Serena Williams won her maiden Grand Slam trophy at the 1999 US Open, where she bested Martina Hings in the final.
It was the first time Williams could win a Grand Slam, and she did it, but it certainly wasn't the last time, as she went on to win 22 more. However, that final has a story that the 23-time major winner never discussed before until she mentioned it in her documentary 'In the Arena: Serena Williams for ESPN.'
The American vividly remembers how her triumph came to be, especially because, at the time, very few people actually believed she could win, given that she was taking a five-time major champion.
Quite a few of them told her that she did great job, making the final, something she saw as their perception of her losing the final, which made her furious.
"I remember passing so many people saying 'congratulations' thinking I was gonna lose. Like saying 'it's good you got to the finals. You did good. I hated that."
"By the time I stepped onto the court and we were doing the toin coss. I never talked about this. I lose the coin toss and the referee says to Martina, serve or receive?"
She believed in herself, so much so that she spoke to Hingis during the coin toss. When Hingis chose to receive first, Williams asked her whether she was sure of her decision. When talking about the moment, the American still couldn't believe she said it many years ago, but it worked.
"I looked at her and said are you sure about that? She was like startled. I was like okay. Years later I remember I can't believe I said that."
She went on to play a great match, winning in two sets and writing the first chapter of an iconic career that is widely regarded as the best one we've ever seen in women's tennis. Sometimes, it is all about self-belief and confidence, neither of which Williams lacked.
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