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Having Spent Time With Both Venus and Serena Williams, Their Former Coach Picks His Favorite Among the Legendary Sisters

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serena williams and venus williams

Under the tutelage of many prominent coaches, Venus Williams and Serena Williams carved an illustrious legacy on the women’s tour. One such name is Eric Hechtman, who has accompanied the Williams sisters during the twilight of their competitive journeys. Having coached both the American tennis icons, the 39-year-old coach recently had a tough choice to make.

Hechtman joined hands with Venus in 2019, and he later also teamed up with the younger Williams sister for a brief period. Now that he has worked with both the Williams sisters, the American coach recently picked his favorite among the two tennis legends.

In an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, Eric Hechtman was asked to name his all-time favorite tennis player on the WTA Tour. The American coach, who has been around a number of legendary figures on the circuit, picked the 7-time singles Grand Slam champion, Venus Williams.

Hechtman said, “Yeah, I mean from a fan’s perspective, I would say Venus, you know? So, I mean, Serena you gotta love like the flair that she brings. I mean, that’s not truly my personality. So I’d say Venus, you know, the story behind her and everything she accomplished and the first one kind of coming out there, breaking onto the scene, you know? Yeah, Venus for sure.”

While lauding Serena for bringing the ‘flair’ to the game, the 39-year-old named Venus as his all-time favorite WTA player. Though he has recently picked the elder Willams sister as his favorite, Hechtman previously hailed Serena as the ‘GOAT’.

Hechtman hailed Serena after teaming up with her

In 2022, Serena sent the tennis community into a frenzy after announcing her return to the tour during the grass-court season. The 23-time singles Grand Slam champion, who was away from the court for a while back then, announced her participation in the Wimbledon Championship.

Along with her comeback news, Serena also surprised the fans with her partnership with her elder sisters’s coach, Eric Hechtman. While expressing his excitement to accompany the former tennis ace, the American coach hailed her as the ‘GOAT’. He said, “LFG! So pumped for this trip with the GOAT”.

 

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TENNIS

Firmly Focused on Making Amends for Major Olympia Regret, Serena Williams Opens Up on Her Approach to Motherhood With Adira

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Being an athlete, Serena Williams‘ has embraced two motherhood journeys. She has two daughters and experiences different kinds of worlds as a mother. But, even after that, the 23-time Grand Slam champion gave her 100% to come up as the best mother. She still harbors regrets, though, about her first motherhood, even after becoming a mother for the second time.

While the 42-year-old American tennis legend is giving most of her time to her daughter Adira, she recently opened up about one regret that she has for Olympia. Let’s take a look at how Williams, journey of birthing Olympia was different from the recent time when she brought Adira into the world.

Giving birth after retiring from the tennis circuit was a new experience for the former world-number-one ranked tennis player. Recently, the 23-time Grand Slam champion shared a video on her YouTube channel in which she talked about attending her first event after giving birth to Adira this year. In that video, she talked about how there is a regret that she has as a mother.

She said, “After I had Adira, I kind of I didn’t go into hiding. But I just really took time and just enjoyed my baby. And with Adira, it’s different, because I’m not playing professional tennis right now. My mind isn’t necessarily in tennis mode, but I really wanted to take the time that I didn’t get with Olympia to enjoy those moments.” 

When Olympia came into the world six years ago, the mother had to commit to her sport while also balancing motherhood at the same level. But that’s not the case with Adira. As the 42-year-old American tennis legend retired from the tennis circuit last year, she gave her maximum time to her daughter and created memories in the early stages of her birth.

Apparently, now that she spends more time with her newborn, he is trying to make a man for the major Olympia regret, as now, after her retirement, her priorities have shifted from tennis to family. However, there was a time when Serena Williams also upset her daughter while getting ready to welcome the second one.

When the 23-time Grand Slam champion was pregnant with her second daughter, she shared a video of decorating baby Adira’s room, which was previously Olympia’s playroom. While the 6-year-old made a huge big sister sacrifice, she also shared her disappointment with her mother by throwing angry tantrums.

In the video, there was a moment when Williams was stopped at the door by her daughter. Olympia said, “You can’t go here.” Stuck in the situation, Williams quietly replied, “Am I not supposed to be in your room? I’ve been kicked out a bit places.” Although she tried to show off her angry side to her mother, she had to make the sacrifice for her little sister.

