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Serena Williams Had the Best Response for Critics Who Think She Should Stick to Tennis


Serena Williams might have lost the final women’s singles showdown at Wimbledon on Saturday, but she’s not about to let that defeat—or any others—throw her off. Speaking in a press conference after the match against Romania’s Simona Halep (final score: 6-2, 6-2), Williams powerfully defended herself against recent critiques, including from tennis legend Billie Jean King, that she should focus more on tennis and less on her activism work and “being a celebrity.”

“There have been a few comments made in the last couple of weeks from people like Billie Jean King that maybe you should stop being a celebrity for a year and stop fighting for equality and just focus on the tennis,” a journalist asked her at the end of the press conference. “How do you respond to that?”

Williams, of course, had the perfect answer ready. “The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me will be the day I’m in my grave,” the 23-time Grand Slam champ responded.

For context, King had said back in June that it was a “wish” she had to see Williams just focus on tennis. “She’s got business, a baby, she’s trying to help gender equity, particularly for women of color, she’s actually on the Billie Jean King leadership initiative, she and Venus are both advisors for it. [It makes winning a Slam] much harder,” she told the U.K.’s Metro, highlighting that there’s a lot on Williams’ plate. “I would like her to put everything else aside, because she’s got people working on those things. I wish she would just make a commitment for the next year and a half to two years and say, ‘I’m going to absolutely focus on what’s necessary for my tennis, so when I look in the mirror when I’m older then I can go back in my mind and know I gave it everything I had.'”

“If she’s happy doing it this way, then that’s fine. It’s whatever makes her happy, it’s not about us,” King added.

After Williams’ response at the press conference, King clarified her words on Twitter: “I would never ask anyone to stop fighting for equality. In everything she does, Serena shines a light on what all of us must fight for in order to achieve equality for all,” she wrote.

King is herself a staunch advocate for gender equality: She won the historic 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match against Bobby Riggs, which went a long way toward breaking down the cultural perception that women’s sports are somehow “less than” men’s, though that fight is far from over. In the Metro article, King also admitted that it’s “not fair” to ask Williams to devote herself only to tennis—and she referenced how difficult the sport became for her as she aged past 40 (Williams is 37).





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Serena Williams Opened Up About Meghan Markle Supporting Her at Wimbledon


It’s been a busy few weeks of play at Wimbledon, and the women’s matches continued wrapping up on Saturday with the singles final. Ultimately, Serena Williams lost the match to Simona Halep of Romania 6-2, 6-2. There to support Williams through the tough rounds of play? None other than the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, one of her very good friends (reportedly, Williams helped organized her baby shower in New York).

Markle wasn’t watching alone, either: Both Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, and Kate Middleton’s sister Pippa Middleton were there—the first time the three have been seen hanging out together at Wimbledon. (And looking chic doing it, of course.) Time flies, but it’s been a year since Wimbledon marked the first time Kate Middleton and Markle had hung out in public together.

After the match, Williams opened up about what having Markle in the stands meant to her as she was sweating it out on the court below. During a post-match press conference, she said that having the duchess’s support was “great.” “She’s such a great friend and a great person as well. And always positive, no matter what,” Williams said, according to People.

“It’s so good to have people like that, just to know,” Williams continued, and added that Markle is “such a fan of the sport.”

Williams and Halep both got a shoutout from the royals after the match, too:

“Well done to Serena Williams and Simona Halep on a fantastic match, and congratulations Simona on your first Wimbledon title!” Kensington Palace captioned an Instagram post featuring a gallery of the royals at the match. (Kate Middleton had taken some time to meet some junior players earlier in the day.)

It’s sweet that the two make time to be there for each other’s biggest moments—and have each other’s backs, win or lose. Watch the whole interview here:

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Serena Williams Opens Up About Starting Therapy After Losing the 2018 US Open


At last year’s US Open final, Serena Williams squared off against then 20-year-old Naomi Osaka. Williams was poised to win her 24th Grand Slam title, when the umpire accused Williams’ coach of giving her signals from the stands. The umpire issued a violation, but Williams was adamant that she absolutely wasn’t receiving any coaching. As she put it at the time, “I don’t cheat to win. I’d rather lose.” Then things began to spiral. Williams lost the next point, and in frustration, smashed her racket—earning her another violation. Williams stood up for herself, accusing the umpire of penalizing her for being a woman. In turn, the umpire took away a game from Williams—and she went on to lose to Osaka.

