Serena Williams: Unstoppable Queen?

Despite Johnny Mac’s take, Serena Williams fancies herself an Unstoppable Queen.

She and her corporate sponsors work hard, and reap the benefits of, promoting this image.

We’d do well to question it.

Is she really an Unstoppable Queen? And if so is that even a good thing?

Mounting pressure

Despite sitting on 23 Grand Slams, one win shy of tying the all-time record held by Margaret Court, Serena is the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. And in my mind, even though she’s powered over a less than great women’s field^[1]Serena’s last truly great rival, Justine Henin of Belgium, against whom Serena owned a 8-6 record, retired in 2011. during most of her time atop the sport, it’s not even close.

With or without another title Serena is the G.O.A.T.

But in the last many years she’s been utterly stoppable. Since 2016, Serena has appeared in 10 of 23 Grand Slam Finals. That’s an achievement unto itself. Her record in those finals, however, has been 2-8.

Serena hasn’t appeared in the last eight Slam finals. She turns 41 this year. She’s barely played. The pressure mounts.

And in the past, when the pressure has mounted, she’s committed some of the bigger meltdowns in recent sporting memory.

Myth of the unstoppable

I’m not sure if it’s her race or her gender, the combination of those in this bizarre era, or simply Serena that compels people to make her mythical.

We’ve not done this to the same degree with Roger or Rafa or Novak, even though their feats have been easily as jaw dropping.

In fact what made Rafa’s January slaying of Daniil “Goliath” Medvedev one of the greatest victories the sport has ever seen is precisely its relationship to Rafa’s vulnerability. Not only did he not know shortly before the Aussie Open whether he’d ever play again, he got his ass whooped for the first two of five sets.

He looked perplexed, overpowered, despondent. Vulnerability, not super-humanism, was on full display. His relationship to that, rather than his denial of it, is what made millions (even Roger fans) ultimately weep with joy.

Our limits

It’s important, regardless of how one identifies or is categorized by others, to promote a spirit of self-empowerment. Children should be able to look to their heroes and role models and say “I can too!”

We all see the benefit of that.

But in good conscience I’m not raising my daughter to be unstoppable, to worship hyper ambition. Life invariably reminds her, despite her phenomenal levels of inner strength, focus and drive (which I’ve wholly encouraged) that she is stoppable.

As a parent I’d do her a grave injustice if I were complicit in denying this. I’d be lying to her.

Life has a way of stopping us sometimes, of reminding us—despite our best intentions and deepest desires—that we do in fact have limits.

Denying this, or encouraging others to deny this, isn’t empowering. It’s misleading and delusional.

So I raise my daughter to believe that many things—especially those things she puts her full mind and soul to—are possible.

And I let her know I utterly love her even when (gulp) some things are not.

(As for the other part of the myth of the Unstoppable Queen I’m certainly not wishing to raise my daughter to be a queen—or a diva or a princess. I hope no explanation is needed.)

A mindset of pushing past limits is vital. So also is recognizing limits, and all the feelings (some unpleasant, some enlightening) that come from that.

So drink some of the Kool Aid (or, if you will, Michelob Ultra). Just know life, whether desired or not, has a lot more to offer. And that’s not a bad thing.