
lunges and then going back home.
And the next morning,
I did it again.
'Cause I was like, I don't want
to drown in this sorrow.
So, I did it again. I just,
like, even further the next day,
just ran further,
and I ran harder,
and I ran faster,
and I did just so many sprints,
sprints, sprints,
just to work on my first step
and just to go, go, go, go.
That was what I did.
I just kept running,
and I just, like,
I just was so angry.
[commentator] Greetings,
live from Melbourne, Australia.
A very pleasant
summer evening here
at opening night
of the first Grand Slam of 2007.
[Serena] So, Australia
got really tricky because
my back was against the wall.
My sponsor, Nike, was like,
they're gonna pull my contract
and, you know,
go in a different direction
if I didn't do well.
[commentator 1]
Who knows what to expect?
[commentator 2] Right.
Even a couple years ago
when she was coming back
from injury, she had surgery,
you knew
she was gonna win,
get through her matches somehow.
Now she's very unpredictable.
You just don't know.
You don't know how fit she is.
I think coming
into a Grand Slam 81st
is not as much pressure on you.
People are like, not,
"Is she gonna lose?
When is she gonna lose?"
[commentator 1]
Part of the bigger context
is that this really is
an all-time low point
for American women's tennis.
With Serena ranked
down there at 81,
there are no
American women seeded.
Question is,
can Serena rebuild her ranking,
or is this
a sign of things to come?
[commentator 2] Let's hope not.
When I got to Melbourne,
I remember wearing,
like, some white tights.
And then the next day,
I was on the cover of the paper,
and it was calling me a whale.
They called her overweight.
This one Australian paper
referred to her as a cow.
I literally legit thought they
were talking about someone else,
and I was like,
oh, that's so sad.
And I realized it was me.
I was like, wait,
you gotta be kidding me.
Is this, like, a joke?
She has gotten overweight.
She is not interested.
She's much more concerned
about her design business,
her jewelry business,
about out partying,
the reality show
that she did with her sister,
so the media hadn't been
too hard on her. She's
[bleep] you.
[commentator] She's a big girl
and a beautiful girl.
We looked at her, and we
thought she was overweight.
She does look like she's taking
the comeback seriously,
but she still does
need to get in shape.
-Absolutely.
-She has a ways to go.
[Serena] They're used to seeing
women that didn't have a figure,
and I was a Black woman
with a figure,
and that doesn't make you fat
or doesn't make you a whale.
It just makes you
a girl with a butt
and a small waist.
With all that sort of
negative press,
it was heavy, right?
And she was heavy emotionally.
You know, she wasn't free
and feeling good and happy,
but it fueled her.
She's like, "I will show them."
[Lyndrea] I know Serena.
I know my youngest of five.
I knew with that mindset
she had
[clicks teeth]
it was lights out.
[cheers and applause]
[commentator] Mara Santangelo.
She kind of walks out
with a little bit
of an Italian swagger there,
and certainly she shouldn't
fear Serena Williams.
I mean, Santangelo,
after all, is the seed.
And even when Serena
was playing a little bit,
you know, better
a couple years ago, took her
-to three sets at Wimbledon.
-Yeah, I don't think
the intimidation factor
is there.
I think Santangelo goes
onto the court believing that
I remember playing Santangelo,
and I remember thinking,
I'm glad I don't have
to play the
a top seed in the first round.
I knew that, okay, I can
I can win this match.
[chair umpire]
Game, set, match, Williams.
[commentator] Ace number 10.
Strong finish to a strong
first round performance.
[cheers and applause]
My first round opponent,
I was super comfortable.
I won easily.
In the second round,
it was like you put yourself
in these
uncomfortable positions,
but you still come out
on top.
[grunts]
[crowd cheers]
[commentator] That is a nice way
to close out this match.
[chair umpire] 7-6, 6-2.
[commentator 2] She showed
that she has the intensity
that hasn't gone away,
the will to win.
And I think because
she's not match fit yet,
she needs to be on the offense
all the time,
and that is gonna be
very important
in her next match
against Petrova.
But Petrova had
a great year last year,
winning five tournaments.
She's more confident now,
and I have to favor Petrova
in that match.
