CNN interviewed Serena Williams when she was 9. Here’s what she said:
On whether or not she thought her parents would ever approve of her playing tennis:
“I just knew that I wanted to be a pro on the junior circuit, but I didn’t really know how I wanted to do it. I was so young, I really didn’t know. I didn’t grow up with a lot of pressure, and I had always had money enough to do what I wanted. So it was really not something that I considered when I was a little girl, although I had a lot of thoughts about it. I just felt like I wanted to do it. I was like, ‘I’m a girl for this.’ I was very proud of my dad. He always said, ‘Serena, if you want something, you’re going to have to work for it.’ So I just wanted to work.”
On whether or not she felt pressure to be a sports star:
“Yes. I definitely felt pressure. I felt pressure from family — my parents wanted me to practice, but my dad was always like, ‘Serena, you got to do what you want to do, you can’t make your parents happy. You’re going to have to work for it.’”
On whether or not she thought she was the better tennis player:
“I think one of the things that I was most proud of was that I didn’t believe that I was the better player. That I was just a hard worker, and that I was just going to go out there and do my best. The reality is that I am probably one of the best athletes in the world. But I think some people are so negative, they never give you a chance. We all want to be the best at our sport. Whether you’re being negative or positive, when you’re trying to get better, you want to get better at the things that are hardest for you, and that’s why I always said that my work with my trainers, and my physical strength was my biggest asset. It was the biggest thing I ever wanted and worked for my whole life. Now, I don’t think that I am better, I don’t think that I am better at anything, but I know that I can work and I know that I can be better. So I’m going to be doing exactly what I’m going to be doing.”
On whether or not she believed she had a