"I was judged way more harshly" - When Serena Williams stated her firm belief about Black women being held to different standards in sports

Serena Williams once candidly discussed the challenges of being a Black woman in the sporting world. The American also shed light on how she was held to a different standard in a predominantly white sport like tennis.

Williams was often forced to endure racism during her illustrious tennis career, with the most notorious incident being when she, Venus Williams, and their father Richard Williams were racially abused at the Indian Wells Open. The American has disclosed that she found "peace and security through God" to cope with such bigotry.

In an interview with Harper's Bazaar in 2024, Serena Williams asserted that Black women were judged and punished much more harshly compared to their white peers. The former World No. 1 highlighted her own experience in tennis, calling attention to the $82,500 fine she received for verbally abusing a line judge at the 2009 US Open.

"Oh gosh, especially me in tennis—and I get into that in a different story, but [that project is coming] in a few years. But I was judged way more harshly than people that have done the same [thing]. I don’t know, but I think I had the biggest fine in the sport," Williams said.

Although the 23-time Grand Slam champion admitted to often being a "psycho person" on the court, she still believed that the punishment for her conduct was excessive.

"Listen, I’m not a saint on the court. I’m the first to admit I’m the most psycho person on the court. I’m crazy, and I probably deserved a lot of that. But in the sport, I think that’s a bit much, when you think about it," she added.

Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian also witnessed the "intense" racist abuse the former World No. 1 faced online. The Reddit co-founder shared how "discouraging" it was to see how world-class athletes like his wife were treated.

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Serena Williams: "To be honest, as a Black woman, we are basically starting at the bottom, you don’t get paid as much"

Serena Williams - Source: Getty

During the same interview, Serena Williams also expressed her belief that Black women had to work significantly harder to prove themselves after being made to start at the bottom. She pointed out that they were at a disadvantage, since they weren't paid as much and had fewer opportunities.

"It’s hard because when you are a person of color, you’re expected to—you have to—win so many times more than someone else. To be honest, as a Black woman, we are basically starting at the bottom. You don’t get paid as much. You don’t get as many opportunities," Williams said.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion also highlighted that Black women had to tear down the "false narratives" of being considered mean or as having attitude problems.

"And no matter what you do, it’s always, "Oh, she’s mean," or "Oh, she’s this," and none of that is necessarily true. So it’s [about] breaking down those false narratives and also being okay with being yourself and letting people see that. I think it’s something that we have to talk about and embrace more: "These barriers also have to be broken down." And I’m okay to do that too," she added.

Despite all the challenges, Serena Williams disclosed that she and Venus Williams embraced the opportunity to become role models as Black players in a predominantly white sport.