Serena williams quotes

I think it's bad when people start booing between serves.

I can't become satisfied, because if I get satisfied, I'll be like, "Oh, I've won Wimbledon, I've won the U.S. Open. Now can I relax." But now people are really going to be fighting to beat me.

I'll probably be wearing something fun and sexy as usual, but I can't say it will be the 'Catsuit.'

If I'm not playing well, I do get down on myself because I am a perfectionist. [So I need] someone who believes in me more than I believe in me, someone willing to work as hard as I work. I don't understand what no means or what failure means; I only understand what yes means and try again means.

Victory is very, very sweet. It tastes better than any dessert you've ever had.

Everyone in this room knows that Venus is probably one of the greatest people on the tour. She's really great. She's super professional. Complete opposite of me.

I'm a high-performance athlete: I'm running, I'm sprinting, I'm sliding, I'm doing pretty much everything and the last thing I want to worry about is my chest. I want to just worry about playing the sport at the highest level that I can.

Tennis just a game, family is forever.

I just could never have imagined that I would be mentioned with Chris Evert or with Martina Navratilova, because I was just a kid with a dream and a racquet. Living in Compton, you know, this never happened before.

I try not to be protected. Because I feel like you can become a little bit of a robot. That's not who I am. And I don't want to be monotone. It's important to be yourself, whatever the cost.

It's me, and I love me. I learned to love me. I've been like this my whole life, and I embrace me. I love how I look. I love that I'm a full woman and I'm strong and I'm powerful and I'm beautiful at the same time. There's nothing wrong with that.

I'm thankful to my family, friends, and fans for all of their support.

I'm always learning new things.

If you smile things will work out.

I've been involved with Berlei for almost my whole career. I actually discovered them well over 10 years ago, probably 2002 at least. My mom introduced me. She said, "Listen, you should try these bras." And I was like, "Really?" So I tried it and since then I've never worn another bra.

I'm playing to around 30% of my potential - you'd be shocked at what I could do.

To this day, I don't love my arms. People want more fit arms, but my arms are too fit. But I'm not complaining. They pay my bills.

You have to believe in yourself when no one else does.

I'm Serena Williams on the court, but away I have so many different names. I call myself Butterfly.

I've never felt invincible. I've never used that word to describe me ever.

I just never give up. I fight to the end. You can't go out and say, 'I want a bag of never-say-die spirit.' It's not for sale. It has to be innate.

I'm a perfectionist. I'm pretty much insatiable. I feel there's so many things I can improve on.

I like to wear classic silhouettes and add a punch to it. I'll wear a high-waist legging and a super-crop top or a see-through top with a nice bra underneath. And I just always try to mix it up with heels or something.

I love who I am, and I encourage other people to love and embrace who they are. But it definitely wasn't easy - it took me a while.

I'm an unbelievable designer.

It's remarkable she [Venus Williams] plays at all, given her Sjögren's syndrome [an autoimmune disorder that can cause joint pain]. She's back, winning tournaments. She didn't allow society to tell her, "You have this disease; you can't do that anymore." I look at her, like, "She's not playing at 100 percent. You are. You don't have excuses." Knowing what she went through helped me try to be a more positive person.

There's one thing I'm really good at, and that's hitting the ball over a net, in a box. I'm excellent.

I'm proud to have opened [two] schools in Africa and one in Jamaica [through the Serena Williams Fund and its partners]. I was given a lot. I was given two parents. That's already starting above a lot of kids. And then I was given the opportunity to play tennis and parents who supported that. I feel I can give back.

I'm an athlete and I'm black, and a lot of black athletes go broke. I do not want to become a statistic, so maybe I overcompensate. But I'm paranoid. Oprah told me a long time ago, 'You sign every check. Never let anyone sign any checks.'

I'm really exciting. I smile a lot, I win a lot, and I'm really sexy.

I've never dated anybody. It's good to get experience under your belt but you should never get wild or go crazy. If I can't see myself with this person for life -- I can't be bothered. I can't waste my time. I have some really good men friends but I believe in no sex before marriage. No fornicating. Stuff like that. I really believe in that. I mean, I'm not perfect. It's hard to live by the Bible standards but I'm really comfortable with me.

I played pretty well in my twenties, don't get me wrong! But my consistency is better [in my thirties], my momentum is better, my wins are quicker.

If I have a daughter and she plays tennis, and I have a son who plays tennis, I wouldn't say that my son deserves more money because he's a man. I would say they deserve the same amount of money.

