Serena Williams just taught us a valuable lesson about blowing our own trumpets

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Serena Williams just taught us a valuable lesson about blowing our own trumpets

By Susan Devaney

7 years ago

Someone asked Serena Williams about the pressures of being the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT). Her response was beyond perfect…

Serena Williams has a bevy of awards, historic feats and accomplishments to her name. It’s hardly surprising, then, that she is all too aware of her own worth.

During a recent press conference at Wimbledon, Jamie Johnson, a reporter from the Telegraph, asked Williams if it’s hard being “the one to beat” because everyone who plays her brings their A-game to the court.

“I’m glad someone admitted that,” Williams responded, clearly taken aback by not being asked another sexist question. “But yeah, every single match I play, whether I’m coming back from a baby, or surgery, it doesn’t matter, because these young ladies bring a game that I’ve never seen before.

“That’s what makes me great. I always play everyone at their greatest, so I have to be greater.”

Not only did she refuse to apologise for her successes, or exude an ounce of modesty for being the greatest, but she carefully crafted an answer that saluted every other woman on the court, too. 

It’s not the first time Williams has praised the women who surround her. After becoming a mother for the first time last year, Williams published an open letter to her mother, Oracene Price, praising her for being “the strongest woman I know”.

Studies have shown that women apologise more than men, and another celebrity who is done with doing so is Catherine Zeta-Jones. 

Explaining that she’s sick of saying sorry for her success, the Academy Award winner told the Daily Mirror: “One thing I’m not is humble any more. I’m sick of being humble. I really am. ‘So sorry I’m rich, so sorry I’m married to a movie star, so sorry I’m not so bad looking.’

“No sorrys. Enough. All that is important to me now is my work.”

Zeta Jones added: “That’s what I love and the rest of my life is a joy because I’ve got two beautiful kids and a healthy, happy husband. It’s all good, and I’m not going to be humble for that either.”

In short: never apologise for being the best.

You can read more on how to Big Yourself Up here

Images: Getty 

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