ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Serena Williams - Athlete
With her legendary spirit and unstoppable serve, tennis legend Serena Williams has become one of the world’s most enduring athletic superstars.

Why you should listen

Serena Williams sits at the top of the tennis world; she's won 23 career Grand Slams, which is the most Grand Slam singles titles in history, with her most recent win at the 2017 Australian Open. In some analysts' eyes, she's quite simply the greatest athlete of all time.

But Williams has extended her influence far beyond the tennis court. Through her activism, high-profile endorsements, TV and film appearances and writing (including a guide to life written with her sister, Venus), Williams inspires millions of fans worldwide.

More profile about the speaker
Serena Williams | Speaker | TED.com
Gayle King - Journalist
Gayle King is a co-host of "CBS This Morning” and Editor-at-Large of the award-winning O, the Oprah Magazine.

Why you should listen

An award-winning journalist who has worked across television, radio and print, Gayle King is a co-host of CBS This Morning and Editor-at-Large of O, the Oprah Magazine.

King previously hosted The Gayle King Show, a live, weekday television interview program on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. The program, which featured a discussion of a broad variety of topics that include politics, cultural developments, was also broadcast on XM Satellite Radio, where it premiered in 2006.

Before moving into print and radio, King worked for 18 years (1982–2000) as a television news anchor for CBS affiliate WFSB-TV in Hartford, Conn., during which period, she also hosted her own syndicated daytime program. Prior to joining WFSB, King worked at several other television stations, including WDAF-TV in Kansas City, Mo. (1978-1981), WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Md. (1976), and WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C. (1975).

King has received numerous awards for her extensive work as a journalist. In addition to three Emmys, she was honored in 2008 with the American Women in Radio & Television Gracie Award for Outstanding Radio Talk Show and in 2010 with both the Individual Achievement Award for Host-Entertainment/Information and the New York Women in Communications' Matrix Award.

