"I'd have never been this person had I not taken those hard falls" - Serena Williams lays bare her journey and "punishing herself" after losses

Serena Williams has opened up about the importance of losses in her tennis career that made her the person she is today. The American tennis star believes she learned some of her "biggest lessons" through her toughest losses.

At the 2024 New York Times DealBook Summit, Williams sat down with Andrew Ross Sorkin, DealBook's founder and editor-at-large, to discuss her iconic career. During the interview, he recalled her former coach Rennae Stubbs's remark that no one held onto a grudge for revenge quite like Williams. Stubbs highlighted this quality as a defining factor in Williams' greatness.

This prompted the 23-time Grand Slam champion to reflect on how the losses in her career—while painful—ultimately shaped her:

"My big thing in tennis, like, I never wanted to lose. But unfortunately, I think when you do lose, you learn some of your biggest lessons. And I kind of—every loss that I had, I kind of needed that to actually become Serena Williams, or I would have never been this person had I not taken some of those really, really hard falls, and some losses that, quite frankly, sucked."

When asked what she does to get over the losses and come out stronger, Williams said:

"I go back. When I first started, I used to punish myself. And I would say, if I lose, I'm watching the film. And that was very hard. And it was very difficult to go back and to watch the footage of why I lost."

However, it helped her avoid repeating mistakes, forcing her to analyze what went wrong and what could be improved.

Williams extended this approach to her life beyond tennis. As a venture capitalist, she applies the same mindset: evaluating what went wrong, what worked, and how to move forward. As in tennis, she believes learning from losses is key to growth—whether on the court or in business.

---

"Women's sports is not having a moment" - Serena Williams promotes 'investment in women'

Serena Williams at the New York Times' Annual DealBook Summit (Image: Getty)

During the same interview at the 2024 New York Times DealBook Summit, Serena Williams was asked about women's sports "clearly having a moment" at this point.

"So I always say that women's sports is not having a moment. It's always been there. We women athletes have always been around. We've always been amazing and we've always been great. You guys are just noticing," Serena Williams responded.

She pointed out that her sister Venus Williams and she have long been breaking records, particularly in viewership at major events like the U.S. Open. Williams acknowledged that while women athletes have been excelling for years, only now are people beginning to recognize their potential and invest in them.

"When you invest in women, just like what we do at Serena Ventures, you really see what product you get. There's so much great potential out there. And so people are just realizing that," she added.

Since retiring, Williams has transitioned into a successful entrepreneur. Through Serena Ventures, she actively invests in diverse businesses promoting women in sports and beyond. She’s also the founder of the Wyn makeup brand.