Serena Williams: The Most Dominant Force In Women's Tennis

Serena Williams is a professional athlete who has conquered the different labels that media and society have given her throughout her professional career. Mini Cooper

History has referred to her as "the Jackie Robinson of tennis" for breaking the color barrier. On August 22, 1950, Althea Gibson, an American sportswoman, became the first African-American woman to be a competitor on the world tennis tour. She was the first to win a 'grand slam' title in 1957. She was a pioneer in both amateur tennis and professional golf forging a road for future greats to include Tiger Woods and Venus Williams. She was also the first black woman on the LPGA tour.

February 18, 1949, Gary Leon Ridgway was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was raised in SeaTac, Washington. His homelife as a boy was very troubled. More than once did he witness brutal arguments between his parents. He had trouble wetting the bed, and when his mom would find it, she would belittle him in front of his whole family. He contracted anger and sexual attraction toward her. When Ridgway was 16, he led a boy into the woods and stabbed him in the liver. The boy survived, but someone witnessed Gary as he was walking away laughing say “I’ve always wondered what it was like to kill.” Gary wasn’t the brightest kid in while he was growing up, so after high school he was sent to Vietnam. While overseas, he was married to his first

Althea Gibson was born in 1927 in South Carolina to two sharecroppers on a cotton farm. Her family later during the Great depression moved to Harlem. With the support of her neighbors for money, she received lessons at the Cosmopolitan Tennis Club and in 1941, she won the ATA national championship in the girls division (Trong).Althea gibson was a great influence and role model for African Americans by being the first African American to win as many championships as she did , showing what African Americans could accomplish in tennis, and opening doors for African Americans . Althea Gibson influenced African Americans by being the being the first African American to win as many championships as she did.

The Williams sister’s have had to suffer under the oppression of the lily white sport of tennis. Throughout Serena’s very successful career there have been multiple cases where one of the judges, either a line judge or a head umpire, have cost her a championship based on the calls that they have made. In 2004, Mariana Alves, cost Serena a trip to the championship game after making five bad calls in a row in favor of Serena’s opponent. As

Tennis is more than just a sport for Damien Heller-Chen, it is a lifestyle. When he was six years old, he got introduced to tennis and found it as a very enjoyable sport. Many sports are intense and competitive, which is why Heller-Chen chose tennis, as he fell in love with a less competitive sport. Heller-Chen enjoys the feeling of having control in the game. He feels empowered since he is center stage of the game and not on a team. Tennis takes dedication as he practices for eight to 14 hours a week at The Boars Head.

During the earlier years of my tennis career, about the age of seven, my parents had learned of a nearby organization at Watkins Park Maryland. The organization was known as the Prince George’s Tennis and Education Foundation. It was here where I began to make my largest strides in my life, both academically and athletically.

Winning the Girls 14s National Tennis Championships gave Natalia Kochkodan the chance to make a difference in the world and she jumped right onto that opportunity. In the 18 years that she has lived since the win, she has created a non for profit organization that assists disease stricken children in playing sports, has donated over 10 million dollars to several children’s charities including Ball For All and Project Fit

Renowned sleep specialist from New Jersey, Dr. Avi Weifsfogel has lent his support the Operation Smile GoFundMe campaign to the tune of $2,000. According to a report by the Texas based 12 News, the support I will go a long way to fund free surgical procedures in children and young adults suffering from various facial deformities including cleft lips and cleft palate. The international medical charity’s goal is to give children hope by safeguarding their health to ensure a promising future. During the campaign launching, Dr Avi Weisfogel reiterated the critical role played by Operation Smile in providing the much deserved surgical care.

One of the biggest things that she pushed for in her career was equal pay for men and women in sports. This was a struggle for her as she had trouble paying for her tennis. In the early days of her playing she was not allowed in the picture of her first tennis club because she was not wearing the proper tennis skirt, but instead had on shorts. Her family did not have a lot of extra money to put into her expensive tennis career and it was hard for them to afford the elitists sport. She along with other women had to stand up and risk being band from the tennis league when they signed one dollar contracts with the Virginia Slims to bring attention to the struggle for equal play. It became apparent to Billy even from the young age that she was when she was not allowed in the picture because of her attire that women where not

Serena Williams, despite being an all-star tennis player is continually defined by the media, not by her talent but rather her marketability as a black athlete. The media continues to define her in ways they feel society should place a person of color that has reached success, and that place is the “model" person of color. When a person of color reaches success, the media attempts to define them as model persons of color (who people of color should aspire to be), so they can mold them into a place that ultimately fits the white imagination. The white imagination is defined in The Meaning of Serena Williams as “who is worthy, who is desirable, and who is associated with the good life," aka factors that the media ultimately would deem marketable.

Serena Williams is the number one women’s tennis player in the world. Her outstanding skills have earned her 50 million dollars through just prizes; that is more than any other athlete in the world (“Serena Williams Fast Facts”). Her fast reflexes, amazing skills, and outgoing personality have made her known as a powerful woman and an inspiration to many young girls. This African-American woman is almost six feet tall and is made of steel. With her long, muscular legs and her quick arms, no wonder she is number one!

I asked Emma Nuzzi what she thought her biggest accomplishment was, she replied with “I would say becoming a very good tennis player.” Emma Nuzzi started playing tennis at age twelve, which she thinks was a late age. When Emma was in the seventh grade she told her gym teacher that she wanted to play tennis she then replied to Nuzzi with “Maybe.”, this did not encourage Emma at the time because her gym teacher was the varsity tennis coach. Emma did not let this get to her too much because she practiced and became the player that she is today.

Althea Gibson (August 25, 1927- September 28, 2003), also known as the tennis Jackie Robinson, was the first African-American woman to not only play amateur tennis but also join the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Althea Gibson was one of the most influential and significant figures in African-American women’s sports history (Douglas). Althea was the figurehead that established that blacks were equal competitors in sports (Gould). On the streets of Harlem, New York City is where Althea got her start; Traveling the globe breaking racial barriers in different countries and winning their tennis tournaments is what Althea did. Although she did not receive any monetary gain from her winnings she did receive many awards and trophies, as well as the meeting of many important individuals.

She is the Captain of her tennis team and is constantly working to try to improve her abilities.