"Mic drop" - Zoe Saldana revisits Serena Williams' 'incredible' 2016 cover shoot for Fader magazine
Zoe Saldana has revisited Serena Williams' cover shoot for the October/November 2016 issue of The Fader magazine.
The cover featured Williams wearing an orange, sleeveless 'Falcon'-emblazoned vest-top, looking incredibly athletic. The 23-time women's singles Grand Slam winner had also posted the photo on social media at the time with the caption:
"Excited to share my The Fader cover and video!"
Recently, Saldana revisited the bold photo and shared her thoughts on it via social media. The Avatar star hailed the cover of the magazine as well as the issue itself, which featured Williams touching on a wide range of subjects including her return to Indian Wells and her body image.
"Mic drop... This cover and issue is incredible!!!" Saldana wrote in an Instagram post.
The issue was also accompanied by an online video where Williams talked about how her dream as well as her parents' dreams were "cultivated" in her and her elder sister Venus.
"I had a dream, my dad a dream and my mum had a dream, and they cultivated it into me and my sister," Williams said in the online video.
The video also featured Williams speaking about her unapologetic nature.
"Sometimes you see the tears, sometimes you see the anger, but I never feel 'just because I'm black, don't let them see me do that. I am who I am and I don't apologise for my sex, or for my colour or for anything."
"Everything that I've been born to do is all about forgiveness and moving on" - Serena Williams to The Fader magazine in 2016
The 2001 edition of Indian Wells jarred Williams and her family. In the semifinals, Williams was set to face sister Venus. However, ahead of their eagerly-awaited match, Venus withdrew citing tendinitis. This angered fans, with many of them accusing the sisters' father Richard of fixing matches between them.
Things took an even uglier turn in the final, where Williams faced Kim Clijsters. Even though Williams defeated Clijsters and won the title, it would mark the final time she featured at the prestigious event until 2015.
Both sisters refused to participate in the tournament after they, along with their father, were subject to racist taunts by the crowd during the 2001 final.
In the 2016 October/November issue of The Fader magazine, Williams opened up on her decision to return to Indian Wells in 2015 following a 14-year absence.
"I realized that everything that I’m about, the way that I was raised, and everything that I’ve been born to do is all about forgiveness and moving on, and I just felt like it was all about the right time to do it," Williams told The Fader.
Williams marked her return to the BNP Paribas Open in 2015 with a semifinal finish. However, she was unable to play in the semifinals and withdrew from the tournament with a knee injury.