Serena Williams has revealed that the suffered racism on the tennis court and was told to give up on her dreams of sports success because she is black.
The 35-year-old Grand Slam record-holder said she had been subjected to racist remarks both on and off the court during her remarkable tennis career.
The World No 1. champion addressed the discrimination she has faced in a poignant essay on Fortune to highlight Black Women’s Equal Pay Day on Monday.
She wrote: ‘Growing up, I was told I couldn’t accomplish my dreams because I was a woman and, more so, because of the color of my skin. In every stage of my life, I’ve had to learn to stand up for myself and speak out.
‘I have been treated unfairly, I’ve been disrespected by my male colleagues and—in the most painful times—I’ve been the subject of racist remarks on and off the tennis court.’
She wrote that while she is ‘blessed’ with a drive and great support from family and friends, the remarks still hurt.
The Olympian continued, ‘The cycles of poverty, discrimination, and sexism are much, much harder to break than the record for Grand Slam titles.’
Earlier in the day the soon-to-be mom championed her cause on Instagram, offering a Cliff Notes version of her essay in the caption.
The world-renowned tennis champion struck a power pose while donning a gray tee with the words ‘phenomenal woman’ written across.
Her caption espoused a similar message as her essay, explaining ‘July 31 is Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, which represents the number of days into 2017 a black woman must work to earn the same pay a white man made in 2016.
The younger Williams sister went on, writing ‘Black women are the cornerstone of our communities, they are phenomenal, and they deserve equal pay.’
Though Serena was all about championing girl power, she’s keeping mum when it comes to the gender of her unborn child.
The star revealed on Instagram last week that she was going to let her baby’s sex be revealed at birth.
‘So few surprises in life these days,’ she wrote ‘that’s why I’m waiting to find out the sex of the baby.’
Serena is expecting her first child with Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, 34.
The couple became engaged in December of last year, and are set to welcome their child between August and September.