More profile about the speaker
Gayle King | Speaker | TED.com
TED2017

Serena Williams and Gayle King: On tennis, love and motherhood

Filmed:
2,441,718 views

Twenty-three Grand Slam titles later, tennis superstar Serena Williams sits down with journalist Gayle King to share a warm, mischievous conversation about her life, love, wins and losses -- starting with the story of how she accidentally shared her pregnancy news with the world.
- Athlete
With her legendary spirit and unstoppable serve, tennis legend Serena Williams has become one of the world’s most enduring athletic superstars. Full bio - Journalist
Gayle King is a co-host of "CBS This Morning” and Editor-at-Large of the award-winning O, the Oprah Magazine. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
Gayle King: Have a seat, Serena Williams,
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or should we say, have a seat, mom.
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(Cheers)
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So no doubt, you guys are like me.
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00:23
You saw the release of Serena
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00:26
in that great yellow
bathing suit last week
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and when I saw it,
all I could think of was,
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"Gosh, why couldn't she have waited
til we sat onstage for TED?"
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I was very selfish, I know.
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00:36
So I asked you about that picture,
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and you said nobody was
supposed to see that picture.
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00:40
What do you mean?
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00:42
Serena Williams: Well,
actually, it was an accident.
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00:45
I was on vacation,
just taking some time for myself,
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and I have this thing
where I've been checking my status
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00:52
and taking pictures every week
to see how far along I'm going --
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00:56
GK: And sharing it with friends, maybe?
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00:58
SW: No, actually
I have just been saving it,
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01:00
and I didn't really tell a lot of people,
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01:02
to be quite honest,
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and I'd been saving it,
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01:05
and you know how social media is,
you press the wrong button and --
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01:09
(Laughter)
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01:10
GK: And there it was.
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01:11
SW: So 30 minutes later --
my phone doesn't ring that much --
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01:14
and 30 minutes later,
I missed like four calls,
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01:16
and I'm like, that's weird,
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01:18
and then I picked it up
and I was like, oh no.
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01:21
But it was a good moment.
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01:22
I was gonna wait literally
just five or six more days -- that's OK.
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01:26
GK: I know, because it was weird,
Serena, because it only said 20 weeks,
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01:29
so it's not like there was
a whole lot of information on it.
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01:32
SW: Exactly, so that's
what I've been doing all this time.
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I've been just tracking it.
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18, 19 -- every week
I'd just take a picture and save it,
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and I've been so good about it,
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and this was the one time that I slipped.
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01:46
GK: There you go. Well, congratulations.
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01:48
SW: Yes, thank you.
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01:50
GK: It really is OK.
When you heard the news,
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were you excited?
Were you afraid? Were you worried?
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That you were pregnant, I mean.
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SW: So I heard it two days before
the beginning of the Australian Open,
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02:01
which is one of the biggest grand slams.
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02:03
GK: You found out two days before?
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02:04
SW: Yeah, so it was
two days before, and I knew.
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I was nervous.
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I wasn't quite sure what to think,
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but I just knew that at that moment
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it was really important for me
to just focus right there
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at the Australian Open,
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and I was definitely not sure what to do.
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I was like, can I play?
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I know it's very dangerous, maybe,
sometimes in the first 12 weeks or so,
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so I had a lot of questions.
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02:30
GK: But not only did you play,
Ms. Williams, you won.
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02:34
(Cheers)
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02:37
SW: Yeah.
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May I just say, 23 grand slams to you.
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02:44
SW: Thank you.
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02:45
(Applause)
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02:47
GK: While pregnant!
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02:48
SW: Well, I was looking
for another handicap, so ... no.
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02:51
GK: Did you play differently that game,
knowing you were pregnant?
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02:54
SW: I did. It wasn't very easy.
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You hear all these stories
about people when they're pregnant,
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they get sick and they get tired.
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03:01
GK: Have you had morning sickness?
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03:03
SW: No, I've been so fortunate
and so I haven't.
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But they get really tired
and they get really stressed out,
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and I had to really take all that energy,
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put it in a paper bag, so to say,
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and throw it away,
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because I really felt
like I didn't have time
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to deal with any extra emotions,
any extra anything,
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because pregnant or not, no one knew,
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and I was supposed to win that tournament
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as I am every tournament that I show up.
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03:27
I am expected to win,
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and if I don't win,
it's actually much bigger news.
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03:30
GK: Yeah, when you don't win,
that's a big story.
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03:33
SW: Yes, so for me,
I had to really take anything negative
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03:36
and any emotions
