70 Inspirational Serena Williams Quotes [2024]

Updated: January 20th, 2022

Serena Williams is a professional American tennis player who held the World No. 1 ranking for 186 consecutive weeks. She has won a record 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

Serena became the first African American woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open Era and the third African American woman to hold the No. 1 Ranking

We've put together an incredible collection of Serena Williams quotes to read.

Here they are:

70 Inspirational Serena Williams Quotes [2024]

List of Inspiring Serena Williams Quotes

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


“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.”


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


“I don’t like to lose - at anything… yet I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks."


“I decided I shouldn't get nervous and just do the best I can.”


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


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


“I've never felt invincible.”


“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 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.”


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


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


“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.”


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


“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.”


“I’ve always been a fighter and I’ve always fought through things my whole life.”


"With a defeat, when you lose, you get up, you make it better, you try again.”


"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."


“I wish I could play like Roger Federer.”


“If I'm winning, I have to act like I'm not bored [...] I'm a drama queen.”


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


“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 think you have to love yourself before you fall in love.”


“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.”


“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.”


“Legendary? I don’t know. I’m just Serena.”


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


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


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


“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.”


"If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how he teaches us."


“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 recognize anyone. That's just how it is.”


"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."


“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.”


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


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


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


“I never left my roots.”


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


"Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.”


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


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


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


“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.”


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


"Everything comes at a cost. Just what are you willing to pay for it?"


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


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


“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.”


"Everyone always says never give up but you really have to take that to heart and really do never definitely give up. Keep trying."


“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 was just tired of losing... Life was passing me by.”


“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up."


“You can be whatever size you are, and you can be beautiful both inside and out.”


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


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


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


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


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


"It doesn't matter what your background is and where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that's all that matters."


“I like to do something while my career is still hot and I've always enjoyed designing.”


“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.”


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


"If you smile things will work out. Since I don't look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that."


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


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

meet the author
Pat Walls

I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.