‘I Don't Want To Blend In'

Serena Williams has spoken out about being body shamed, underpaid and undervalued in the world of professional tennis

- Lavern De Vries

She's topped Forbes magazine’s list of the highest-paid women in sport four times in a row and has made a staggering $93 million (R1,5 billion) in career prize money – twice as much as any other woman.

Yet despite her spectacular success, Serena Williams says she feels “undervalued and underpaid” and has had to grow a thick skin to deal with the rampant sexism and racism she’s experienced on court. Not to mention body shaming.

In a new interview with British Vogue, the tennis superstar talks candidly about how tough it is being a black woman in what she says is still predominantly a white man’s sport and how she’s steadfastly refused to bow to norms and conventions.

“I’ve never been a person who’s been like, ‘I want to be a different color’ or ‘I want my skin tone to be lighter,’ ” Serena says. “I like who I am, I like how I look, and I love representing the beautiful dark women out there.”

In more than 20 years on the professional circuit, she’s become one of the greatest tennis players the world has ever seen. She has a record 23 Grand Slams and four Olympic medals under her belt yet she says the game is “small play in the whole scheme of things”.

“Tennis was my way of getting recognition to put out such a big message that wasn’t put out otherwise.”

Now, with conversations about race being highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement, she says people are finally getting an idea of what it’s been like to walk in her shoes.

Black people have been given a voice through technology “because we see things that have been hidden for years”, she says.