 

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TENNIS

11 Years After Stunning Serena Williams, ‘Powerful’ Piers Morgan Pridefully Boasts With Nick Kyrgios About the Beatdown – ‘I’m a Man’

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British journalist Piers Morgan never fails to catch the limelight. Be it famous events or controversies, the renowned journalist has been through all. Back in 2012, a video of him with Serena Williams went viral where he was seen winning a point against the American tennis legend. The video became the talk of the town as Serena was at her peak and losing, even a point, against Morgan was surprising. Recently, the video resurfaced, to which Morgan candidly reacted.

The British journalist, known for his controversial opinions on several topics, was involved in an interview with Kyrgios during which the two were engaged in an intense conversation. During that talk, Morgan brought up his victory over Serena.

Kyrgios and Morgan were talking about elite players during which old memories about the latter’s victory over the 23-time Grand Slam champ resurfaced. Morgan played that video that had gone viral and described the moment.

Talking about it, Morgan said, “You know I didn’t want to play that clip but you forced me into it with your taunting about me not being Elite level tennis player, that is me beating the greatest female player in history.”
Further, he went on to add, “I’m not claiming any credit obviously I’m a man, I’m more powerful I’m faster um more skillful uh but a win’s a win.”
What was interesting was the fact that the two played the point with a wooden racket. It was a new experience for Serena, who hadn’t played with classic wood rackets. Nonetheless, Serena was dejected at losing the point and Morgan’s joy knew no bounds.
Serena wasn’t too pleased playing with a wooden racket. After she lost against Morgan, she blamed her equipment for the loss. Describing the incident, Morgan said, “I suddenly discovered some form, banging a couple of serves that caused a startled Ms. Williams to exclaim (on camera). There was something pitiful about seeing a four-times Wimbledon singles champion blaming her tools.”
Piers gained massive bragging rights after that match and still remembers those moments, even to this day. The event, which was broadcast to 300 million people across 180 countries, gained massive popularity following Morgan’s upset.
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TENNIS

‘She Looked vulnerable..and Then Just Swept Everybody’ – Iga Swiatek’s Remarkable Turnaround Earns Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach’s Seal of Approval

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Seasons come and go, the 22-year-old Polish superstar continues to reign as the year-end world number 1 in women’s singles for the second time in a row. Iga Swiatek‘s supremacy was challenged by a handful of players this season. But she rose to the occasion every time she was put back to the wall. Here’s what Serena Williams‘ former coach says about the remarkable turnaround of Swiatek this season.

Iga Swiatek’s 2023 season officially began on 31 December 2022, with the start of the WTA Tour, 2023. She started the season as the 4th woman to be ranked as world number 1 for 40 or more consecutive weeks during her first stint as the top-ranked player. She wrapped up the season with a 68-11 win/loss record, 6 titles, more top 10 victories (13) than anyone on the tour. However, she struggled at the Majors this year.

Despite winning only 1 of the Grand Slam titles this year at the Roland Garros, she managed to bag nearly $10 million as prize money. Her dominance at the crucial moments didn’t let her slip too far from the battle with Aryna Sabalenka for the no.1 spot. Here’s what Rennae Stubbs said about Swiatek’s remarkable turnaround in 2023.

‘After having sort of a bit of a tough year, really, especially after Wimbledon through US Open swing was not good. And then you know she lost in Tokyo early, court superfast. You’re like shit, you know what’s going on here. And she looked vulnerable. She looked scared, she looked vulnerable. She looked like, anyone who can hit the ball hard could sort of put her under some pressure. And then she turned it around,‘ Rennae Stubbs.

Stubbs went on to add, ‘She won in China, in Beijing, and then won the WTA finals in Cancun and looked unbelievable. Didn’t look great in the first match. Won it down like 5-2 in the first set, and then just swept everybody after that. So I think she is by far the favorite now going into the Australian Open. But I think what she did this year was a learning experience about how to handle the pressure of what you did the year before.‘

After completing a stellar performance in most of the tournaments, Iga Swiatek now looks forward to the next season. She has already set her priorities for 2024.

