One of my favorite parts of any Slam tournament is seeing Serena Williams’ latest Nike kit. Serena’s French Open kit is thankfully pretty cute. I love the neon green, the top is cute as hell and I like the matching shorts. I do feel like the little skirt/peplum wasn’t entirely thought-out though? It could have been and probably should have been more of an asymmetrical skirt covering the shorts.
Serena won her first-round match in straight sets even though she was shaking off some clay-court rust, and even though she had the strange “honor” of playing the first “night match” of the tournament, which meant that no one was even there beyond her team and her opponent’s team. Shortly after winning her match, Serena went into her late-night press conference and one of the first questions was about Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the tournament:
Williams spoke about Osaka’s decision in her post-match press conference after a first-round win over Irina-Camelia Begu on Monday.
“I feel for Naomi,” Williams said. “I feel like I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it’s like. Like I said, I’ve been in those positions.”
Williams, 39, has faced intense media scrutiny as the top player in the sport over the years, including many difficult press conferences after tough losses. “Many of them I’ve been into where I’ve been ― very difficult to walk in in those moments. But you know, it made me stronger.”
“We have different personalities and people are different,” Williams said. “Not everyone is the same. I’m thick. Other people are thin. Everyone is different and everyone handles things differently. You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to, in the best way she thinks she can, and that’s the only thing I can say. I think she’s doing the best she can.”
Williams stressed the importance of reaching out for help during times of stress.
“You really have to step forward and make an effort, just as in anything, and say, ‘I need help with A, B, C and D,’ and talk to someone,” she said. “I think that’s so important to have a sounding board, whether it’s someone at the WTA, or someone in your life, or maybe it’s someone you talk to on a weekly basis. I’ve been in that position too, and I’ve definitely had opportunities to talk to people and just get things off my chest that I can’t necessarily talk about to anyone in my family or anyone I know.”
Serena absolutely has been through some really dark moments in her career, moments where she experienced crushing depressing, moments where she dealt with life-threatening blood clots and bad injuries. She’s dealt with things her way over the years, and she revealed a few years ago that she is in therapy. I’ve seen some people criticizing Serena for the “I’m thick. Other people are thin” comment but I genuinely don’t think it was some kind of slam on Osaka. I think she was just saying “everybody’s different.”
Personalized @serenawilliams x @nike pic.twitter.com/24OrwmLeiK
— AlexisOhanian.eth 7️⃣7️⃣6️⃣ (@alexisohanian) May 31, 2021
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
People have been slamming Serena for that one part? Blegh humanity. This was such a thoughtful response!
People have inserted “skinned” into that sentence, and if that’s how it’s meant, it does sound like a dig (Serena calling Naomi thin-skinned). And I am not sure how else to read her comment? I presume she’s not talking about their bodies (it doesn’t sound like that to me at least)? What else could she mean by those two exact adjectives? If she just wanted to emphasise the difference between the two of them, I wish she’d use two different words.
@Nanny – I read it as her referring to body size, not being thick or thin skinned, and it makes sense as a natural place for her to go considering the vast amount of nonsense she has had directed her way for being thicker-bodied than her competition or being too muscular.
I doubt that mainly because in the previous sentence she mentions personalities (and says nothing about bodies), and in the following sentence she speaks of how people handle things, so it’s about personalities/reactions again. But in truth I don’t know. That’s why this bugs me a bit.
But either way, it’s well intentioned.
She clearly supports Naomi and that context is pretty important when it comes to intent.
She was answering questions in the heat of the moment, while wearing personalized Nike shoes with body positivity quotes. I get where you are coming from, but to me, on the whole, the simpler answer is she was talking about body type, which is consistent with her overall support of her in her response. Not that she was making digs at Naomi while trying to come off as being supportive.
Love Serena… still think it was a poor choice of wording. Thin-skinned (and, yeah, I think she meant it that way) implies weakness and Naomi is anything but weak. She stood up for herself despite losing out on $ and knowing that she would face negative responses.
She is giving a generic example of how people are different, in that statement in body type. She is naturally thick and proud of it; others are naturally thin. She couldn’t be referring to Naomi because Naomi isn’t thin. Her response was very compassionate and well said.
“What else could she mean by those two exact adjectives?”
Not sure how familiar you are with slang, but “thick” means the exact kind of body type that Serena has. bigger, but not fat. curvy, but not flabby. and considering, as has been noted, the HUGE amount of crap she’s been subject to because of her body type, and how it differs from other “standard” tennis bodies, it’s likely exactly what she meant.
and she didn’t only mention personalities in the previous sentence.
She said: “We have different personalities and people are different,” Williams said. “Not everyone is the same. I’m thick. Other people are thin.” Did you catch that? “AND” -emphasis mine – “people are different.” she’s talking in a general sense.
I understand why people may have interpreted it differently, especially those who don’t like SW or think she’s some sort of “bully”, but if you know her and her history in the sport (and all the ridic race-based crap she’s had to deal with, from diet to outfit to, yes, the way she handles the press), it’s very likely NOT what she meant.