that I was feeling at that point
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and kind of just bottle them up
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and really figure out
what the next step for me to do was.
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03:44
GK: You have a lot of support.
You have a lot of love.
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Even when I was coming here,
people stopped me at the airport.
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I was saying to the flight attendant,
the pilot, "Guess where I'm going?"
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They said, "Oh my God,
we're so glad she's pregnant."
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But then you always have
these cranky Yankees.
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On the way over here, somebody
was telling me about Ilie Nastase,
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04:01
who said some very unkind, inappropriate,
dare I say racial things.
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You have responded to him.
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I'm not even going
to dignify what he said,
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04:08
but you responded. Why did you respond?
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04:09
SW: Well, I think there are
very inappropriate comments,
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and not only that, I've been
really supportive of my peers
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and the people that I've worked with.
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I've been a pro for almost 20 years,
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and so for me, it's really important
to hold women up,
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and it's something that these young women,
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they'll come to the locker room,
they'll want to take pictures with me,
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and for me, it's just like,
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I want to be able to be a good leader
and a good example for them.
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So not only --
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04:32
(Applause)
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04:33
Not only did he have rude things
to say about me and my peers,
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04:38
I felt it was important
for us to stand up for each other
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and to stand up for myself.
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And at that point it was
really important for me to say,
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like, I'm not afraid,
I'm not going anywhere,
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but this is inappropriate,
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and there's time and there's
a place for everything.
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And that really
wasn't the time and the place.
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04:55
GK: We cut the part where you said
you're not going anywhere,
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because you'll be 36 in September.
Baby's coming, 36.
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05:00
And your coach said
age is always important,
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but in tennis it's very important,
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but he has no doubt
that you're coming back.
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Have you thought, am I coming back?
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Will I take some time off?
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05:10
I know the women on the tour are saying,
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"How long does it take to have a baby?
Two years will she be gone?"
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What are you thinking?
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05:16
SW: Well, I'm always trying
to defy the odds, you know,
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so for me everything is really mental.
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I definitely plan on coming back.
I'm not done yet.
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I'm really inspired by my sister.
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She's a year older than me,
and that's something that --
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if she's still playing, I know I can play.
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(Laughter)
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And there's so many -- Roger Federer,
he's a little bit older than me
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and he's still winning everything,
so I'm like, I know I can do that too.
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So that's been so inspiring to me,
especially recently,
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and I know that
it's something I want to do.
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And my story is definitely not over yet.
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I was talking to my coach about it,
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and we were talking about
how this is just a new part of my life,
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and my baby's going to be in the stands
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and hopefully cheering for me,
not crying too much.
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05:59
GK: No, you wrote a beautiful
letter to your baby yesterday
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that you said -- from the oldest mommy
to the youngest one,
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to the oldest, to the youngest,
I can't wait for you to get here.
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A lot of people feel that.
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I saw you about a year ago,
because I think about your life, Serena.
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You've had three life-changing things
in a six-month time:
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pregnant, huge win, fell in love.
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And when I saw you last year,
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I was saying, "How's
your love life? Da da da."
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You said, "I met a guy.
He's a nerdy, kinda geeky guy.
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You won't know who he is."
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I said, "What's his name?"
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SW: I remember talking
to you about that, yes.
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GK: And you said, "Alexis Ohanian."
I said, "I know him!" He's awesome.
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But I would never put you
with a nerdy geek,
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and you said, you neither.
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SW: I'm going to be honest
with you, I didn't either,
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but it's been the best thing for me.
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GK: The best thing why?
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Does that look like a nerdy geek?
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Look at the shirt.
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(Laughter)
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No, he's a very nice guy.
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SW: You can tell he's into technology.
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GK: He's a very, very nice guy.
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I like him very much.
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So how did he succeed
when others have failed?
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How was he the one that you knew,
this is the one for me?
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SW: Well, I'm not going to say that,
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but ...
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(Laughter)
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GK: Say it, Serena, say it!
