Edwin Martinez from The Bronx, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Why we think Serena Williams is a Type 3
Public statements about legacy. Serena has often spoken about her desire to be the greatest and to leave a lasting legacy in the world of tennis. Her illustrious tennis career, marked by 23 Grand Slam singles titles, showcases her drive and ambition. She told Time Magazine, “We (Serena and Venus) changed the game of tennis. We changed how people play, period. People never attacked. People never took balls early. People never served like this. People never had to play so hard to beat two Black girls from Compton.”
Use of the word “best.” In many interviews (including this one with Norah O’Donnell), she constantly uses the word “best” and other superlatives in talking about the type of person she is.
A desire for greatness in parenting. In a Time Magazine interview when discussing parenthood, she said, “I think I’m good at it. But I want to explore if I can be great at it.”
Difficulty relaxing. Even years after retiring, Serena likes to say that she is very bad at chilling out and taking it easy. Her “free” time is consistently getting taken up by her various pursuits.
Competitiveness. Serena pinpoints the rivalry with her older sister Venus as one of the crucial factors that pushed her to strive for more. She has talked about needing to up her game when she played Venus and become even more aggressive than when she played against other players. Even and especially against family, her competitive spirit was on display for all to see.
“I got this” mentality. According to Time Magazine, when Williams found out she was pregnant before the 2017 Australian Open, she played without hesitation. Serena said about that tournament, “Even though the doctor was like, ‘You’ve got to take it easy, 100° heat, yadda, yadda, yadda’... I got this.” Serena told her husband that she didn’t drop a set the entire tournament because she knew it was best to get off the court quickly, for the baby’s sake. The victory broke Steffi Graf’s Open Era record for major titles.
Pursuit of success and glory across many different areas. Beyond tennis, Serena has pursued and achieved success in finance, fashion, acting, and film production; she’s on track to be the first female athlete to become a billionaire. She started Serena Ventures in 2014 with the stated goal of unlocking “value for investors, doors for founders, and opportunities for everyone to live better.”
Relentless pursuit of winning. In a statement about her upcoming book deals and how she operated before retirement, she said, “For so long, all I was focused on was winning, and I never sat down to look back and reflect on my life and career."
Wanting to leave a legacy of “rules for living.” According to Random House, the publisher of her next book, “Williams will offer rules for living that draw on her experiences as a philanthropist and advocate, her career as an investment unicorn with Serena Ventures, and someone who has long sought to lift a diverse and emergent generation of young women whose aspirations are not confined to the court.”
Serena Williams quotes that show she is a Type 3
"I've always considered myself the best and the top. I never considered that I was out of it."
"I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall."
"Every time I step out on that court, I look to be a champion, not just to be a tennis player."
"I've always been a fighter and I've always fought through things my whole life."
"I've had people look past me because of the color of my skin. I've had people overlook me because I was a woman. I had critics say I would never win another Grand Slam when I was only at number seven."
"I always believe I can beat the best, achieve the best. I always see myself at the top."
"I want to be remembered as someone who worked hard and did her best and was not afraid to strive high."
"If you can keep playing tennis when somebody is shooting a gun down the street, that's concentration."
"With a defeat, when you lose, you get up, you make it better, you try again."
"You have to believe in yourself when no one else does."
"It's not about how you start, but how you finish."