In many people’s eyes, Serena Williams is the greatest tennis player to have ever played the game. That goes for men and women. Many deem her to be one of the world’s greatest ever athletes, period. Her utter dominance on the court over the years has had her competitors quaking in their boots.
On her day she can put anyone away with ease and can win trophies for fun. There are many reasons why Serena’s enjoyed sustained brilliance and sheer dominance in the women’s game over a quarter of a century – yes, Serena really did turn pro 25 years ago! – and is still a world-beater in her late thirties. One is that she’s blessed with skill and talent. Another is that she has freaky genetics that has enabled her to blow people away on the court.
But the main reason is plenty of hard work, absolute dedication to her craft. Serena’s a fitness freak when it comes to her training, and despite her age, despite having a young family, she hasn’t taken her foot off the gas. These are 16 fitness pics of Serena Williams illustrating why she’s the greatest.
16 A Spot Of Cardio
Serena Williams doesn’t usually spend too long on the court. It’s normally a wham bam thank you ma'am kind of scenario when she’s in action. But nevertheless, she has to be prepared for the unthinkable, for if someone keeps her out there for hours. Therefore, cardio’s vitally important, if anything just for her overall health.
15 Getting A Lesson From The Master
Serena’s masterful on the court. When it comes to her training, she takes lessons from other legends. This is a glorious pic of two masters combining for what must have been a seriously tough fitness session. When they got down to it, it was deadly serious, but Mike Tyson and Serena managed to share a laugh too!
14 A Casual Stroll
It doesn’t always have to be about high-intensity cardio. Sometimes, low-intensity workouts are just as good. Nothing beats going for a little stroll on a sunny day. Serena’s certainly getting a great deal of enjoyment out of it, is embracing being in the elements and soaking in the sun’s rays.
13 The Queen Keeps Pushing
Serena’s willing to get down and dirty in the name of fitness. She loves throwing herself into new challenges. It’s not all about tennis, about punishing herself in the gym. Sometimes she likes to test her metal against other competitors when they’re on a level playing field. It’s the fight that keeps Serena going.
12 Morning Stretches
Serena may still be fighting fit. But she is getting on a bit now. She’s going to be feeling that wear and tear on the body a little bit more. That’s why it’s integral that she does her stretches, in order to stay loose and limber. But it’s fair to assume that there aren’t many who’d do their stretches in such a manner.
11 Showing Off Her Flexibility
Female tennis players are usually tall and svelte. Serena Williams goes against the norm. It’s fair to say that she’s one of the most muscular athletes in the world. She’s got bigger muscles than a lot of the competitors on the men’s side! It’s therefore pretty remarkable that she’s been able to maintain such a level of flexibility.
10 Striding Along
Serena’s been striding along for most of her career, pretty much unopposed, without any troubles. After all, who’s going to stand in her way? Those who are, be prepared to be toppled over. This is a pic of Serena upon a visit to the Nike campus. She tried to step into Kenyan long-distance runner, Eliud Kipchoge’s shoes.
9 Working Hard
Serena’s training regime is partly what’s propelled her to the top of the world’s game and why she’s stayed there decade after decade. She recognizes the importance of working on that core. A strong and stable core is integral for a tennis player, and helps when performing other exercises and pretty much everything else in life. She’s doing this exercise to improve any alignment issues and as part of a core and stability workout.
8 It’s All About Health And Wellness
Serena recently had a baby. She’ll be aware because of that period, that doing weight training isn’t always an option. But Serena doesn’t need to pump iron in order to stay in great shape. She’s naturally strong, has a gloriously muscular physique, which she’s able to maintain doing simple exercises with limited equipment, such as bands.
7 Practice Time
Serena has a rather relaxed approach to pretty much everything. Even when she’s out on the court, in the heat of battle, and things are getting tough, Serena remains zen-like. That’s partly because she has confidence in her abilities. After all, practice makes perfect, and Serena has many hours under her belt.
6 Yoga With The Family
Serena recognizes the importance of yoga for both the mind and the body and wants to get her kid started out young. Her daughter, Alexis, is already pretty decent, can certainly follow an instruction or two. Who knows, by the time Alexis is her mom’s age, she could be well on her way to becoming a master yogi!
5 Her Off-Season Workout Is Dancing
Does Serena Williams really have an off-season? Well, perhaps now that she’s a mom, she has some more downtime, more time away from training and tennis. So, what does Serena do in the off-season, during her downtime as part of her training routine? She does a little workout dance. Fans certainly agree with such training.
4 Epic Photoshoot
Due to what she’s achieved, her stature in tennis and in the world of sports, it’s understandable that when companies are looking for an athlete to get on board, an athlete to sponsor, Serena Williams is going to be at the top of most people’s lists. Beats by Dre were the lucky company to have gotten Serena on board to model their headphones.
3 Training Anywhere, Anyplace
Nowadays, a lot of people are using resistance bands as part of their training. In the world of tennis, Rafael Nadal has been using them from the moment he stepped foot on the court. Evidently, he isn’t the only one. Here’s a pic of Serena doing a spot of light training on the center court in Rome.
2 Running A Marathon
Serena’s not above trying anything to get fit and healthy. If she has to do a group event, so be it. Giving birth and becoming a mom took a lot out of Serena. She wanted to get back to full fitness and fast. She did everything she could possibly do to be back and fighting fit on the court, and that included partaking in marathons.
1 Going Through Her Yoga Poses
One reason why Serena’s so calm and collected is because she practices yoga. At times, in the heat of battle, she’s remained almost zen-like on the court. This can partly be attributed to her yoga sessions. But yoga also forms a part of her stretching routine. Now that she’s getting on a bit, Serena stretches quite a lot, needs to keep that body loose and limber.
Sources - Instagram, Dailymail