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SW: Well ...
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(Laughter)
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Yes.
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07:14
(Applause)
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GK: But you know what I mean.
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07:18
SW: He is very loving and he's very kind,
and my mom says he's very considerate,
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and when she said that to me,
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I was like, you know, he really is,
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and it's the little things that really
make a huge difference in life.
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GK: Like?
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SW: Something simple.
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My fashion company,
we have a show every year,
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so in our show last year,
I was running around like crazy,
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because I do everything for the show,
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and everything for it,
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so I was running around like crazy,
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and he, it was a simple gesture
of this shirt that he had,
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and he just wanted to make sure
that I had the same one,
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and it was -- it's a weird story.
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It was better in person, I promise.
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GK: Was it a wonderful proposal?
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Or was it a Beyoncé song?
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"If you like it then you
ought to put a ring on it"?
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Were you feeling pressure to get married?
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Did you know it was coming?
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SW: Yeah, I actually
never felt pressure to get married
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and I can't say
I'm the marrying type of person.
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I really love my life.
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I love my freedom.
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I heard that kind of changes.
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But I love everything that I do,
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and I love my career,
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and I always felt like I didn't want
anything to interfere with that.
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I've actually been so career-oriented
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and in fact, when he proposed,
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I was almost angry.
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Not almost. I was angry,
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because it was right
in the middle of my training season,
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and I said, "I gotta win
the Australian Open.
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I can't fly to Rome."
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Because he wanted to take me to Rome,
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and I said, "I can't. I gotta win."
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But that's how focused I was.
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GK: This is a girl that says,
"No, I can't go to Rome." OK.
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SW: But I was really focused
on reaching my goals
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and I knew at that point there was
one player that I wanted to pass.
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I wanted to pass Steffi Graf's record,
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and that really meant a lot to me,
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and when I put my mind to something,
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I really am determined to reach it
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no matter what.
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09:00
GK: You know, you said that for you --
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I've heard you say
that winning is addictive to you.
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SW: It is.
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GK: What do you mean?
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SW: I feel like winning for me
is superaddictive.
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I feel like once you experience it,
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you always want to get that feeling again,
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and when I won my first championship,
I was only 17 years old,
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but I never forgot that feeling,
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and I feel like every time I win one,
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I want to reach that feeling
of your first championship.
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There's really no feeling
in the world like that.
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09:28
And it's like, all these years of training
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and being a little kid and playing,
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and then winning
is a wonderful experience.
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So for me I've always felt
like I loved that feeling,
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and obviously I don't like
the feeling of losing. I feel like --
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GK: No, in fact, people close to you
say you're a very bad loser.
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SW: I'm not the best loser.
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GK: That you're very, very, very bad.
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Listen, no athlete,
no champion likes to lose.
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I get that.
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But they say when it comes to losing,
you are very, very, very bad at it.
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(Laughter)
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10:00
SW: I'm number one at losing too,
so you know, that's all I can say.
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10:03
(Laughter)
248
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10:05
(Applause)
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10:07
GK: I'm always curious about the dynamic
between you and Venus,
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10:10
because everybody that knows you
and has followed the story
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10:13
knows that you two are very close,
252
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10:15
and you always bring your A game
in whatever you do,
253
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10:17
but I often wonder,
when you're playing her,
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10:19
do you bring your A- game
because you want to do something for her
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10:23
or do you bring your A++ game
because you want to crush her.
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10:26
Is it harder for you
playing her or easier?
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2416
10:29
SW: Well, playing Venus
is like playing myself,
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10:31
because we grew up playing each other,
we grew up practicing together.
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10:34
And it was something
that has been difficult,
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10:37
because she's my toughest opponent.
261
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10:39
She's tall, she's fast,
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10:40
she hits hard like me, she serves like me.
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10:44