I'm not used to crying. It's a little difficult. All my life I've had to fight. It's just another fight I'm going to have to learn how to win, that's all. I'm just going to have to keep smiling.

My goal in a couple of years is to try to build a successful fashion house like Armani or Versace. I want that more than anything.

I don't want to age myself.

Luck has nothing to do with it.

Everybody who plays me plays me so hard because they always want to beat me.

I think you have to love yourself before you fall in love. I'm still learning to love myself.

I love hitting aces. It's not easy, but it makes your life a lot easier.

I never left my roots. You can identify me as someone that didn't become high and mighty. Humility is a defining [trait] all of us can forever learn, and I try to be as humble as anyone can be.

I'm so frugal, you wouldn't believe it.

I know a lot of people who are 12 and doing things they shouldnt be doing. Whether youre an actress or a singer, its always the sexier ones that are selling more tickets or selling more albums.

I think I can improve a lot. I think I can get a lot better. I feel like there's much, much more I can do.

I don't know if I've had my share of drama, but I've definitely had my share of hard times.

I don't want to be like some of those celebrities walking around, just so full of themselves. I always want to be down-to-earth, want to be a person like when you meet them, they're the same person that you think of them in the article or something.

Since I don't look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.

Nothing comes to a sleeper but a dream.

I think a smile can make your whole body. Models, they look fabulous, but they don't smile, and they look so mad.

You can't underestimate anyone.

I wanted to get really fit. I wanted to lose some weight. So I've been doing Pilates and yoga, trying to lean out my body so I won't be bulky.

My dad is a marketing mastermind.

My smile is my favorite part of my body. I think a smile can make your whole body.

I think my father is probably the best coach ever because, if we talk about numbers, he's got a lot and he's only had two players.

Will I have to explain to my daughter that her brother is gonna make more money doing the exact same job because he's a man? If they both played sports since they were three years old, they both worked just as hard, but because he's a boy, they're gonna give him more money? Like, how am I gonna explain that to her? In tennis we've had great pioneers that paved the way - including Venus [Williams], who fought so hard for Wimbledon to pay women the same prize money they pay men, and Billie Jean King, who is one of the main reasons Title IX exists.

I'm not one to blame anyone else for anything. And I don't think anyone else should either.

I'm an actress, model and athlete, and I'd put athlete third on the list.

I don't have anything to prove ever, ever in my life. If I have something to prove, what does that mean for everyone else? And I think everyone should have that attitude.

Family's first, and that's what matters most. We realize that our love goes deeper than the tennis game.

Am I the greatest? I don't know. I'm the greatest that I can be.

I've always been a fighter and I've always fought through things my whole life.

I feel as a brand I'm here to be around for a long time.

I don't go there thinking I'm going to lose. I never go into a tournament thinking that. I'll do the best that I can. I need to be at my peak and my best is holding up the trophy. Anything less I wouldn't be really excited about. So that's all I can focus on.

I've had to learn to fight all my life - got to learn to keep smiling. If you smile things will work out.

Someone like Billie Jean King is completely my idol.

Growing up I wasn't the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit. Standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I went on a court just with a ball and a racket and with a hope.

I'm an unbelievable designer. I don't know how I know and just do these things. I just start sketching and then I just know the colors and I always know the forecast. I know green and purple are going to be hot. I was born to be a designer. I worked hard to be a tennis player, I don't work hard to be a designer.

You can't play well if you don't look good.

I meet people who say, "Girl, I watch every match, and I pray for you." I feel that energy and those prayers. Sometimes when I'm down on the court, in the back of my mind, I'm thinking, "They want me to win. Is there anything else I can give?" It encourages me to do better, to fight harder.

I always say that when I'm playing well, no one can beat me. I'm not just saying that to sound full of myself or anything, but it's true.

I always ask my dad why wasn't I a lefty? Even when I was younger I wanted to be lefty. I could have been really good.

I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall

I decided I can't pay a person to rewind time, so I may as well get over it.

I wish I could play like Roger Federer.

Legendary? I don't know. I'm just Serena.

Think of all the girls who could become top athletes but quit sports because they're afraid of having too many defined muscles and being made fun of or called unattractive.

If Plan A isn't working, I have Plan B, Plan C, and even Plan D.

Who says that your thirties is when you're supposed to be done? I would like to know who made that rule!

I feel like I'm really young and I'm only thinking about my career and continuing playing.

You can be whatever size you are, and you can be beautiful both inside and out. We're always told what's beautiful and what's not, and that's not right.

