A legendary phone call from Serena Williams lit a fire for Alycia Parks! The 23-year-old American has made it known that she wants to play on the same court as Williams. Parks recently began her journey to kickstart the French Open in full swing and received recognition from Serena’s elder sister, Venus Williams.

Since the Madrid Open, while the young American struggled to keep up her form, she started off her French Open run with a victory. She defeated Manon Leonard in the qualifying round while trying to make her place in the main draw of the event.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion posted a video of her screen in which she was watching the young American play, encouraging the 23-year-old on her Instagram stories. Rather than playing herself, she supported her favorite players from her couch while sharing a video, staying connected to the event itself. Along with that, she wrote, “watching @alyciaparks SHINE,”

Apparently, the 43-year-old American tennis legend didn’t receive a wildcard for the clay-court Grand Slam event, because of which she is not able to attend as a participant. On the other hand, while it’s a good day for Parks, as she started off her run with a victory, receiving acknowledgment from her idol’s sister, was not on her list.

The 42-year-old legend contacted her and her sister Mikayla when they were much younger, and Parks remembered the call well, having received it earlier this year. In an interview with Tennis Channel, she said, “I remember getting a call from Serena… I don’t remember exactly what she said, but they were very positive words,”

Michael Parks, the father of the park, continued, “Serena’s call had a significant impact on their lives. They knew they could beat anyone or accomplish anything – she told her to play hard and stay with her goals.” But the 23-time Grand Slam winner’s impact can be seen off the court as well. Parks donned a “Queen” necklace from Williams’ jewelry line at the Lyon Open in the previous year. In the process of winning her first WTA title and defeating top seed and hometown audience favorite Caroline Garcia, Parks made this poignant gesture.

The American tennis player celebrated her win in Lyon by posting a number of photos to her Instagram account, one of which had her wearing a “Queen” necklace as a nod to Serena Williams, her tennis idol. She was sure to give Serena Williams the credit when she accepted her first championship.

The jewelry line’s official page posted a picture of Parks wearing the necklace and her WTA trophy on their Instagram story. “QUEEN things” and “shining in our ‘QUEEN’ ID necklace” were written in the caption. This demonstrated the close relationship between Parks and the 23-time Grand Slam winner and his first career victory in Lyon.

The difference between being great and being legendary can often come down to the mindset that works behind such ambitions. And Novak Djokovic, the G.O.A.T. of tennis, understands this very well. Drawing inspiration from athletes like Serena Williams, Tom Brady, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Djokovic provided a glimpse into how he draws inspiration from his fellow sporting legends.

Earlier this year, Novak Djokovic sat down for an interview on “Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios“. There he admitted the inspirational figures in his life and the motivation he draws from them. “I identify with Tom Brady as well. And Serena is first of all – incredible mind of a champion, just incredible hunger for success, for improvement. Cristiano Ronaldo is also like that,” Djokovic began.

He further added, “But just willingness on a daily basis. To take your body, your mind, your character, your emotions, to a different level. To be a better version every single day. And to crush the borders and limits that everyone imposes on you.”

As the Serbinator said, Williams, Ronaldo, and Brady have indeed shown their leadership to the world. Tom Brady, who has led his Super Bowl victories to a record 7 times in his career, is exceptionally dedicated to his game. And with his meticulous preparation, strict dietary regimes, and various sacrifices, he has managed to play at his highest level even in his 40s.

Tennis icon Serena Williams is also not far behind in this arena. The 23-time Grand Slam winner has won more Grand Slam singles titles than any other woman or man had during her time in the Open Era. Overcoming injuries that ranged from torn hamstrings to knee injuries over the years, her resilience and commitment to improvement served as a beacon of hope for many athletes, like Novak Djokovic.

And when it comes to football champion Ronaldo, who holds the record for most goals in his Championship Leagues, his dedication to football is also an inspiration for many players worldwide. Novak Djokovic, who is a tennis legend himself, also opened up previously about the one thing that works for him besides being inspired by other legends.