A few days back, the world number 1 criticized the WTA heavily for the 2024 calendar. Next year is an Olympic year so the schedule is going to be quite intense. Swiatek expressed her disappointment over the scheduling of the French Open just before the Paris Olympics. Roland Garros is scheduled to take place from May 28 to June 29 next year. While Olympics is set to commence from July 26 to August 11. So there aren’t many gaps between the mega-events.

However, higher the intensity and higher the stakes for Iga Swiatek. The ‘Queen of Clay’ can now become the second player to clinch a Slam and Olympics gold medal in the same year, at the same city and same facility. Can she repeat the heroics of American Legend, Serena Williams?

 

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TENNIS

Serena Williams’ Husband Alexis Ohanian Expresses Gratitude to Elon Musk as He Enjoys a Free Tesla Cybertruck Ride

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While the world is eagerly waiting for the launch of the Tesla Cybertruck, Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian seems to have a taste of it before the launch. Elon Musk, who is the owner of Tesla, has revealed many exciting cars in his lineup. However, no car from Tesla is as anticipated as the Cybertruck. Recently, Ohanian’s opinion about it has got a lot of attention!

Although many loved the way the truck looked, some despised the design. Martina Navratilova is one such star, and she is outspoken about her dislike for the look of the truck. But Ohanian’s opinion might differ from hers.

Alexis Ohanian is a fan of what Elon Musk does most of the time. While he has disagreed with Musk about his policies for ‘X’ and some of his other statements, Ohanian loves much of what he does. Tesla is one of Musk’s ventures that is loved by Ohanian. Serena Williams’ husband recently managed to get his hands on the latest car in the Tesla lineup, which he shared with his followers.

He live-streamed on his ‘X’ page for approximately 20 minutes as he drove the Cybertruck, managing to get a free ride in Tesla’s newest vehicle. He also gave his impressions while riding the vehicle, stating that it felt a lot like their Model X while driving. Ohanian captioned it: “First drive of @TeslaCybertruck 003“.

He also added a story to his Instagram caption where he uploaded a picture of him receiving the vehicle. The entrepreneur captioned it, “Thanks, Elon,” while also sharing the message, “Invest in women’s sports,” which was written on the jacket he wore.

While Ohanian may be enamored with the vehicle he is taking home, one tennis star does not find it attractive in the slightest.

Czech-American tennis legend despises the Cybertruck

Martina Navratilova, unlike Serena Williams’ husband, is not a fan of Musk. She is quite outspoken about her disdain for the billionaire and is open about her dislike of the Cybertruck. As a video of the front angle of the truck was shared on ‘X’, she was quick to let the world know about her dislike for the truck.

She wrote, “I love cars and trucks etc. This thing is as ugly as it gets“. She is not alone in this opinion, as fans of electric automotive companies are split about the look of the truck. Navratilova has criticized Musk on many occasions, with the critique of the Cybertuck being another instance.

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TENNIS

Bad Personality Trait Lands Serena Williams in Trouble as She Is Forced to Multi-Task Over a Motherhood Duty

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serena williams

Serena Williams is a source of endless productivity. Even though she is retired from tennis, she has taken on several ventures, one of them being a mother for a second time. Someone in her position would need great time management as things can fall apart if not addressed at the right time. But sometimes, even the Queen of the Court is not able to manage her time well.

While Williams fell prey to time management issues this time, she used to map her day out and stick to the plan. The Queen of the Court has a meticulous schedule, which even involves time to kick back and relax. But now, her schedule has taken a hit.

The achievements of the Queen of the Court in and out of tennis have been surreal. To work the way she does, one needs to be a stickler for the rules they have set for themselves. Williams usually never fails to follow the day she has planned for herself. However, a mishap occurred, and now the 23-time grand slam champion has to do two tasks at once.

She uploaded a video on her TikTok, which was then reuploaded to Instagram by a fan account. She said, “I’m on my way to hang out at my dad’s house, and time for the best of me because sometimes I don’t manage my time well and now I am pumping and driving. Does anybody else do that? That’s normal, right?“

Williams may have fallen short of ensuring her day proceeded smoothly this time, but she is on top of everything each day. She has a strict schedule where she maps out a particular time for all activities, even relaxing.

Williams has to add relaxing to her daily plans

Williams has many ventures that need to be taken care of, even though tennis is not one of them anymore. But one needs a smooth sailing day when one is handling so many activities and needs to stick to a strict plan. Williams is someone who is known for her discipline. She takes scheduling her day a step ahead as she has to find a slot in the day to kick back.