[cheers and applause]
[Serena]
And then there was the blister.
Ugh. You do not wanna get
a blister in Australia
in tennis during a Grand Slam.
And I remember going
in the locker room after,
seeing a trainer,
and I remember
taking my sock off
and my ankle tape, and I'm
like, yep, it's a blister.
They were gross to look at.
It was really extreme.
All the skin underneath
is incredibly raw.
And so that
that's what I get
for not playing
for such a long time.
My feet get softer,
and it's honestly one
of the most painful things
'cause you're on your feet,
and you have to go back,
and it's on the pad. It's here.
It's right where you stand
every single day.
With a blister,
you have to drain it.
So, they take a scalpel
yes, a scalpel,
and they slice it open,
and they let that drain out.
And then you stuff it
with zinc to dry it out.
And then you come back
the next day to play.
[clock ticking]
[alarm beeping]
And it hurts like crazy.
So, I would go back to my hotel,
put my foot in a crazy hot bath,
as hot as I could stand it,
and I would let it soak.
[sighs] That was rough.
I also got sick.
Thank God I stayed
at this hotel,
um, that had, like,
a little kitchen.
So, I would put my head
over this giant pot,
and I would cover it with this
the Australian Open towel,
and I would put, like,
essential oil drop,
and then I would just
steam out, like, 'cause I was
let it steam out, like,
whatever was in me,
and I would just cough it up
and cough it up and cough it up,
trying desperately
to feel better.
[commentator 1] A very nice
dynamic in this match
between the number five seed
at this year's
Australian Open, Nadia Petrova,
and unseeded Serena Williams
of the USA.
[commentator 2]
She's got through
the first couple of rounds
pretty easily,
but today's assignment
is much tougher.
The fifth seeded Russian,
Nadia Petrova, a woman she beat
a couple of years ago
in three sets en route
to that last title, and she's
dominated head to head.
But Serena, these days,
you certainly never know.
[Serena] She was actually
a very good player.
We always had
these crazy matches.
So, it wasn't ideal for me
to have to play Petrova
in the third round.
I could just
My Australian Open
could be over.
[grunting]
[commentator] That's a great
first point from Serena.
[Serena]
I remember before going
into that third round match
against Petrova,
Venus told me to,
"Make sure you see the ball.
Make sure you watch the ball."
I was just trying to make sure
that my eyes
never left the ball.
[grunts]
[cheers and applause]
That was a tough match.
She got blown off the court,
I think, on the first set.
[commentator] Set point.
-[chair umpire] Game
-[commentator 2] And set.
[commentator 3] It's just hard
once you lose control.
You know, you haven't
played that many matches.
Now the rust factor
is rearing its head for Serena.
[Serena] And I remember just
sticking to my strategy
and sticking to thinking
what Venus said.
Just see the ball,
just keep seeing it.
And that's what I did.
I kept seeing it and kept
seeing it, and I kept losing.
And I think I was down 5-3.
[grunts]
[chair umpire]
Game for Williams.
[applause]
[commentator] And Serena's
made too many unforced errors,
and now it's Nadia Petrova
in the driver's seat here
at 5-3.
[Serena] I was doing
all the right things,
and I'm down a set in a break,
but I'm always
doing the right things.
I never for a minute thought
that I was
gonna lose that match.
'Cause I thought,
it's gonna come. It has to come.
'Cause I'm doing the right
things, and I'm playing okay.
It's gonna come.
[commentator] You can hear
the effort from Serena
in every point now.
[Serena] I knew at that moment
I was stronger,
because only the strong survive.
I remember grunting really loud
and just like, "Come on!"
really loud.
And then it came.
[racket thwacking ball]
I just need that fire.
And once I have that fire,
you see me across the sky.
[Jill] When she turned
that match around,
when she won that second set
[commentator]
Double fault on set point
gives Serena Williams
the second set.
we all sat back,
and you could sort of
you could sort of feel her
starting to come to life.
[commentator 2] All of a sudden
got her second win,
and things have
drastically changed.
-Oof.
-[commentator 1] Another one.
Another one
from Serena Williams.
She maintains
and extends the lead.
Would you believe it?
I knew that
if I could win this match,
then I could really, like
take a big step forward.
