Serena Williams lands 2-book deal; to open up about her childhood, career, obstacles along the way & more
Serena Williams has landed a two-book deal with the Random Publishing House Group, where she will open up about a variety of topics.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion hung up her racquet after the 2022 US Open, where she reached the third round before falling to Ajla Tomljanovic. Widely considered one of the greatest tennis players and athletes of all time, Williams has achieved nearly everything there's to accomplish on the court.
Off the court, the American has been just as successful in her business endeavours and is one of the most marketable sportspersons in the modern era. Now, following the birth of her second child with husband Alexis Ohanian, the former World No. 1 has decided to publish a tell-all about her life.
As reported by Associated Press, the first book will be an "intimate" memoir, where Serena Williams will reveal details about her childhood, her starting days as a tennis prodigy, the obstacles she encountered during her career, and more.
Now that she finally has the time to sit down and reflect on her life, Williams has decided to take on such a "personal, intimate project."
“For so long, all I was focused on was winning, and I never sat down to look back and reflect on my life and career. Over the last year, I’ve really enjoyed taking the time with my growing family to celebrate my accomplishments and explore my other passions," Williams said in a statement.
"I couldn’t be at a more perfect place to be able to take-on such a personal intimate project, and there’s no one I would rather do it with than the team at Random House,” she added.
The second book, meanwhile, will be an "inspirational" work, dealing with her philanthropic activities, her entrepreneurial success and advocacy of diversity and feminism on and off the court.
“Williams will offer rules for living that draw on her experiences as a philanthropist and advocate, her career as an investment unicorn with Serena Ventures, and someone who has long sought to lift a diverse and emergent generation of young women whose aspirations are not confined to the court,” Random House said in a statement.
Serena Williams: "It can definitely be lonely at the top"
Serena Williams had previously opened up about her life off the court, saying that tennis is a very lonely sport and that it made it difficult for her to get into a relationship for a long time.
While the 23-time Grand Slam champion admitted that it was great in front of the camera, she wants fans to know about how life is a lot different behind closed doors.
"It can definitely be lonely at the top and in particular tennis, people don't realize how many hours you spend by yourself. So much so, it was hard for me in a relationship because I was so used to being alone every single minute and day of my life that I can't even be around people and a lot of people don't realize that. So you get this celebration, great but behind closed doors, life is different," Williams said.