It's really like playing a wall.
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10:45
GK: She knows you.
265
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10:46
SW: She knows where I'm hitting
the ball before I hit it,
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10:49
so it's something that is not very easy,
267
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10:52
but it's really about,
when I go out there,
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10:54
I really have to shut down my mind
and I have to say to myself,
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2976
10:57
"You know what?
270
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10:59
I'm just playing a great player,
but today I have to be better.
271
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11:02
I don't care who it is,
if it's my sister or it's my friend,
272
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11:06
today is the day I have to show up
and I have to be better
273
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11:09
and I have to want it more
than anyone else at this moment
274
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11:13
anywhere on this world."
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11:14
GK: So never on the court
do you fall back for Venus?
276
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11:18
Because, you know,
it was always Venus and Serena.
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4096
11:22
SW: Yes.
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11:24
GK: And now baby sister
has surpassed older sister.
279
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2536
11:26
Do you feel guilt about that?
280
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11:28
Do you feel joy in that?
281
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11:29
Is that a difficult position for you?
282
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11:31
SW: I don't feel anything in there.
283
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11:33
In my life, it still and forever
is always going to be Venus and Serena.
284
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11:37
She's really love of my life,
she's my best friend,
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11:40
she's my soul mate.
286
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11:41
I mean --
287
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1200
11:43
There's pictures of her pushing me,
288
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1976
11:45
really low-quality pictures
or else I would have shared them,
289
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2896
11:48
of her pushing me
in a stroller on a tennis court,
290
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2376
11:50
and she always took care of me.
291
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1536
11:52
I used to spend all of my allowance
money on the ice cream truck and stuff,
292
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3524
11:55
and she would take her money
and give it to me at school
293
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4308
12:00
and make sure I had something to eat
and she would go without,
294
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2936
12:02
and that's the kind of person
she actually is
295
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2296
12:05
since I've always known her.
296
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2456
12:07
So we always have this incredible
respect for each other
297
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3296
12:11
and this incredible love,
298
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1256
12:12
and I think it's important for people
to realize you can be successful
299
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3296
12:15
but you can still have
a wonderful relationship.
300
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2256
12:17
On the court we are mortal enemies,
301
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1696
12:19
but the second we shake hands,
we are best friends again.
302
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3816
12:23
And if I lose, it might be
a day later for me,
303
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4616
12:28
but for Venus --
304
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1216
12:29
(Laughter)
305
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3016
12:32
GK: There's never a time on the court
where you hit the ball
306
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2856
12:35
and say, "That's for seventh grade
when you did the blah blah blah"?
307
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3416
12:38
You never have any moment like that?
308
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1736
12:40
SW: I feel like she should have
those moments,
309
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2176
12:42
because she's never done
anything bad to me,
310
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2096
12:44
but I'm the youngest.
I'm the younger sister.
311
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2136
12:47
GK: Serena, she's never done
anything bad to you? Really?
312
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12:49
I have three sisters.
I can think of some stuff I've done bad.
313
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3336
12:53
SW: Unless she brainwashed me
to forget them.
314
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2360
12:56
GK: No, but the love you have for her
I know is very pure. I know that.
315
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3336
12:59
SW: Yes. GK: I know that.
316
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13:00
SW: We were always brought up
to be superclose,
317
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2216
13:03
and we are incredibly close.
318
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1536
13:04
Not only her.
319
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1216
13:05
I have three other sisters as well,
and we were always so close.
320
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5096
13:11
GK: So before a big match,
the two of you don't get together
321
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2856
13:13
and say, look, we're going
to go out there and -- there's nothing?
322
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3136
13:17
SW: Well, it's funny.
Before the Australian Open,
323
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2336
13:19
we were in the locker room together,
324
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1736
13:21
and I always pick on her, so I pulled out
my camera while she was changing.
325
789160
3536
13:24
I started taking pictures of her,
which is totally inappropriate,
326
792720
3296
13:28
but she was so mad at me.
327
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1256
13:29
She's like, "Serena, stop!"
And I was just laughing at her.
328
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2776
13:32
But that's the kind of relationship
that we have, and like I said,
329
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4056
13:36
the second we step on the court,
330
804200
1576
13:37
it was like, we were
definitely mortal enemies,
331
805800
4176
13:42
but the second we stepped off,
and moments before, we're just --
332
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4216
13:46
It is what it is,
because at the end of the day,
333
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2256
13:48
she'll always be my sister.
334
816520
1336
13:49
I'm not going to play Australia in --
335
817880
1816
13:51
Well, who knows,
I've been playing forever,
336
819720
2056
13:53
but I don't think
I'll be playing in 50 years, say?
337
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2536
13:56
Let's be safe and say 50 years.
338
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1496
13:57
GK: I don't know, Serena.
There's never been anybody like you.
339
825880
2936
14:00
When you think about it,
never been anybody
340
828840
2016
14:02
who has intersected
gender and race the way you have,
341
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2816
14:05
the dominance that you have
and the scrutiny that you have.
342
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2816
14:08
And when you were growing up,
did you say, "I want to be like that"?
343
836560
3256
14:11
Because now little girls
are looking at you
344
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2000
14:13
saying, "I want to be like that."
345
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1592