She absolutely meant body types. She was criticized for her body type and unfairly compared to her sister’s different body type very early in their careers.
I’m going to say this again: Naomi doesn’t owe the media ANYTHING. It is her abilities at tennis that got her where she is today…..NOT THE MEDIA. The media doesn’t pay her salary in fact it is the opposite the media NEEDS Naomi and so does the French Open. Serena is a class act. The most important comment she made is that everyone is different. Just because one person can handle the harsh pressure from the press doesn’t mean another person can. So proud of both of these women but I’m also proud of Meghan/Oprah for helping to break down this wall for WOC to speak out on this important issue
The part of this I can’t get over is that it all went down during Mental Health Awareness month, and yet still, no one in charge of this tournament stepped in and shut down the conversation. No one becomes an elite athlete because of their social skills, in fact I bet it can be the exact opposite, especially in a sport that is so solitary.
Naomi Osaka certainly didn’t train for her entire life so she could get up and talk in front of cameras, she trained to play tennis. Why any tournament would refuse to support one of their athletes that is saying she needs help is BEYOND me. Especially now.
WORD UP.
Okay seeing the context now, I def think the part about being thick or thin is just about physical attributes, not about being “thick skinned” or not. She’s saying people are different, and the same way she is thick and someone else may be thin, some may be able to handle the post-loss pressers and it may be too much for someone else.
Thick skinned vs thin skinned……the ability to not let something have an overwhelming impact on you vs. it having an impact. It’s not a slight it just means we are all different. What will hurt me mentally may not hurt you.
Yep. I am thick of body, but thin of skin. ☺️
I honestly thought she just meant she’s thic, others are thin, as in physically. LIke, everybody’s different. Maybe I took it the wrong way, I don’t know.
this – its people using conventional spelling and not understanding that she means physical differences (thic person vs. thinner person). I definitely read it as thic not thick skinned.
agree. especially since over the years Serena has had to answer plenty of body-shaming questions in post-match conferences regarding her physique, not to mention the plethora of commentary regarding her vocalisations while serving (in one article I read her ‘grunts’ were compared to the ‘sighs’ of sharapova… about the time I gave up on tennis reporting, ugh)
Seriously why would Serena talk about her physical make-up when the question was about mental health? She was talking about thick skin vs thin skinned.
it doesn’t really matter what thick or thin she’s referring to, really?
If Serena is saying she has thick skin and that others have thin, is that an indirect slight? If she’s talking about having to battle the press room repeatedly questioning her physique and comparing her to others taking a toll on her mental health, does that express solidarity?
at the end of the day, we don’t know her thoughts when she made the quote, and that part of the quote lends itself towards allowing additional speculation for whatever reason, but overall it appeared supportive and I’d like to believe that
Seriously why would Serena talk about her physical make-up when the question was about mental health?
+1
In my opinion, the system needs to change because these post-match interviews can be a toxic environment for the players. Serena has endured it in her own way and is obviously supportive of Naomi. However, just because this is how it’s been doesn’t mean it isn’t time to examine the system in place and make some changes.
I agree that she was talking about her body type and not her being able to take criticism. I think she was using this as an example of how people are different not as any knock on Naomi. There was a tennis official who was criticizing Serena about her weight and how she should retire. I think her comments were very empathic to Naomi.
you are right.
Of course folks are trying to go after Serena for that comment. The same way folks were trying to come for FLOTUS Obama for saying what she did about Meghan and what she’s gone through with the royal family.
Always come for the dark skinned black woman and ignore the slander and disgusting abuse they received.
Ugh. Humans can be so disgraceful and STUPID.
Serena used slang terms (IMO) when she was referring to mental illness (thick skin vs thin skin). When all is said and done she simply stated let her handle this issue the best way for her. That is what’s most important. All of the noise is to try and divide. To use Serena to punish Naomi. The same with Meghan and Michele Obama. It’s how white people feel safe to punish POC.
@ MM Madison, I agree with you, as you clarified it earlier. To me, Serena was referring to people having thick skin or thin skin. As in, some people have thick skin and can take the tough questions and any reference to belittle or dehumanize an athlete, they allow the answer to flow like the water on a ducks back. They don’t allow the reporters questions to bother them emotionally. Whereas thin skinned people take the press questions or comments personally, which that person does not have the ability to shake off what the press, or anyone else for that matter, which messes with their own mental health. They are less able to block out the people who mess with their emotional well being.
As for Naomi, the fact that it’s somehow imperative that the athletes speak to the press before or after they have played should present an awareness as to how abusive the press can be to the players, especially to woman.
Comment in wrong spot.
The GOAT has spoken.
‘Haters gonna hate’
I LOVE her! I don’t think there was any ill-will in her statement.
Kaiser, I agree with your comments on her outfit. I do like it, except for the skirt (peplum). It feels like an after-thought.
Didn’t think a dissenting opinion will be censured on this site.. If I say Serena is a goddess and perfect in every way, will it be published? How is that helping anyone and advancing towards solving the problem?
John McEnroe was so bitch-ass rude back in the day. And this poor woman is being bullied because of social anxiety. Just wow.