"She made it OK to show up as yourself and bring some flair to it, people get equally excited to see what she’s going to wear and how she’s going to enter the court" - Tanya Hvizdak on Serena Williams' legacy
Nike Vice President Tanya Hvizdak lavished praise on Serena Williams in a recent interview. She remarked that the 23-time Grand Slam champion's biggest legacy is reminding people that it is okay to be themselves while bringing some flair to the table at the same time.
Speaking to Boardroom, Hvizdak declared that Williams helped bring about a sense of authenticity to a sport that had long been entrenched with the ideals of tradition, an act that helped her transcend tennis.
"She made it OK to show up as yourself and bring some flair to it. There’s a place for it, in terms of the traditional and historic aspect, but you also have to be able to show up as your authentic self," Hvizdak said. "I think that’s what transcends sports. There’s a professionalism piece to it, but then there’s also the [element of], ‘Hey, if I feel good, I’m going to play and I’m going to show up as my best.’"
The Vice President pointed to how fans are just as excited to see Williams' choice of outfit as they are to see her play. Hvizdak declared that it was concrete proof that she had broken the shackles of simply being an athlete and transformed into a bigger phenom.
"Nobody has done that better than Serena Williams. I think people get equally excited to see what she’s going to wear and how she’s going to enter the court," Hvizdak said. "That first match on Monday, when all of a sudden, it said ‘Serena Williams’ [across the display board], and she pulls off that [dress tail] and that look, it was incredible."
"She’s transcended sport. It’s beyond just tennis, and I would say it’s even beyond just sport in general."
—Tanya Hvizdak, VP, Nike Women's Global Sports Marketing, on @serenawilliams' brand impact.
✍️: @NickDePaula
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Touching on how Williams has impacted the way Nike thinks about the athlete partnership model, Hvizdak claimed that she has never shied away from sharing her perspective and pushing the brand to do better when required.
"I think the beauty about Serena is she encompasses it all. Truly, if you listen to the voice of the athlete, from a brand and business perspective, you’re not going to go wrong," Hvizdak said. "She’s the absolute model. She isn’t afraid to share opportunities that she’s identified. She isn’t afraid to push where she thinks we can do better."
Tanya Hvizdak chalked up Nike's diversity to Williams' influence, adding that she also helped the company improve in terms of innovation thanks to her relentless pursuit of excellence.
"She’s also not afraid to say, ‘Hey, this is what we need from a brand aspect.’ That’s influenced us in the space of product and innovation, and it’s influenced us in bringing diverse communities into functions that we’ve had opportunities to elevate with the Serena Williams Design Crew," Hvizdak said.
"Her impact has essentially been unapologetic, and she’s been able to show up and be her authentic self and be successful" - Tanya Hvizdak on Serena Williams
During the interview, Tanya Hvizdak was asked her thoughts on what the future had in store for Serena Williams. She responded by saying that she looked forward to seeing what the American did with her venture capital firm Serena Ventures.
"I’m excited about the future. She had talked about what her legacy looks like as we look forward, and we’ll see what happens," Hvizdak said. "Maybe that’s Serena Ventures, and what does that future hold? That’s what I’m looking forward to."
A career that will simply 𝙉𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍 be forgotten.
Tennis won’t be the same without you, @Serenawilliams
#SerenaWilliams 🐐 https://t.co/vlzjghYeZ9
Finally, Hvizdak remarked that it was difficult to put into words the enormous impact the 23-time Grand Slam champion has had on multiple generations, an impact that stretched beyond the world of sports and into their personal lives.
"It’s hard to really put into words what [Serena Williams'] impact has been, for a generation and spanning generations. Even her impact for us as a brand. She’s transcended sport. It’s beyond just tennis, and I would say it’s even beyond just sport in general," Hvizdak said. "Her impact has essentially been unapologetic, and she’s been able to show up and be her authentic self and be successful. That’s truly inspired people, whether you play a sport or not, which is truly incredible."