14:15
Who was the "I want
to be like that" for you?
346
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2136
14:17
SW: Well, it's interesting,
and I'm glad you brought that up.
347
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2896
14:20
For me, when I grew up,
I always wanted to be the best,
348
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2616
14:23
and I said, if you want to be the best,
you've got to emulate the best.
349
851200
3336
14:26
So when I started to go on tour
when I was really young,
350
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2816
14:29
I would see Steffi Graf,
I would see Monica Seles,
351
857400
2376
14:31
and I would even see Pete Sampras,
352
859800
1976
14:33
and I would see what they did,
353
861800
1456
14:35
and I noticed that Steffi and Monica
354
863280
2096
14:37
didn't really talk
to a lot of the other players,
355
865400
2416
14:39
and they kind of were on their own,
356
867840
1736
14:41
and they were just so focused
357
869600
1416
14:43
and I would see Pete Sampras,
the technique that he did,
358
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3096
14:46
and I was like, "I want to do that."
359
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2576
14:48
So I did that, and I felt
that to be the best,
360
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3216
14:52
and if you want to be the best,
361
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1576
14:53
you have to hang around people
362
881600
1536
14:55
and you have to look at people
that are the best,
363
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2336
14:57
because you're not going to be the best
364
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1896
14:59
if you're looking at someone
that's not at the top level.
365
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2696
15:02
GK: People say
nobody works as hard as you.
366
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2056
15:04
SW: I'm a very hard worker.
GK: That's what I heard.
367
892240
2456
15:06
SW: People say, "Oh,
she's talented, she's athletic."
368
894720
2496
15:09
Actually, I wasn't.
I was really small for my age.
369
897240
2376
15:11
I grew up when I got older,
370
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1456
15:13
and I had to work really hard,
371
901120
1456
15:14
and I think one of the reasons
why I fight so hard and I work so hard
372
902600
3256
15:17
is because I was
really, really, really small.
373
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2176
15:20
GK: Yeah.
374
908080
1696
15:21
You are no longer small.
375
909800
1296
15:23
SW: No, I'm fully grown now.
376
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3136
15:26
But I was small when I was really young
for whatever reason.
377
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2856
15:29
I think Venus maybe ate all the Wheaties.
378
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3296
15:32
GK: You know, the other thing
people talk about is your body.
379
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2896
15:35
Your body brings men
and women to their knees.
380
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3536
15:38
And I mean in a good way.
381
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1976
15:40
A lot has been made about your body.
382
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1736
15:42
It's a work of art,
it's masculine, it's glorious,
383
930720
5416
15:48
there's never been anything like it.
384
936160
2016
15:50
Did you have body issues
when you were growing up?
385
938200
2696
15:52
Have you always been
comfortable with your body?
386
940920
2256
15:55
SW: It's interesting, because
when you're a teenage female
387
943200
2736
15:57
growing up in the public eye,
388
945960
1816
15:59
it is a lot of scrutiny that you face,
389
947800
2136
16:01
and as any female that's a teenager,
390
949960
1816
16:03
I definitely was not
comfortable in my body.
391
951800
2216
16:06
I didn't like it.
392
954040
1336
16:07
I didn't understand why I had muscles.
393
955400
2816
16:10
And I stopped lifting weights.
394
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1456
16:11
I was like, I'm not going to do this.
395
959720
1816
16:13
But then after I won the US Open,
396
961560
1616
16:15
I realized that my body helped me
reach goals that I wanted to reach,
397
963200
3256
16:18
and I wanted to be happy with it,
398
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1696
16:20
and I was so appreciative of it.
399
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2376
16:22
I'm always healthy.
400
970600
1216
16:23
I'm really fortunate and superblessed,
401
971840
1816
16:25
and I felt like not only
am I happy with my body,
402
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2936
16:28
but I want other people
and other young girls
403
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2136
16:30
that have experienced
what I've experienced
404
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2696
16:33
to be happy with themselves.
405
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1376
16:34
So whatever people say --
406
982920
1256
16:36
masculine, whatever,
too much, too little --
407
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2416
16:38
I'm OK with it as long as I love myself.
408
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3376
16:42
(Applause)
409
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2680
16:46
GK: I know you learn a lot from winning,
410
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1936
16:48
but what have you learned from losing?
411
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2696
16:51
SW: I hate to lose, but I think
losing has brought me here today.
412
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3496
16:54
The only reason I am who I am
is because of my losses,
413
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3096
16:58
and some of them are extremely painful,
414
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2376
17:00
but I wouldn't take any of them away,
415
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3016
17:03
because every time I lose,
416
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2216
17:05
it takes a really long time
for me to lose again
417
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2256
17:07
because I learn so much from it.
418
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1856
17:09
And I encourage everyone that I talk to --
419
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2416
17:12
I'm like, listen, if you lose
or if something happens --
420
1020280
2656
17:14
not in sports --
in business or in school --
421
1022960
2856
17:17
learn from it.
422
1025839
1616
17:19
Don't live in the past,
live in the present,
423
1027480
2096
17:21
and don't make the same
mistakes in the future.
424
1029599
2217
17:23
That's something
that I always try to live by.
425
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2177
17:26
GK: Now you're planning a wedding
426
1034040
1616
17:27
and I want to know,
is it a destination wedding
427
1035680
2216
17:29
in the Catskills or Poconos
or are you going to do it in Florida?
428
1037920
3376
17:33
What are you thinking?
429
1041319
1697
17:35
Big or small?
430
1043040
2016
17:37
SW: We're thinking medium size.
We don't want to do too big,
431
1045079
2856
17:39
but then we're like, OK, we can't
say no to this person, this person.
432
1047960
3256
17:43
So we're thinking medium size
and we're just thinking --
433
1051240
2656
17:45
My personality is a lot of fun.
Hopefully you can see that today.
434
1053920
3056
17:49
I'm not too serious.
435
1057000
1416
17:50
GK: And you like to dance.
436
1058440
1776
17:52
And the next chapter
for Serena Williams is what?
437
1060240
3096
17:55
SW: Oh, next for me.
438
1063360
1976
17:57
Obviously I'm going to have a baby
439
1065360
1936
17:59
and I'm going to stay fit
and kind of come back and play tennis
440
1067320
2976
18:02
and keep working on my fashion line.
441
1070320
1736
18:04
That'll be really fun.
442
1072080
1256
18:05
GK: Do you know if it's a boy or girl?
443
1073360
1856
18:07
SW: I don't. I have a feeling
of one or the other.
444
1075240
3696
18:10
It's a 50-50 chance, but I have a feeling.
445
1078960
2016
18:13
GK: Gayle is a unisex name.
446
1081000
1336
18:14
Whatever you and Alexis decide,
we are cheering you on!
447
1082360
2616
18:17
SW: Thank you for that.
GK: You're welcome.
448
1085000
2056
18:19
We are cheering you on, Serena Williams.
SW: Thank you so much.
449
1087080
2976
18:22
Thank you guys.
450
1090080
1256
18:23
(Applause)
451
1091360
2280

