"I look like a normal woman walking down the street, a thicker one" - When Serena Williams took pride in her 'bigger' body despite criticism

Over the course of her remarkable tennis career, Serena Williams was no stranger to negative comments about her muscular build. However, the American took the criticism in stride and maintained that she was proud of serving as an inspiration for other women who looked like her.

Williams was looking to make history at the 2015 US Open, as she aimed to become the first player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to complete the Calendar Slam by winning all four Majors in a year. Ahead of her highly anticipated campaign, the American addressed the constant scrutiny on her athletic physique, especially compared to thinner players like her sister, Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova.

In an interview with the Miami Herald, Serena Williams emphasized that her fans were very supportive of her and that the positive comments about her body completely overshadowed the negative remarks. She asserted that she relished looking like a "normal, thicker woman" on the street.

"For every negative comment, there are 300,000 positive ones. My fans are incredibly supportive. I look like a normal athlete, a normal woman walking down the street, a thicker one. I’m OK with that. I love that," Serena Williams said.

The American insisted that it was important to feel secure in her "bigger" body, sharing that her self-confidence had inspired other people to feel similarly comfortable with their own physiques. Williams also credited her mother, Oracene Price, for ensuring that she learned to love herself.

"You have to be OK with yourself no matter if you’re size 0 or a little bigger, like me. A lot of other people say I inspire them to be comfortable with themselves. My mom was really strong on that, on learning to love yourself," she added.

While Serena Williams had come to embrace her body, she previously admitted that she had to acknowledge that her weight was "one of her weaknesses." The American revealed that she had to learn to stop comparing herself to her "thin, model-like" sister Venus Williams.

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Serena Williams: "Life hasn’t been perfect for me, but I wouldn’t change it"

Serena Williams - Source: Getty

During the same interview, Serena Williams was asked what advice she would give her 14-year-old self if she could go back in time. The American was quick to disclose that she wouldn't ask her younger self to change a single thing about her life.

Williams explained her belief that all her experiences, both positive and tragic, were integral in shaping her personality. She also emphasized that, while her life hadn't been perfect, she wouldn't want to alter any aspect of it.

"I would tell her not to change a thing. I really believe experience makes the person. If I took away some of my experiences, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Whether it’s tragic experience or incredible experience, they all add up and mean something. They shaped me. Life hasn’t been perfect for me. But it’s been a wonderful experience, and I wouldn’t change it," she said.

On the tennis front, Serena Williams failed to match Steffi Graf's historic Calendar Slam feat at the 2015 US Open. The American suffered a shock 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 defeat to Roberta Vinci in the semifinals, who went on to lose to Flavia Pennetta in the final.