Last year, Novak Djokovic revealed how self-confidence is what drives him forward in his goal. “I believe that what worked for me and still works for me is that self-belief and confidence level.” He further continued, “But just self-belief. That, hey, I know that when I’m ready, when I’m there out on the court, on any surface, against anybody, I’m better. I’m the best.”

Djokovic, who is completing his 425th week on top, has had an illustrious career in tennis. Throughout his over two-decade-long career, Djokovic has won a total of 98 singles titles to his name. And he is not stopping anytime soon, as he himself admitted during an Australian Open post-match interview. While he continues to show his prowess on-court, we all hope that he keeps drawing inspiration from other athletes and moves forward in his career.

Serena Williams‘ husband Alexis Ohanian is a man of many hobbies. Several times he was spotted indulging in cooking, painting, playing video games, and even golfing with his daughter Olympia. But did you know, despite him being a successful internet entrepreneur and investor he’s also a sports memorabilia enthusiast? He loves collecting sports trading cards and has many of his wife’s rarest trading cards in his collections. But among such a vast collection of wife Serena Williams’ rookie cards, which one is his favorite?

Recently, he shared a post of ALT (it claims to be the modern marketplace to buy and sell trading cards), on his Instagram stories. In that post, a person revealed Alexis Ohanian’s favorite card. He said, “This is actually Alexis’ favorite card. And it’s the 2018 Employee Exclusive Patch Auto. But he loves it because this is a photo of her in the 2017 Australian Open, where she was pregnant with Olympia. So this is his favorite card by far.“

They further went on to show a vintage 2003 Serena Williams’ Trophy Room card. These are those two cards which every Serena Williams fan would love to get a sneak peek at once in their lives. Alexis Ohanian has a huge collection of cards with him. But they are primarily focused on tennis players.

His collections include the Williams sisters, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and many more. However, talking about some of his rarest collections from different sports. Serena Williams’ husband flaunted his prized possession of the iconic 1986/87 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan rookie card earlier this year. Last year, he even endorsed an iconic trading card featuring the GOAT of the soccer world, Lionel Messi. His craze with these cards often gets portrayed through his social media posts.

Last year in October, Alexis Ohanian took to social media to share a video of him unboxing a fresh pack of NetPro cards. He looked absolutely over the moon after seeing a rare Serena Williams card in impeccable condition. Ohanian shared that moment with his fans by writing, “Found a familiar face in my break this morning,” in the captions of that post.

Did you know, in 2022 Serena Williams’ 2003 Net Pro signed patch rookie card was sold for a staggering $266,400 at the Golden Auction? In fact, it was then more than doubling the record for a card featuring a female athlete. However, as you all know Serena Williams made her professional debut in 1995. So it was not a rookie in 2003. But that year marked the first time in tennis that it was made available to the public in nearly a decade-long gap.

When it comes to promoting women’s sports, Serena Williams‘s businessman husband, Alexis Ohanian knows no limits. This Angel City FC investor, recently stormed social media after giving a shout-out for wifey, Serena Williams’s BFF Kim Kardashian’s new collaboration with WNBA. Kim Kardashian, who also attended the Armenia Fund project with Ohanian, has bedazzled the Reddit co-founder with her new objective “Fits Everybody”. After spotlighting men’s basketball with the previous two campaigns, Skim’s latest move celebrates women players for the first time.

Reddit’s co-founder Alexis Ohanian recently tweeted on his official X (formerly Twitter) platform to congratulate Kim Kardashian’s $4 million clothing line brand Skims‘s latest campaign with the Women’s National Basketball Association. “THIS is so good. Great job @skims team +@tracyromulus ” tweeted Ohanian.

