Even today, it remains difficult to be a young athlete, to shine in your discipline and to face the resulting media pressure… Former superstar of women's tennis and icon of her sport for twenty years, Serena Williams spoke about the situation of Caitlin Clark which unleashes passions in the United States, in debates that go beyond the field and which make the young basketball player uncomfortable.
Serena Williams thus sees the Indiana Fever shooter going through hardships that she also had to go through in her youth, whether it be attempts to intimidate her opponents, insults or threats…
“I was mistreated. The things I had to go through, people would be ostracized today for saying them now.”she declared on the sidelines of the release of the documentary series “In The Arena: Serena Williams” presented at the Tribeca film festival (New York). “As a teenager, I had to be careful to stay sane. I was facing so much pressure, doing everything I had to do, and traveling all over the world every year. It was every week. It was exhausting.”
Words that echo those of Steve Kerr, or even by Anthony Daviswho also found himself in the same situation as Caitlin Clark, having to face great adversity when he arrived in the NBA in 2012 after winning the Olympics with Team USA, while he was denigrated by players from his own team playing in the same position as him, and who then saw his arrival in the NBA as a threat.
Venus Williams' sister therefore gave some advice to the basketball player, and the first of them is to do as much as possible to stay in your bubble in order to protect yourself from the outside cacophony.
“I like the fact that she tries to keep her feet on the ground. She says she doesn't look at her social media. I understand. I don't do it either. I think it's important to continue doing what she's doing. It doesn't matter what other people think. If people are negative, it's because they can't do what you yourself are capable of. I hope she continues on this path”she concluded in support.
