Serena Williams/FITNESS-Getting in Character on Court, Her ‘No Regrets’ Policy and Serena’s Softer side

Written by: on 15th April 2014
Serena Williams/FITNESS-Getting in Character on Court, Her 'No Regrets' Policy and Serena's Softer side  |

FITNESS MAGAZINE’S MAY 2014 COVER STAR: SERENA WILLIAMS REVEALS HER SOFTER SIDE

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“It’s all about loving who you are and realizing that you’re beautiful”

 

Serena Williams Interview: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/motivation/get-started/serena-williams-interview/

Serena Williams is known for her intensity on the court, but in the May 2014 issue of FITNESS magazine, on newsstands April 22, she opens up about the softer side of Serena—a woman who loves to laugh, belts out showtunes at karaoke and admits that her on-court persona isn’t the real Serena. “I think of myself as two different people. There’s the Serena Williams that everyone knows: She’s crazy. She can’t make a mistake. And she’s angry and just not nice, to be honest. I’m only that person for three hours a day when I’m on the court. The rest of the time I’m just Serena. I’m the class clown.”

 

On getting in character on the court: “That’s when Serena Williams comes out and she’s nuts. That really upsets me. It’s not the real me…. Even for me, it’s shocking to see. But in another way, it’s kind of cool to know that I have everything together on the court, because I don’t really have my life together personally. I’m here and there and everywhere traveling the world and playing tennis.”

 

On tennis taking a backseat during her recent health scare: “It was the first time that tennis was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t even think, I gotta practice because I’ve got to beat this girl … At one point, I was just thinking, Will I be OK?”

 

How her health scare changed her attitude towards tennis: “I realized that I’m really fortunate to be alive and to be playing, and that it’s not the end of the world if I don’t win … It was the first time I’ve ever had so much fun on the court. Now I know I don’t have to play again if I don’t want to. I play because I love it.”

 

On powering her way back to the top: “I always say that I hate losing more than I love winning … My goal was to be seeded at the U.S. Open by August [2011]. It’s virtually impossible to do that in three weeks. But I worked really, really, really hard with my trainer … It worked. I kept winning, and I was ranked 29th.”

 

On embracing her boobs and butt: “When I was young I thought I should be built more like an athlete—long and lean—not with a womanly figure. But then people my age started coming up to me and saying, “I love you because of the way you look.”That was really motivating. So I learned to be proud of my curves and embrace my large boobs. It’s all about loving who you are and realizing that you’re beautiful.”

 

On her ‘No Regrets’ policy: “I don’t have regrets. I don’t live in the past. I live in the present and learn not to make the same mistakes in the future.”

 

How she stays motivated off the court: “For me it’s so important to mix it up, I ran, and then I biked. Then I did elliptical … I tried yoga. I started dancing because I couldn’t train when I was sick. We started making up moves, and it was fun. Now I run for 10 minutes and then I dance.”

 

On her diet makeover: “It all started because I didn’t want to bring bad food into the house. I live with my sister, Venus, who has Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease. Before her problems I ate a lot of junk I also found out three years ago that I’m allergic to wheat, so I’m trying to eat a clean diet of natural, raw foods. ”

 

To find out more about Serena, including her feelings on Zumba and her Broadway ambitions, pick up the May issue of FITNESS, on newsstands April 22, 2014.

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