By Stephen D. Riley, Special to AFRO
It shouldn’t matter that Serena Williams is a woman. And it shouldn’t matter that she’s Black. She’s probably in the top five of best athletes of all time and she does not get credit for it.
Williams will play on June 4 against Maria Sharapova at the Grand Slam for a chance to defeat her for the 19th straight time after Williams knocked off 11th-ranked Julia Gorges on June 2. Keep in mind, Williams, 36, just gave birth nine months ago and is a match away from being back atop the rankings and leaderboards. Simply amazing.
Serena Williams of the U.S. runs to return a shot against Germany’s Julia Georges during their third round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Saturday, June 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena )
While we’ve been marveling at LeBron James during another epic playoff run, Williams is just quietly plugging away, fresh off a turbulent pregnancy and maternity leave. You don’t get a lot of credit when you’re a Black female athlete but Williams is at the pinnacle. She’s a beast. She’s the best. And, she doesn’t get nearly as much recognition–not just as a great a tennis player but as one of the top performers to ever play. She’s been a legend for the last 20 straight years, completely dominating the competition and not apologizing for it.
If LeBron beats Golden State, he could be regarded as the best basketball player that ever played. But James is already regarded as one of the top athletes to ever play sports. Period. Williams already has that distinction of one of the best tennis players to ever play. However, if Williams wins this Grand Slam, it might be time to start considering her as a top athlete overall in her own right—race and sexuality aside.
