The 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is one of the most successful tennis players in the history of the sport and also an inspiration for young athletes.
Serena Williams has been an inspiration for many current or former tennis players. Naomi Osaka, who defeated Serena to lift her first Grand Slam title at the 2018 US Open, is one of the athletes who was heavily inspired by the Williams sisters and expressed it many times.
The 40-year-old American lifted a Grand Slam trophy last time back in 2017. Since winning the Australian Open that year, Serena Williams is trying to win the record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, even in her forties.
Playing for such a long time, and still being competitive is also one of the reasons why she's been an inspiration for many. In her recent collaboration with Gatorade, Serena opened up about mentorship when she said:
"Mentorship means a lot to me, I feel like in my position I have an opportunity to mentor and be inspiring to young athletes, whether it's male or female. I embrace leading by example, otherwise I just go and I just do the best I can when I can."
The American also talked about the advice she would give to younger athletes aspiring to set on a journey similar to hers. According to Williams, the most important thing is to have goals. One big goal, but also smaller goals that lead you towards that end goal. On top of that, the 23-time Grand Slam champion reminds, "stay strong."
"Advice I would give to young athlete is just make goals for yourself. I think it's important to have an end goal and then smaller goals that get you there. If I could tell my young self one thing, I would say stay strong."