In an interview with Gayle King of CBS Mornings, Williams said that she doesn’t know how to relax and has to add it to her daily schedule. There was bound to be one misstep from her which would require her to do two things at once. However, Williams will learn from the goof-up and will ensure that it doesn’t happen anytime soon.

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TENNIS

Despite Hard-Hitting Serena Williams Admission, Jessica Pegula Takes Heart From Her and Coco Gauff’s Efforts to Follow in the Legend’s Footsteps

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serena williams

Serena Williams has changed the algorithm of the way Americans view women’s rise in the tennis arena. However, since her retirement in 2022, a lot of other tennis players including Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula have been trying to follow in her footsteps to keep her legacy alive.

Recently, the 29-year-old American tennis star astonished everyone as she made a blunt Serena Williams admission. Not only that, she also opened up about her thoughts on the privilege of following the 42-year-old American tennis Legend’s athletic path.

Following the former world number one’s footsteps in the tennis world is not easy, but at the same time, Pegula and Gauff are trying to keep her legacy alive in the best way possible. Recently, in an interview with Forbes the fifth-ranked tennis player opened up her heart regarding how she and her doubles partner are putting effort into following the legendary Serena Williams legacy.

But before that in the same conversation, Jessica Pegula also made a strong statement regarding how it’s not easy to keep up with the 42-year-old American tennis legend’s legacy. She stated, “I don’t think anyone can fill Serena’s shoes.” 

Along with that, talking about Gauff, she detailed how it’s not easy to be the only American, to carry the pressure of being called the next Venus or Serena Williams. Pegula mentioned, “Someone like Coco has a lot of pressure on her as far as being regarded as the next Serena or Venus. I don’t really see that as a role I have to fill. But it’s pretty cool when I can say ‘I’ve won this many hardcourt matches, it hasn’t been done since Serena.’ Having little stats like that is really cool.” 

Nevertheless, she is not the only one who talked about how it’s not easy to live up to the pressure of being the Americans who lead their country in the world of tennis. A few months back, even the 19-year-old American tennis star brought out a totally different perspective amid witnessing noisy Serena Williams’ expectations rising around her.

During the US Open in a post-match press conference, the Grand Slam champion opened up about how she is a privileged tennis player while addressing the real hardships of the world. She said, “At first I used to think negative things, like, why is there so much pressure, why is this so hard, blah, blah, blah. I realize in a way it’s pressure, but it’s not.” 

Along with that, Gauff also highlighted how there are people who are struggling to feed their family not knowing when they might get their next meal, so her problem is quite small. That’s why rather than being under pressure to follow Williams’ footsteps, she is just enjoying her ride in the tennis world.

 

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TENNIS

I Am Not Ok..’ – Serena Williams Openly Addresses Fans in a Strong and Reassuring Mental Health Message

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The world of tennis, besides awarding players with luxuries like glory, titles, and financial success, also brings in unmatchable stress that could be hard to handle. American tennis legend Serena Williams, who has inspired millions of women to step forward and create history, is no stranger to this issue in professional tennis. She recently updated fans with her candid thoughts on positively accepting mental health issues.

While this concern has not just been limited to herself, the 42-year-old frequently keeps coming forward to use her status in the sports world to create awareness. Recently, the 23-time Grand Slam champion gave a surprising update about her mental health.

The former tennis star and entrepreneur has always been quite expressive about the importance of mental health. Whenever she has had the opportunity, Serena has shared her experience of dealing with high levels of stress and anxiety, during her time as a professional player, a public figure, a wife, a mother, and countless other roles.

Recently, the legend took to Twitter to share a candid message that started with a surprising update to the fans but eventually ended with a note of positivity. She wrote: “I am not ok today. And that’s ok to not be ok. No one is ok every single day. If you are not ok today I’m with you. There’s always tomorrow 😘 Love you.”

Serena’s tweet, besides updating fans about her current mental status, also acted as a reminder to everyone who was having a bad day. The ‘Queen of the Court’ showed that it is okay to be vulnerable and honest about feelings.

Besides sharing regular reminders, Serena also opened up about how she deals with mental health issues in a conversation with singer Selena Gomez earlier this year. The two celebrities discussed the importance of mental fitness and how they cope with stress and pressure in their own way.