[ball bouncing]
[grunts]
Aah!
[announcer speaks indistinctly,
cheers and applause]
[commentator] Pretty remarkable.
Pretty incredible,
'cause Petrova did dominate
a good set and a half
of this match.
But never underestimate
Serena Williams,
has a great head to head
against
[Serena] After every match,
I would limp off the court
because my feet
my feet were, like,
literally in casts by then.
I was getting more blisters.
So all you could see
was basically my toenails.
And Serena Jameka Williams
pushed through all of that
and said,
"I know where I come from
and what I'm capable of."
One thing that I would do
on my off days,
I would go out,
and I would do sprints,
and I would take that off day,
and I would focus,
and I would watch film,
and I would work
on my first step.
Then I would go back,
soak my feet,
take my ice bath,
and I would go to sleep.
[alarm beeps]
I saw Serena
getting her footing.
She was getting back to herself.
After beating Petrova
in the third round,
I just felt good.
[grunts]
[chair umpire]
Match point, Williams.
[Serena] Jankovic she would
eventually become number one,
and we had a lot of battles,
and she's a very good player
at this point.
[chair umpire]
Game, set, match, Williams.
[cheers and applause]
[chair umpire
speaks indistinctly]
You started this tournament
81 in the world.
You're on the express lane.
[commentator] She looked so
scratchy coming into this thing
and with every round,
she has built on her confidence.
[commentator 1]
She's got the pole position now.
She's got the chance to drive
all the way
into Saturday's final.
[Serena]
I'm really enjoying the battle.
Every day I wake up, and I'm
like, "I can't wait to play."
I believe in my game, and more
than anything, I believe in me.
And then I knew
I could beat Shahar Pe'er.
[commentator] The pressure now
is on Serena. I think she now
believes that she should get
to the final.
[Serena]
It ended up going three sets,
and it ended up
being a really long match.
-[commentator] That's it!
-[cheers and applause]
[chair umpire
speaks indistinctly]
[cheers and applause continue]
[Jill] Every single round
she got through, it fueled her.
[commentator]
First up, it will be
Serena Williams
on this court behind me.
She's enjoyed some
of her career highlights.
But coming into this event,
she was a long shot,
34 to 1, said the oddsmakers,
to take this title.
[Serena]
Vaidisova was a young player
and had just
started playing really well.
She had a big serve.
[grunting]
-[chair umpire] Out!
-[commentator] And she hits long.
And the break back for Williams
It's 3-all.
She morphed
in those three weeks.
Finally,
I started feeling better.
My head cold was better
by the semifinals.
And before I knew it
I won that match.
[grunts]
[commentator] There it is!
[cheers and applause]
There was no way
we could rehearse this line.
[both commentators]
Serena Williams
[commentator 1]
is in the finals.
[commentator 2]
In the finals. Unbelievable.
[Serena] I went from losing
in a small tournament,
I mean, a very small tournament,
to being in the finals
of the Australian Open.
[commentator]
Serena Williams becomes just
the fourth unseeded woman in
the Open era to make the finals.
[Serena] More than anything,
I've been working so hard,
contrary to the popular belief,
you know,
so it's like all my hard work
seemed to not
be going anywhere, and now
it's finally, you know, added
It's all coming together,
so it's awesome.
[Jill] She was with Nike
at the time.
As we were getting
closer and closer to the end,
they were starting to panic,
and they wanted to get
this deal closed,
and were like, you know what?
We're now gonna roll the dice
till after the tournament.
[Serena] The narrative went from,
you know, Serena being unfit
to you can never count her out,
but they were definitely
counting me out
when the tournament
first started.
You doubt her,
you question her, look out.
She's going to prove you wrong
on the other side
every single time.
[woman] Serena's out to prove
to everybody
that she can still win
this thing.
She can still be
a major force.
[Serena]
Maria was the number one seed.
She had been playing
really well.
[commentator] They are both
about as tenacious
and competitive as you'll
ever find in women's tennis.
[Serena] She was a competitor,
and she was the girl to beat,
and she relished being great,
and she relished being
the number one seed,
and it fit her well.
It really did.
When she stepped on the court
with Maria,
it was always another level.