Along with his wish, Ohanian also retweeted Kim Kardashian’s official message on X, where she shared Skims‘s latest campaign featuring prominent female basketball players flaunting their comfortable and nude-colored underwear. “As the official underwear of the @WNBA, SKIMS is as comfortable as it gets. Just in time for the season tip-off Candace Parker, Cameron Brink, Kelsey Plum, Dijonai Carrington, and Skylar Diggins-Smith sport our Fits Everybody collection” Kim Kardashian tweeted.

Skims‘s latest campaign features Candace Parker, who just retired from the sport after a long 16 years of professional career. Parker was an overall pick in 2008 and a three-time WNBA champion. Fans spotted the 2024 second-overall draft pick for LA Sparks, Cameron Brink, who had a successful career at Stanford previously.  “SKIMS has been an underwear staple in my wardrobe for years, I’m really grateful to be included in this lineup of players, especially with the greats who I have looked up to for so long. It’s truly a dream come true to be working with a brand that I love so much ” said Brink.

Then there was Kelsey Plum, the no 1 overall pick, and Skylar Diggins-Smith who graced their presence at the campaign. Dijonai Corrington was one of the new faces of the campaign, who joined the league as a draft pick for Connecticut Sun in the second round. These talented basketball names showed off neutral-toned innerwear from the brand’s Fits Everybody collection. Photographer Hugh Wilson shot the campaign.

After starting her brand in 2019, Kim Kardashian bagged a huge deal with WNBA last year as they became the association’s official innerwear partner. Skims, which has created popularity in the American market offers t-shirts, hoodies, and swimsuits parallel to their dedicated venture with comfortable loungewear for both men and women. Not only WNBA, but Kardashian’s $4 million clothing line is also the official innerwear partner for the National Basketball Association.

Delighted to be a part of women’s sports, Kardashian stated- “Championing women and women in sports is incredibly important to SKIMS, Our brand DNA is rooted in inclusivity, representation and women’s empowerment, which are values shared with the WNBA. We are honored to be the Official Underwear Partner of the league and look forward to continuing our work together throughout the season.”

Alexis Ohanian’s best wishes for Skims‘s new campaign represent how much he dedicatedly promotes women’s sports. More than that, it shows Ohanian’s gentlemanly gesture to support a friend’s good initiatives. Not only Ohanian but, Serena Williams’s good friend Kim Kardashian also complimented the tennis star’s amazing bond with her husband Alexis Ohanian.

Kim Kardashian once complimented Ohanian calling him Serena Williams’s “prince”

While Kim Kardashian was Serena Williams’s professional closet organizer, their working relationship transitioned into a beautiful friendship later on. In her interview with Vogue in 2017, Kardashian gave her fans a glimpse of her bond with Serena by sharing the world’s former number-one tennis star’s interesting secrets with the interviewer.

“She is obsessed with karaoke, which personally is my biggest fear in life. I remember a dinner in San Francisco before a DNC fund-raiser. Serena sang, Obama sang, Kanye sang. It was legendary. She gives herself those moments — it’s how she recharges, Serena’s the girl you can call and say anything to. She’ll never judge you, and she’s never too busy for you,” said Kim.

Her bond with Serena Williams is another story. However, Kardashian attended this Olympic gold-medalist WTA star’s wedding with Ohanian in New Orleans and surprised her fans by complimenting Alexis Ohanian. “I’ve known Serena for so long and am so happy she’s found her prince. From the moment she told me she met Alexis in Rome, it was like… she’s been so happy and has this light about her that is so special to see. You just know it is so real. He makes her so happy and that just makes her friends happy” she said about Williams’s marriage in an interview.

Nevertheless, Alexis Ohanian’s wish for Skims‘s new campaign screams about his and Serena Williams’s strong friendship with Kim Kardashian. It also shows Ohanian’s attempts to popularise women’s sports and empower the athletes. With a renowned personality like Kim Kardashian joining the league, women’s sports will soon shine bright globally, influencing other countries.

Defeating Serena Williams was the dream of many. But for Bianca Andreescu, it turned into reality at the 2019 US Open final. What helped her achieve such a huge success? Well, it’s her fearless approach to the game. Shedding light on her mindset while playing against Williams, the 23-year-old recalled her epic win against the American on her home ground!