Serena revealed that she has always practiced calming down her mind when she feels overwhelmed or anxious. “I did this years ago before mental health was like a topic among everyone’s mind. It was more like alright, I’m shutting myself down today. Just subconsciously something I have always done. I have serious boundaries and I don’t let anyone cross those boundaries,” she said.

Selena Gomez, who has been vocal about her own struggles with mental health, praised Serena Williams for being an inspiration and a role model for many people. While the conversation was part of a series of online chats that Selena Gomez posted on her Instagram account, they made sure that the message reached a wide audience to create awareness.

 

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Venus Williams Keeps the Child in Her Alive as She Turns Funky for an Environmental Cause in Texas

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Venus-Williams

Venus Williams never stops amazing her fans with her unique and inspiring initiatives. Recently, she partnered with the renowned fashion company Lacoste, for which she has been a brand ambassador, to work on something special. Her partnership with the French brand focused on purely fashion and sports in the past. But this time, her efforts were focused on an important environmental issue. Williams has been working with Lacoste for a long time now. Her collaboration with the brand on an eco-friendly theme will certainly further the adoration of fans for her.

Williams was recently at Hopscotch San Antonio for her recent collaboration with Lacoste. To promote the brand, she wore a brown jacket from their brand that was paired with a white bottom and sneakers. Her overall look was extremely stylish and sporty at the same time.

She posted a photo of herself sitting with a backdrop which was made of recycled bags. Along with the photo, she posted a caption that read, “Recycled bags transformed to art. Upcycle with a purpose.” Her theme for the collaboration was based on the major issue of recycling items, such as bags and fast fashion. According to the National Geographic, most of the plastic products produced around the world end up in the ocean, around 8 billion tons per year. Thus, methods such as recycling are certainly a step in the right direction.

Along with raising her voice about an important issue, since she was at Hopscotch, she also made sure to have fun while she could. After the post, she added a few stories on her Instagram account where she was clearly embracing the child in her.

In the first story she posted on Instagram, she was surrounded by a lot of rounded figures that looked like balloons. In the story, she also wrote, “Never grow up”. After that, she posted another story where she could be seen dancing around a mandala-like figure that was being projected on a screen. And in that story, she wrote, “This was fun”.

 

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“She’s One of Us”: LH Army Rallies Behind Serena Williams as She Refutes Toto Wolff’s Hot Take on Lewis Hamilton

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We mostly recognize power couples in the world. However, Lewis Hamilton and Serena Williams have showcased a side of power friends from time and again. The two have showcased support for each other on many occasions both with actions and with words. The retired tennis legend showcased this undying and unwavering support for Hamilton once again. In fact, on this occasion, she did so by refuting the hot take of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

Not only did Serena Williams refute the Mercedes boss but she also one-upped on his claim. The American spoke her mind but also practiced calm right after making her claim on the ESPN F1’s Instagram post. The post highlighted Toto Wolff‘s hot take on what motivated him in F1.

He said, “I have a personal anger and drive to make him win the eighth title because he should have had it.” On the post highlighting this comment from Wolff. Williams commented, “He should have had 9 already. But …. Lemme be quiet.”

Now we know there is only one possible title Hamilton could’ve won during their friendship which was the 2016 title. Now, everyone is privy to their opinion on any matter of the world. For Serena Williams, the 2016 championship probably could’ve gone the Briton’s way as well and that’s her opinion.

However, clearly, this opinion from Williams who backs her friend enough to try and get into business with him got the backing of the LH army.

Fans back Serena Williams after she one-ups Toto Wolff in favor of Lewis Hamilton

Now this comment is going viral on X (erstwhile Twitter) and the LH army can’t help but celebrate the tennis star. A few fans have declared this comment from the American, who was part of the LH army for a long time, gives her cult status.

A few fans agreed with her and even gave us two examples of where Hamilton could’ve easily won a championship.

There have been multiple seasons when Hamilton narrowly missed out on the championship. Barring the infamous 2021 fiasco & the 2016 close battle with Nico Rosberg, 2007 was also a near-miss for the 38-year-old.

The Briton’s debut year 2007 could have easily been a world title-winning one. While he was with McLaren back then, it backs up Williams’ 9 titles claim on the what-ifs of Hamilton’s championship cabinet.

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