Since the finals, Williams has been quiet on the subject. But now, nearly a year later, Williams opens up about it in a first-person essay in Harper’s BAZAAR.

For a long time after the match, Williams shares she wasn’t ready to pick up a racket. She suffered many sleepless nights, replaying what happened in her mind. Eventually she knew she needed to take action. “Days passed, and I still couldn’t find peace. I started seeing a therapist,” Williams explains. “I was searching for answers, and although I felt like I was making progress, I still wasn’t ready to pick up a racket.” She realized she couldn’t move forward until she apologized to Osaka—who instead of celebrating her first US Open win, was in tears as she received her trophy, crying over the controversy that had just taken place on the court.

“Hey, Naomi! It’s Serena Williams. As I said on the court, I am so proud of you and I am truly sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing in sticking up for myself. But I had no idea the media would pit us against each other,” she wrote in an email to Osaka. ‘I would love the chance to live that moment over again. I am, was, and will always be happy for you and supportive of you. I would never, ever want the light to shine away from another female, specifically another black female athlete. I can’t wait for your future, and believe me I will always be watching as a big fan! I wish you only success today and in the future. Once again, I am so proud of you. All my love and your fan, Serena.'”

Osaka then responded with a text that brought Williams to tears. “People can misunderstand anger for strength because they can’t differentiate between the two,” she wrote. “No one has stood up for themselves the way you have and you need to continue trailblazing.”

Williams was also candid about the many other times she’s been discriminated against throughout her career, both publicly and privately. “As a teenager, I was booed by an entire stadium (I took the high road and even thanked those who didn’t want to see me win). I’ve been called every name in the book. I’ve been shamed because of my body shape. I’ve been paid unequally because of my sex. I’ve been penalized a game in the final of a major because I expressed my opinion or grunted too loudly. I’ve been blatantly cheated against to the point where the Hawk-Eye rules were introduced so that something like that would not happen again. And these are only the things that are seen by the public. In short, it’s never been easy. But then I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, ‘Maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her,'” she writes.

And while it hasn’t been easy for Williams, she acknowledges that it’s not a pain she’s suffered alone—it’s something women face daily. “This incident—though excruciating for us to endure—exemplified how thousands of women in every area of the workforce are treated every day. We are not allowed to have emotions, we are not allowed to be passionate. We are told to sit down and be quiet, which frankly is just not something I’m okay with. It’s shameful that our society penalizes women just for being themselves,” she writes. And now, with her racket back in hand, she promises to keep fighting for a woman’s right to be herself, in all workplaces.





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Someone Asked Serena Williams If Meghan Markle Chose Her as Archie's Godparent, and She Had the Best Response


Saturday (July 6) is shaping up to be rather busy across the pond: In Windsor, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor is being baptized. Although guests will number around just 25, Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla Parker-Bowles, Kate Middleton, Prince William, and Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, are all expected to attend. The queen, however, won’t be there as she’s spending the weekend in Sandringham with Prince Philip.

Many people were wondering if Markle’s dear friend Serena Williams would join Markle and Prince Harry for the event—she’s currently playing at Wimbledon—as well as if she’ll be named one of Archie’s godparents. (The two have hung out recently: Markle and two college friends cheered Williams on to victory earlier in the week.)

Now we have our answer: According to Metro, a reporter at a post-match press conference asked Williams, “Serena, has Meghan asked you to be godmother on Saturday, and are you going?” Williams laughed and replied succinctly, “No, I’m working on Saturday…and she understands work.” She also said she was glad that Markle was able to come see her play. “I knew she was there, and it’s always exciting when she comes out to watch and support the tennis, so I was happy.”

Markle and Harry are trying to keep Archie’s christening as private as possible, hence the small invite list. They’re also not releasing the names of the godparents, which is a different approach than Middleton and William have taken with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. There will also not be any press coverage of the arrivals, as we saw last year with Louis’s christening. (It should be noted that Archie does not currently have a royal title and is much further down the line of succession than the Cambridge children.)

