Serena Williams: The day I stop fighting for equality will be the day I am in my grave
It was a short and sweet answer from Serena Williams, but she left no uncertainty about her continued fight for equality.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner has always been at the forefront when it comes to gender and racial equality, even more so since returning to competitive tennis after giving birth to her daughter in 2017.
On the court it hasn’t really clicked since she has returned from maternity leave, in finals at least, as she lost in two Wimbledon finals and one US Open one.
Her latest final defeat saw her go down 6-2, 6-2 against Simona Halep at the All England Club on Saturday.
Before the match the great Billie Jean King suggested the American should focus more on her tennis.
“She’s got a baby, she’s trying to help gender equity, particularly women of colour. But it makes it much harder,” King told the BBC.
“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.'”
It prompted a question from a journalist about whether or not she should change her focus, but Williams answered it quite brilliantly.
Last words from Serena Williams’ press conference:
“The day I stop fighting for equality is the day I’m in my grave.”#Wimbledon
— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) July 13, 2019
“The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me, will be the day I am in my grave,” the 37-year-old said.
King later took to Twitter to praise Williams for her continued fight for equality.
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.
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 13, 2019
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