Serena Williams is a very important leader. Ms. Williams stands up against different things, like sexism and racism. She also shows that pregnancy shouldn’t stop you from working in your career.
Throughout Serena Williams’ career she had to deal with a lot of hatred against her, especially as a woman. In 2018, she lost a tournament. During a game she was getting angry because the umpire kept wrongfully accusing her of “violations” that she did not commit. She felt deeply offended by the umpire saying she was “cheating” and being coached on the side. Later, after she lost the game she broke her bracket and the umpire took a point from Williams, even though the game was over. On the other hand, Nick Kyrigosin, a male tennis player, showed similar behavior in 2019 a game and didn’t face any penalties.
In response to backlash about her behavior, Serena stated, ‘’Why can’t I express my frustrations like everyone else? If I were a man, would I be in this situation? What makes me so different? Is it because I’m a woman? I stop myself to avoid getting worked up. I tell myself, ‘You’ve been through so much, you’ve endured so much, time will allow me to heal, and soon this will be just another memory that made me the woman, mother, and athlete I am now.” This shows Serena is a leader because she doesn’t let anyone, especially men, tell her she’s not great because she knows who she is and what she is capable of.
This incident also showed how Serena Williams had to deal with racist people. A man named Mark Knight drew a racist picture of her with really thick lips, really large hair, and throwing a tantrum. Something very interesting he decided to include was Naomi
Osaka, who is actually African American, as a white woman. Then in the back there’s a speech bubble of the umpire telling Ms. Osaka to just let Serena win. Serena Williams did not react to this cartoon in an inappropriate way. This shows that Serena is a leader because she shows that she can appropriately react to things that try to get to her.
Finally, Williams is an inspiration to women. In 2016 Serena Williams played in the Australian Open while pregnant. She left an impact on young women because she showed them that even if they are pregnant they can still do things. She supported that by winning a whole tournament while she was pregnant.
Serena Williams is a very important leader. She stands up for what she knows is right and believes in. Ms. Williams has been through it all and has been able to learn from her experiences. She’s gotten through racism, sexism, and has been able to stay on top of her game.
