Serena Williams Doesn’t Actually Like Tennis All That Much, She Says

Here’s a counterpoint to use against all the people who say you have to live and breathe a sport, career or other pursuit in order to master it.

Tennis great Serena Williams- who has been dominating in the field for many years- actually doesn’t adore tennis. I mean, she seems to like it, but she doesn’t really love it love it. Williams, along with sister Venus, has been on top in tennis since the mid-90s, but the star is kind of meh on tennis as a whole.

Actually, her insouciance and seeming incredulity about her own continuing success in the sport is kind of cool- she recently beat Chanelle Scheepers at the Brisbane international in two rounds, and mused:

“I don’t love tennis today but I’m here. I can’t live without it- there’s a difference between not loving something and not being able to live without it. I have never liked sports and could never understand how I became an athlete.”

Williams was also quoted as saying:

“It’s not that I’ve fallen out of love- I’ve never really liked sports… I don’t want anything that has to do with working physically… If it involves sitting down or shopping I am excellent at that.”

The tennis star did confirm, however, that she has no hope to exit the sport any time soon- she adds:

“I think for me it’s all about motivation as opposed to my skill or anything else. As long as the motivation’s there it’s definitely going to be cool… I’m not playing a full schedule this year. I just want to be able to do other things that I’m doing and I think that will help keep my motivation up.

“I’m always preparing myself for life after tennis (but)… I don’t want to go anywhere anytime soon.”

Are you impressed by Serena Williams’ indifference to tennis as a whole?