We say farewell to our idol
Something deeply moving happened on Friday September 2 during the U.S. Open. The competition is a hardcourt tennis tournament held annually in Queens, New York and this year we must say goodbye to one of the best women tennis players of a generation. Serena Williams retired after her match against the 29 year old Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. Serena stated “I have never liked the word retirement.” Instead, she sees this as her evolving from tennis and towards something that is important to her now, a next step rather than the end of an era. It deeply saddens so many of us to see her go, she was truly inspirational throughout her career, gaining an undoubtedly impressive list of achievements. She ranked No. 1 on multiple occasions and even became the oldest player to be ranked No .1 in WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) history in May 2017. She had a winning streak of 34 in 2013 and won four Olympic gold medals.
However, her career didn’t actually start like this, it was not plain sailing the whole way through.. She stated that growing up she wasn't very good at tennis but that's what made her work harder towards it. Even though she worked hard towards getting better, she also had other barriers to face. During her Indian Wells tournament in California back in 2001, she and her family experienced everything but encouragement. The crowd booed and accused her of the match being fixed. But through it all she persevered and prospered. When Serena won the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year Award in 2015, she spoke out about inequality during her speech. She stated “I’ve had people look past me because of the color of my skin. I’ve had people overlook me because I was a woman... and now here I stand today with 21 grand slam titles and I’m still going.” And she stayed true to her word, winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the second most of all time. She did things that taught and inspired many, showing us that age doesn’t have to stop you from doing what you love. Despite the high demand on her body which is usually the reason that athletes have short careers, she is currently 40 years old and a mother and that didn’t stop her from playing. Not only is her story a lesson in resilience, she has truly taught us that the sky's the limit.
Amelis Gonzalez is a proud Cuban-American and a Next Gen Summer Civic Fellow. She is currently a sophomore in high school in Miami, Florida. She enjoys reading, dancing, and cooking. She wants to bring awareness of problems in our society. Her goal is to help young adults, like her, grow as a person.