The U.S. Open final of 2019 was not just a match but a clash of generations. With a score of 6-3, 7-5, Bianca Andreescu not only showed her prowess against the former World No. 1, but she also achieved her first Grand Slam victory. And she was only 19 years old back then! Recalling this historic moment in her career, during The Tennis Letter Podcast, she said, “Told myself to fuck it.”

Further adding to it, Bianca Andreescu continued, “I did everything I could at that point. Um, but it’s obviously different looking back, because back then I had no pressure I was just you know, a kid like climbing up the ladder and I was just having fun out there.”

However, her victory at the match went beyond her “having fun,” as she became the first teenager to win a Grand Slam since Sharapova in 2006. However, on the other hand, Williams surprisingly had a tough time struggling with her serve and even double-faulted three times. And soon, the then-37-year-old faced a defeat against Bianca Andreescu. But, like a true champion, Williams came to her after the defeat and shared some kind words with her.

However, for the Canadian player, this victory remained etched in her memory forever, “I mean going back and watching that match over and over again and it’s really nice to know that I have that under my belt, like no one can ever take that away from me,” she concluded. However, amid the intense match, Andreescu mentioned one thing that bothered her.

Bianca Andreescu confessed how she “was blocking out the noise” during her match against Williams

Bianca Andreescu’s first-ever victory against Serena Williams was “not easy”. Especially as she battled against a player who had by then already achieved 6 U.S. Open titles! Therefore, the crowd that was used to watching Williams win roared in her support. And this became a problem for Andreescu.

She later admitted, “I was blocking out the noise, or trying to. I could barely hear myself think really. It was really, really loud. But I guess that’s what makes this tournament so special.” Andreescu continued, “I just tried to stay as composed as I could. It’s hard to just block everything out, but I think I did a pretty good job at that.”

And even after almost five years of that victory, Bianca Andreescu still considers it a pivotal moment in her career. The former World No. 4 still draws inspiration from that victory and continues to progress in her career.

Fans are still not done celebrating Iga Swiatek‘s recent win at the Madrid Open. However, soon after attaining immense glory by defeating Aryna Sabalenka, the tennis didn’t seem to rest as she started her run for another title in Rome. However, despite being the first choice of the Italian crowd, the world no. 1 denied considering herself closer to the likes of Serena Williams.

Recently, Polish tennis star Iga Swiatek defeated Yulia Putintseva to secure a position in the top 16. Soon after the victory, the WTA pro indulged in a conversation where she was exposed to a query about her target for the ongoing Italian Open. According to the records, only Serena Williams and Dinara Safina are the ones who secured wins in both Madrid and Rome in the same year. Keeping her focus limited to small steps, the Pole denied possessing dreams to secure this feat.

“Winning next match is on my radar. As usual, taking everything step by step is the best way to go. There’s still a long way. Yeah, I need to focus on what I need to focus on,” the 22-year-old said, elaborating on her strategy to desire one win at a time. Although she denied being ambitious, the Pole mentioned how difficult it is to emerge victorious in clay court tournaments.

“But obviously it’s hard to win these tournaments, especially when you don’t have time to really get used to the conditions if you play well in Madrid,” she added, pointing at the hardships she had to go through during her run for the title in Madrid.

As world no. 1 continues to take down her rivals one at a time, it remains to be seen if she will be able to join the house of glory with the likes of Serena Williams and Dinara Safina.

Besides denying the fact that she has high goals for the ongoing tournament in Rome, Iga Swiatek mentioned that she enjoys her presence in the ongoing tournament. The 22-year-old recently won her second match in the tournament to earn a place against Angelique Kerber in the round of 16.

“I’m happy to be [in Rome] because I love this place,” she said, mentioning how she likes it here. Revealing the elements she likes about the place, the WTA pro added, “I love the food. I was literally just eating for the last two days…I like the different vibe that [this tournament] has. The courts, nature that is everywhere. Fans, as well. It’s pretty crazy here usually with the fans. They’re loud and they’re everywhere.”