▲Back to top

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Serena Williams - Athlete
With her legendary spirit and unstoppable serve, tennis legend Serena Williams has become one of the world’s most enduring athletic superstars.

Why you should listen

Serena Williams sits at the top of the tennis world; she's won 23 career Grand Slams, which is the most Grand Slam singles titles in history, with her most recent win at the 2017 Australian Open. In some analysts' eyes, she's quite simply the greatest athlete of all time.

But Williams has extended her influence far beyond the tennis court. Through her activism, high-profile endorsements, TV and film appearances and writing (including a guide to life written with her sister, Venus), Williams inspires millions of fans worldwide.

More profile about the speaker
Serena Williams | Speaker | TED.com
Gayle King - Journalist
Gayle King is a co-host of "CBS This Morning” and Editor-at-Large of the award-winning O, the Oprah Magazine.

Why you should listen

An award-winning journalist who has worked across television, radio and print, Gayle King is a co-host of CBS This Morning and Editor-at-Large of O, the Oprah Magazine.

King previously hosted The Gayle King Show, a live, weekday television interview program on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. The program, which featured a discussion of a broad variety of topics that include politics, cultural developments, was also broadcast on XM Satellite Radio, where it premiered in 2006.

Before moving into print and radio, King worked for 18 years (1982–2000) as a television news anchor for CBS affiliate WFSB-TV in Hartford, Conn., during which period, she also hosted her own syndicated daytime program. Prior to joining WFSB, King worked at several other television stations, including WDAF-TV in Kansas City, Mo. (1978-1981), WJZ-TV in Baltimore, Md. (1976), and WTOP-TV in Washington, D.C. (1975).

King has received numerous awards for her extensive work as a journalist. In addition to three Emmys, she was honored in 2008 with the American Women in Radio & Television Gracie Award for Outstanding Radio Talk Show and in 2010 with both the Individual Achievement Award for Host-Entertainment/Information and the New York Women in Communications' Matrix Award.

More profile about the speaker
Gayle King | Speaker | TED.com

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