Dad thanks for leaning in by helping me become a role model for young girls.

The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you're very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.

I am not a robot. I have a heart and I bleed.

I don't want to end my career and then start something. I like to do something while my career is still hot and I've always enjoyed designing.

Venus told me the other day that champions don't get nervous in tight situations. That really helped me a lot. I decided I shouldn't get nervous and just do the best I can.

If I'm winning, I have to act like I'm not bored. If it's A tough match, I have to act like I'm having A good time. I'm a drama queen.

It's always good to get a smaller tournament under your belt so that by the time you get to the Slams, you have a lot of experience.

I think in life you should work on yourself until the day you die.

I always believe I can beat the best, achieve the best. I always see myself in the top position.

I'm a big supporter of this product for women. And [my relationship with the brand Berlei] was so organic. I would go to the store and buy 40 or 50 bras every year because I could only get them in Australia at the time. And then eventually they heard that I would come and take all the stock.

I went on the courts with just a ball and a racket and a hope...and that's all I had.

I just hate to lose. When I am on the court, it is like my life depends on it.

If anything, you know, I think losing makes me even more motivated.

How many people yell at linespeople? I see it happening all the time. I don't know how many times I have seen that happen.

I definitely have found a balance. I've had so many offers in the past to do different movies or different things and I always choose tournaments over it.

You just have to prove to yourself that you can go out there and be the best that you can be and not prove anything to anyone.

Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come.

I don't have anything to prove ever, ever in my life. If I have something to prove, what does that mean for everyone else? And I think everyone should have that attitude. You just have to prove to yourself that you can go out there and be the best that you can be and not prove anything to anyone.

I don't go thinking I'm going to lose. I never go into a tournament thinking that. I'll do the best that I can.

If you can keep playing tennis when somebody is shooting a gun down the street, that's concentration.

My mom taught me how to sew when I was super young; I used to make clothes for my dolls. When I finally went to [fashion design] school [in 1999], I really took to pattern making. Everyone in class was good at something; I was the person, if you need help with your patterns, you come to me and I would help you out.

I do want to look good still; I do want to be healthy.

Everyone is from Russia. Sometimes I think I'm from Russia, too. All these new Ovas. I don't know anyone. I don't really recognise anyone. That's just how it is. I think my name must be Williamsova.

I really hope that I can be helpful in that journey because I do believe that women deserve the same pay. We work just as hard as men do. I've been working, playing tennis, since I was three years old. And to be paid less just because of my sex - it doesn't seem fair.

I think I actually made a very kind gesture out of nowhere; I decided in the middle of that match that for every ace I hit I want to donate money. I just think people should honestly look at themselves before they judge another person. I've never been spoiled. I want a Range Rover very bad, but I refuse to spend the money to buy a Range...The diamonds are borrowed. I won't buy them because I'm too cheap.

No one likes getting their nails done more than I do.

My dad is the nicest guy you'll ever meet, and the easiest going.

It's a lot of bling to play with. You got to have the bling.

I feel like I don't have to win anymore. I've had a wonderful career. Tennis has given me so much, things I would have never expected in my life. I feel honored to even be a part of such a wonderful sport.

My smile is my favorite part of my body. I think a smile can make your whole body. I want women to know that it's ok. That you can be whatever size you are and be beautiful inside and out.

With my website, I'm really interactive. I've written a lot of things about me.

With a defeat, when you lose, you get up, you make it better, you try again. That's what I do in life, when I get down, when I get sick, I don't want to just stop. I keep going and I try to do more. Everyone always says never give up but you really have to take that to heart and really do never definitely give up. Keep trying.

People see me on the court only as a superhero, grunting and winning. They think you're a robot, and I'm not.

A lifetime with Venus Williams will not be enough.

I love tennis more than designing because it's actually easier and I don't get nearly as nervous.

I never thought about leaving a tennis legacy. I always thought about leaving a legacy of fulfillment, living out your dreams, and giving back.

I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.

We all know who the real number one is. Quite frankly, I'm the best in the world.

I've developed a karaoke habit. I've become a crooner.

I was just tired of losing... Life was passing me by.

Everyone's dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard.

I always say if I play my best it's difficult to beat me

I don't like to lose-at anything... Yet I've grown most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is God's reward, then losing is how he teaches us.

When you lose, you get up, you make it better, you TRY AGAIN.

I love "Phenomenal Woman." The experiences she had of being African American in the U.S. - that itself is a task. I appreciate the hardships Maya Angelou went through for our generation. I'm super influenced by the black people that paved the way for us.