As the tennis star looks forward to raising one step at a time, it remains to be seen how far she takes herself in the tournament, paving her way through some of the best competitors on tour.

Few names in tennis resonate with the same magnitude as Novak Djokovic’s. Rick Macci, the former coach of Serena Williams who once sculpted her early days in tennis, praised the G.O.A.T., Novak Djoković, for his enduring legacy in tennis. Calling him the “Serbian Sniper “, Macci reminded all of us how his prowess on-court is not to be forgotten ever.

“Because we see it in REAL TIME the Serbian Sniper will always be remembered as TIMELESS as he delivered TIME and TIME again with impeccable TIMING and knew how to take TIME away and buy TIME and his Goat Status will stand the test of Time. @DjokerNole,” wrote Rick Macci on X. Rightly so, Novak Djokovic has indeed shown his patience and endurance even throughout the current season as well.

Despite having a turbulent start to 2024, reaching only two semifinal matches so far, Novak Djokovic has never failed to show his determination to be his best. Last year’s ATP world tour winner, Djokovic has so far participated in only four tournaments. And even though he remained titleless, his top spot at No. 1 is still intact.

This is because of his consistently incredible achievements in tennis during his two-decade-long career. With 24 Grand Slams to his name, Novak Djokovic has indeed stood the test of time, as he remains at the top for about a total of 424 weeks! He even broke Roger Federer’s record of being at the top just a month ago.

But, as Macci said, even after these huge achievements, he knew when to take his time away from tennis. This happened after last year’s disappointing Wimbledon defeat against Carlos Alcaraz. Before embarking on his U.S. Open tournament, he said, “I needed time away from the tennis world”. 

And it proved to be quite fruitful for him as he emerged stronger and won the U.S. Open of 2023. But, the 36-year-old player is not done conquering his goals. He is vying for an Olympic gold medal this year in Paris.

Even after having an illustrious career, the joy of earning an Olympic gold medal has eluded him. Although he did win a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Djokovic has not earned any medals since then. Although he was present at the last Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, he faced a semifinal defeat against Alexander Zverev. 

But as he makes his fifth appearance in the Olympics this year, the Serbinator’s goal is clear. “Winning the Olympic gold for my country would be something really, really unique and special,” Novak Djokovic said in an interview. No matter what the outcome is, as Macci mentioned, he will indeed be remembered as “timeless”.

It’s pretty hard to keep calm after seeing the ‘Queen of the Court‘ pulling up her socks, and shining her armory on the other side of the court. How difficult it is to hold the temperament at that moment and then outclass her with their own performances? Well, there aren’t many who would stand a chance to tell the secret of beating Serena Williams on bigger stages of the game. But Wim Fissette is an exception! He has worked with six different players who have beaten Serena Williams quite a few times in the past. Fissette got a closer look at how the 23-time Grand Slam champion used tactics to get into the head of her opponents. The secret to success?

Believe. As it says, believe you can and you’re halfway there! Recently, while speaking to The AO Show’s ‘The Sit-Down with Wim Fissette’ podcast, the renowned Belgian tennis coach revealed how important it was to be strong mentally to outclass the American tennis legend, who loves playing mind games. Fissette has coached several world number-one tennis stars in his career so far. To beat Serena Williams was pretty special to him and he’s proud of his achievements. But the one which struck him the most during those matches was, “I think Serena definitely won a lot of matches before the match started,” Fissette.

Serena Williams is someone who always came up with vast experience in winning multiple matches and titles in her career. He added, “I think making the player aware of like, what was going to happen even before the match would start, you know. Say she likes to be a little bit late, before the start of the match. So she likes to make you wait.” He said there were a couple of other things which Williams used to do before the match to make her presence felt by her opponents. “Seeing Serena on the other side is not easy to stay calm, like so it’s super important,” Wim Fissette.