[commentator] You know
it's gonna be very noisy
with these two on court, could
be even a little bit feisty.
Drama never far away when
Serena Williams collides
with Maria Sharapova.
I think that Serena never really
got over that Wimbledon loss.
[crowd cheering]
I said to myself,
one thing I can promise
as God is my witness,
she's never beaten me again.
Never, ever, ever, ever,
ever, ever
ever.
I knew one thing
that I was gonna do.
I was going to attack
anything short,
and I was gonna just play light.
I was gonna play
like I knew I could play.
And I have to say, going into
the final was the first time
since the second round
that my feet didn't hurt.
[commentator]
Well, to be mentally tough,
you have to have a world
of self-confidence.
Serena has that in bundles.
And I was ready to go in there,
and I was ready to play.
I wrote this letter to myself
at the beginning
of the tournament
because I wanted to be free.
I wanted to play free.
"Your destiny has just begun.
Remember your people.
Remember your sister.
I am proud of you.
Your people are proud of you.
Tunde is proud of you.
Always, always, always
keep it up.
Play for the moment.
Play for yourself.
Play for your people.
Play for Tunde.
You are capable of anything."
[chair umpire]
Ready? Play.
[grunting]
[racket thwacks ball]
-[grunts]
-[cheers and applause]
[commentator 1] Almost hypnotic.
[commentator 2]
That's her ninth winner.
[grunting]
[cheers and applause]
[commentator 1]
With authority. 30-15.
[commentator 2] I think
Sharapova yet to hit a winner.
[commentator 1]
Here's a second set point.
[grunting]
[chair umpire] Game.
[commentator] And Serena Williams
overwhelming her opponent
in the start.
I knew that I wanted to be
very aggressive in this match.
I wanted to assert myself early,
assert who I was.
[commentator 2]
She's just outplaying Sharapova.
[grunts]
[cheers and applause]
There's a controlled aggression
in her game today.
[Serena] It was like I was
shedding weight in this match.
I was shedding negativity.
I was shedding grief.
[cheers and applause]
I was a different person.
I was a girl before,
and now I became a woman.
And I didn't look the same,
and I didn't feel the same,
but I definitely had
the same firepower
to just wanna be great
and just wanna win.
[Jill]
Something inside of her clicks,
and she refuses to lose.
[commentator] Oh, my.
[cheers and applause]
It's a passion and a fire
inside of her that's ignited
by everything
she's been through in her life,
and it comes through
in her emotions on the court.
[grunting]
[commentator] An expression of
omnipotence by Serena Williams.
Convincingly, she is the 2007
Australian Open champion.
[cheers and applause]
[Serena]
I was like, man, I did it.
Like, I can't believe it,
but I came here, and I won.
And, like,
this is what I should be doing.
This is where I belong.
[Isha] The overweight,
out of shape, African American,
beautiful woman won that
tournament, blisters and all.
I'd like to thank my mom.
I was a bad student
these fortnights.
I yelled at her, said some
things under my breath, but
[laughter]
And most of all, I would
like to dedicate this win
to my sister, who's not here.
[voice breaking]
Her name is Yetunde,
and I just love her so much.
[applause]
[Lyndrea]
I was in L.A. with the kids.
We were watching
the matches on TV.
When they heard
their mother's name,
they started crying,
and I was cr I
There was not a dry eye
in the place.
In that moment, because there
was such a struggle
that I had such
an overwhelming feeling
of relief for her,
but such a sense of pride.
And And I think I never
really knew
the fullness of her strength
as well as I did in that moment.
It had been three years
since she passed,
and I never really dealt it
with it or talked about it.
[applause]
I'll try not to get teary-eyed,
but, um, a couple days ago,
I said, if I win this,
it's gonna be for her.
So thanks, Tunde.
[cheers and applause]
[announcer] Serena Williams,
ladies and gentlemen.
2007 Australian Open champion.
[cheers and applause continue]
I think this tournament
is definitely one
of the big victories
of my career.
I gave myself permission
to be a great athlete again,
even without
the support of our sister.
This is the start of Serena 2.0.
I was back,
and in my wildest dreams
couldn't imagine that
that was just the beginning.