We will still get to see photos, though: Buckhingham Palace announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to release images taken by photographer Chris Allerton after they celebrate privately with friends and family.



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Serena Williams Is Finally on a Wheaties Box—But Why Did It Take This Long?


Serena Williams is one of the most decorated tennis players in the world. She’s won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 doubles titles with her sister, Venus, four Olympic gold medals…the list could go on and on. She’s also an outspoken advocate for equal pay, a successful businesswoman, a mom, a wife, and a trusted friend.

But one honor has eluded her until now: the cover of the Wheaties box, a.k.a. the “breakfast of champions.” It seems unfathomable that it’s taken this long to bestow said honor on one of the greatest athletes in tennis—or any sport, for that matter—but that’s finally been rectified. Williams made the announcement today, June 25 on her Instagram. “In 2001, Wheaties paid homage to a true champion and an icon by putting her on the cover of a Wheaties Box. Althea Gibson was the FIRST Black Woman tennis player to be on the box,” she wrote. “Today, I am honored to be the second.”

The cereal brand dedicated their entire grid to the announcement simply stating, “She’s a champion.” On Twitter, the brand wrote, “She’s an athlete. She’s a fashion designer. She’s a philanthropist. She’s a mother. @serenawilliams is a Champion. #ShesAChampion.” The tradition of putting athletes on the cover of the cereal box started back in 1934 with baseball star Lou Gehrig and over the years has included Jesse Owens (the first black man on the box), Michael Jordan (who has appeared a record 18 times), Mary Lou Retton, Lindsay Vonn, and Michael Phelps.

Commenters expressed their excitement—as well as their disbelief that this hasn’t happened already. “Long over due, congratulations! ! And there needs to be a third, fourth and fifth……plus,” one user wrote. “I can’t believe it took Wheaties this long to put your image on the box. Regardless, it’s great,” another fan commented.

Twitter users were thrilled by the news too, offering congratulations to Williams. “I’m going to buy a box but never going to open it,” one fan tweeted. Another called her “an inspiration in every aspect of your life!”

No comment yet from Williams’ husband, Alexis Ohainian, or daughter, Olympia, on their Instagram accounts—but we’re sure they’re enormously proud.

Next up for Williams is Wimbledon which starts next week. Hopefully her friend, Meghan Markle will come out to cheer her on again this year.





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Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams Want to Make a Movie About Their Friendship, and We're Here for It


Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams have a very public best-friendship, which is understandable considering they’ve spent the past eight years playing sisters on Game of Thrones—a.k.a. all of their adult lives. (Turner is 23; Williams is 22.) They’ve shared a Rolling Stone cover, coordinated wedding guest outfits and Halloween costumes, and hashtagged their ‘grams with “Mophie,” their couple’s nickname. But it hasn’t been all sunshine and roses: Turner opened up in April about how her friendship with Williams could turn “destructive,” explaining how, as their friendship grew stronger, the two had a habit of shutting others out and isolating themselves. Ups and downs are normal in any friendship, of course, but Turner and Williams aren’t exactly your average pair of friends—they’ve grown up together in the spotlight. And they’re not just learning from their experiences to build a healthier friendship: Williams and Turner want to make a movie out of them. And honestly? Consider our tickets bought.

In a new Vogue Paris video, Turner has a conversation over dinner with her friend, actress Jessica Chastain, where she talks about what she wants to do in the future: produce and direct.

“As an actor, you can only have so much creative control,” Turner tells Chastain. “I want to be able to have full creative control and create my own vision, and that’s something I’m quite passionate about.”

The Game of Thrones star then explains that she wants to work with Williams in the future on a pretty cool project: a movie about their friendship.

“My best friend Maisie—who’s on Game of Thrones with me, who plays Arya—she and I have a very intense friendship, a friendship that I haven’t had with any of my other girlfriends before,” Turner said. “We felt like we wanted to write a movie about a friendship where it’s kind of like you’re soulmates, but you’re friends, and it’s like this beautiful connection, but it can also be quite destructive.”

Apparently the two haven’t quite started the project yet, but Turner’s getting ready: She tells Chastain she’s already bought a screenplay-writing book to teach herself the skill. We’ll definitely be keeping our ears out for further developments on this front, though.

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