The 44-year-old tennis coach has won six major titles by coaching multiple tennis stars in his career. But watching his player (Angelique Kerber) beat seven-time champion Serena Williams at the finals of the 2018 Wimbledon Championships was really special. It holds a special place in his heart. How did he manage to do this next-to-impossible task?

“That was phenomenal” – Fissette’s reaction to Kerber beating Serena Williams in the finals of the 2018 Wimbledon

Fissette began working with two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Angelique Kerber in 2018 after the German struggled throughout 2017 and fell out of the top-20. Being the third Major champion Fissette worked with in his coaching career, Kerber defeated Serena Williams by 6-3,6-3 in the finals of 2018 Wimbledon Championships. Wim revealed what worked best for Kerber in accomplishing such a feat: “Starts with first of all the right play plan and confidence. I felt like I mean, the whole year, Angelique was playing really well.”

Fissette said Kerber knew grass court was her best surface. He added they had a good preparatory camp ahead of the tournament in Eastbourne. But the only issue which he had about her game at that moment was, that she was very passive. Hence, the Belgian coach had to then ask her to play a little more aggressively and take her chances whenever there was an opportunity. Winning Wimbledon was Kerber’s dream and she was pretty much confident about winning the tournament that year. But to defeat one of the best player of all time, Serena Williams was really exceptional. “That was phenomenal” – Wim Fissette’s reaction to the Wimbledon triumph in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports in 2022 adds weight to the case.

It’s that time of the year when Hollywood and Sports meet Fashion and the result usually is nothing short of iconic. The Met Gala undoubtedly is fashion’s biggest night of the year and the stage is set for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to welcome the stars gracing this event. Supervised by Vogue’s global editorial director Anna Wintour, a big tennis fan herself, the 2024 Met Gala will have its own share of sporting celebrities.

The guest list for the gala is usually kept under wraps hours before it starts but celebrities have the tendency to drop sneak-peeks for fans of their outfits. Anna Wintour has chosen “Sleeping Beauties” as the theme for this year and she expects celebs to wear a lot of “flowers”.  Coming to tennis’ presence at the Gala, Serena Williams has always led the way followed by her sister Venus Williams in terms of the no. of appearances.

However, Russian legend Maria Sharapova has also ensured that her regal presence was felt multiple times over the past decade. Remember in 2021 when Sharapova and Serena broke the internet with their iconic photo from the Met? Well, buckle up tennis fans. You are in for a treat as the sport’s iconic rival duo could very well repeat the same feat this year.

Back in 2023, Serena stunned the sporting world by announcing her pregnancy on the red carpet alongside husband Alexis Ohanian. Sharapova, on the other hand, gave the gala a miss last year. A fact to note here is that the 2023 Met was co-chaired by none other than Roger Federer. Imagine the hype if all the three of them had gotten together for a photo?

Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams drop updates from their Met Gala outfit prep

Well, we might not be fortunate enough to witness that but for now, we can have both Serena and Sharapova gang up for a second time. Few hours ago, Maria posted a photo on her Instagram about her excitement for the gala.

The Russian legend doesn’t stop here as she is consistently dropping fun-filled updates from her team while prepping. “The calm before the Sleeping Beauty storm”, reads one Instagram story as Maria points to a bouquet on her table. Clearly, Sharapova enjoys getting ready for an illustrious event like the Met Gala.

Coming to Serena Williams, she started off a bit late than Maria in giving an update to her fans about her presence. The American icon shares a “cool package” from Ashley Graham, who will be hosting one of the red-carpet shows for Vogue. If this acts as a teaser for her confirmed presence at the Gala, Serena’s latest Instagram stories ensure that she is all set to own the red-carpet once again this year.

It might be difficult even for Serena to top last year’s show-stealing outfit plus the pregnancy reveal but if she could manage a pose with her tennis rival Maria Sharapova like she did in 2021, that will be more than enough to keep internet and fans buzzing throughout this week.