"I had to be guarded to just stay sane"- Serena Williams opens up about dealing with rigorous media attention on her as a teenager
Serena Williams recently appeared at the premiere of her docuseries, ‘In The Arena: Serena Williams’, where she talked about an incredibly busy schedule and the intense media attention she dealt with as a teenager. The series centers around some crucial moments of Williams' career and premiered at the Tribeca Festival on Friday.
Williams spoke about the challenges she faced at the beginning of her career, which ranged from competing worldwide to facing the media as a teenager. Williams also said that the busy schedule left her with very little personal time. Speaking to Associated Press, she said,
“In my position and growing up as a teenager and 14, I kind of had to be guarded to just kind of stay sane, and just being in so much press and just doing, everything that I was doing traveling the globe every year."
Reflecting on her early days as a pro, Williams revealed that she didn't get long breaks between tours as she was occupied with new events every week. Furthermore, the 42-year-old expressed how she felt when she saw the eight-episode docuseries.
"It wasn't like you are on tour and you took a break and you had a couple of years off. It was every week. So it was a grind and it's really cool to see a different side or not a different side, a true side of what happened behind the scenes. I have seen those eight episodes in the docuseries but I am just excited to see it tonight all over again," she added.
Serena Williams turned professional in 1995 at fourteen years of age. Some of the biggest highlights of her illustrious career include winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by a female player in the open era, and completing a career Grand Slam.
Notably, she held all four Grand Slams simultaneously twice in her career, a feat famously dubbed as 'Serena Slam'. Moreover, Serena teamed up with her elder sister Venus Williams to win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles.
"My daughters would get to see this whole new side of me" - Serena Williams on the reason behind making the docuseries
During the premiere, Williams indulged in a conversation with Access Hollywood and revealed what motivated her to make the docuseries. Williams stated that the eight-part series would give a complete overview of her journey, which she may not be able to explain through stories.
“That was the biggest thing when I was creating this documentary was the fact that my daughters would get to see it and have an opportunity to see this whole new side of me that maybe I won’t be able to explain thoroughly through stories. To put all of this story on camera was a super huge motivation for me,” she said.
After her retirement in 2022, Serena Williams invested in numerous business ventures through her firm 'Serena Ventures'. She revealed in the past that she started investing way before retiring to secure another career alternative.