The legendary tennis player wanted to head in a different direction when she was 10 years old.
Serena Williams revealed that her dream of becoming a gymnast was derailed by
At ten years old, Serena
considered gymnastics as a backup plan if tennis failed but her dad refused to allow the option, believing tennis would offer her the greatest opportunities to succeed in life.
Although he was later proved right, this moment left her feeling devastated and forced her to focus solely on the sport he envisioned, surrendering one of her ambitions and passions for success.
“I desperately wanted to be a gymnast,” Williams said, speaking to Venus. “One day my dad was like, ‘What would you do if it doesn’t work out in tennis?’
“I would say, ‘I want to be a gymnast’. One day my dad took me aside and he’s like, ‘You can’t say that anymore’.
“I was also like 10 years old. When I tell you I was devastated, my heart sank, and I felt like, ‘You crushed my dreams of being a gymnast!'”
Her older sister, Venus, who has won seven singles slams, reflected on their father’s reasoning, noting that gymnastics requires early specialization and Serena had already grown taller than most elite gymnasts.
So her father’s strict guidance ultimately ensured her future success in tennis instead of a sport with limited prospects.
“She was already too tall, and you have to start really young,”
Serena embraced tennis fully, winning her first Major singles title at the US Open in 1999 at age 17 and over her career, she collected 23 Major singles championships, set numerous records, and retired in 2022 with her final appearance at the US Open, solidifying her legacy.
Beyond her tennis career, Serena remains active in promoting women’s sports and attended the second edition of Athlos, a track-and-field event created by her husband Alexis Ohanian, which gathers top female athletes and celebrates achievements beyond tennis.
Williams played a central role at Athlos 2025, crowning winners with Tiffany crowns and supporting the event’s mission to raise visibility for women in sports.
Athlos surpassed its debut edition in every metric, showcasing her ongoing influence in athletics.
While Williams is a celebrated former tennis champion, the current World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has now surpassed her single-season earnings record as the Belarussian earned $15,008,519 in 2025, overtaking Serena’s $12,385,572 in 2013.
Her 2025 season includes victories at the US Open, Madrid Open, Miami Open, and Brisbane International meaning she has 21 WTA singles titles, including four majors, nine WTA 1000 wins, and six doubles titles.
After struggling with ranking consistency in 2022, Sabalenka achieved World No. 1 status in 2023 displaying an aggressive and consistent style of play.
She defended her Australian Open title, won the US Open, and finished as year-end No. 1 for the second consecutive year.
While Serena‘s career remains historic, Sabalenka‘s recent accomplishments show the evolving standards of women’s tennis.
Her achievements reflect both her talent and the continuing competitive landscape that current and former champions navigate.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of a rough stretch after the 2025 season started out so great. They began the year with a record of 4-1, but now the group is 5-4 after going 1-3 in their last four games. The franchise’s lead in the AFC North has dwindled down to just one game, and it is hard to imagine the Steelers are going to be able to hang onto the lead in the division with the Baltimore Ravens surging and the Cincinnati Bengals still within reach while Joe Burrow returns to practice. Tensions are clearly rising in Pittsburgh, but the group is going to have to manage that in order to get back in the win column.
There was obvious frustration on the field during Pittsburgh’s most recent game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. The offense had just three points throughout most of the game, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers let his emotions be seen as there were multiple shots of him being disappointed with himself, or of him getting frustrated with teammates.
NFL insider Mike Garafolo spoke about this on Thursday during an episode of Good Morning Football, and he shared that things might not be on solid ground in Pittsburgh at the moment.
“Something’s bothering me with the Steelers right now,” Garafolo said. “Aaron Rodgers’ reactions to his own teammates, to maybe himself, I don’t know. There’s been a lot of this. I don’t love it, right? He strongly hinted that this could be his last NFL season. He hasn’t really closed the door or solidified that. I’m not gonna pretend like I know what’s going on in his head, but this leads me to believe the whole thing’s just not on solid ground right now.”
Everyone always overreacts whenever Rodgers acts in certain ways because the media has always attempted to paint him to be the villain, especially during the latter parts of his career with the New York Jets. He has been a great teammate and leader with the Steelers, but Garafolo pointed out that the veteran’s reactions on Sunday night were notable, and not in a good way.
The national media jumps at every opportunity to paint Rodgers in a bad light it seems. It is not the best look in the world to be yelling at teammates on the field and whatnot, but that is what comes with playing football, especially quarterback. He is a 41-year old who won the league’s MVP Award four times. It’s hard to imagine his younger teammates take too much offense when he criticizes their play or voices his displeasure with a miscommunication.
Rodgers has earned the right to act the way he does on the field, but it probably doesn’t come off as well during games when he is struggling. That was the case on Sunday night as the quarterback missed plenty of throws, which could be a reason things might be shaky in the locker room.
Garafolo also spoke about whether or not Rodgers would be retiring in 2026 or returning to play. He is only on a one-year deal with Pittsburgh, so he would technically be a free agent again during the offseason. However, if he decided to play again, hopefully he would want to return to Pittsburgh. Garafolo spoke as if that pending decision was also causing issues, but that wouldn’t make any sense as the entire organization and the entire roster knew that the 2025 season could probably be Rodgers’ last.
Pittsburgh will look to get back in the win column against a poor defense on Sunday as the team faces the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.