Product Description

One of the biggest stars in tennis, Serena Williams has captured every major title. Her 2009 Australian Open championship earned her the number one world ranking for the third time in her illustrious career-and marked only the latest exclamation point in a life well and purposefully lived. As a young girl, Serena began training with an adult-size racquet that was almost as big as she was. Rather than dropping the racquet, Serena saw it as a challenge to overcome - and she has confronted every obstacle on her path to success with the same unflagging spirit. From growing up in the tough, hardscrabble neighborhood of Compton, California, to being trained by her father on public tennis courts littered with broken glass and drug paraphernalia, to becoming the top women's player in the world, Serena has proven to be an inspiration to her legions of fans both young and old. Her accomplishments have not been won without struggle. She has been derailed by injury, criticized for her unorthodox approach to tennis, and was devastated by the tragic shooting of her older sister. Yet somehow Serena always manages to prevail, both on and off the court. She's applied the same strength and determination that helped her to become a champion to her successful pursuits in philanthropy, fashion, television, and film. In this compelling and poignant memoir, Serena takes an empowering look at her extraordinary life and what is still to come.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2167 in Books
• Published on: 2009-09-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

A woman of substance.
What a great little book this is - with the reader gleaning much of interest about Serena the tennis player and Serena the 'celebrity'. What emerges is a driven lady, desperate to prove herself - to her dad, her sister and to her fellow pros. Okay, Serena will never make President of the US, but her colourful life story is genuinely interesting and is laid bare for the reader in all its naked splendour.
Her well documented problems off the tennis court get an airing, with the death of her sister being one of the most emotive and moving parts of the book. It is difficult not to empathise with Serena, her warm, sensitive character shining through on every page. Certainly, the reader is left with a level of respect for her hard work and all-consuming passion to make number one in the world - an inspirational story that deserves to be read and copied by those lacking her own determination. One thing is certain, Serena has a whole host of varied interests for the reader to learn about - not to mention her penchant for fashion wear. For me she is also an important icon, as her success shows that 'larger' ladies can look attractive - with the classical barbie look a welcome thing of the past. May I also point you in the direction of another book about a 'Queen' who has managed to make something of her life: One Love Two Colours: The Unlikely Marriage of a Punk Rocker and His African Queen by Margaret Oshindele-Smith - no tennis but an interesting book nonetheless - and yes, Serena does get a mention in it!

The Determination of a Black Princess
Determination, determination and determination. These three words come off each and every page of Serena Williams' autobiography titled `On the line'. The autobiography is an honest account of Serena's journey, from her humble beginnings as a three year old struggling to grip a standard sized tennis racquet on the Compton tennis courts, to her triumph as an eleven times Grand Slam winning tennis icon.

The youngest of five children, Serena grew up along with her other sisters in Compton in Los Angeles. Her father Richard and her mother Oracene were hardworking African Americans who had a desire to make a better life for their children. Serena's journey to the game of tennis began three years before her birth. In 1978, after watching the French Open champion Virginia Ruzici collect a cheque of $40,000, Richard Williams, who was surprised at the amount of prize money, became determined that he would produce daughters that would become global tennis icons.

The Serena story is incomplete without discussion of her relationship with her sister and tennis double partner Venus, who she describes as her best friend. Serena writes that in spite of her family's belief in her capability during her formative years, outsiders, including players and the media, focused their attention on Venus. As a result Serena lived under Venus' shadow for a long time. However, the underestimation of her abilities only motivated Serena to prove her detractors wrong.

In spite of the one year and three months age difference between the two sisters, Serena describes Venus as being very protective of her. Besides seeing Venus as a protector, Serena also sees Venus as a motivator. If there is one defining characteristic that defines Serena, it is her resilience in the midst of adversity. For instance, during the final of the Indiana Wells tournament, despite being jeered by a hostile crowd throughout the match, Serena was able to overcome their verbal taunts to win the championship.

When her boyfriend jilted her in 2002 she felt dejected. However, rather than play the sympathy card, she channeled her energy into her game, which resulted in her achieving her legendary Serena Slam between 2002 and 2003, winning the French, Wimbledon, US and Australian Championships in succession.

The loss of Serena's sister Yetunde, coupled with a career threatening injury, resulted in a lack of motivation to play the game of tennis, culminating in a spate of inconsistent results between 2004 and 2006.

After entering the tennis wilderness for the first time in her career, Serena experienced a Damascus Road encounter during a trip to West Africa in November 2006. Like Obama, Mohammed Ali, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X before her, the visit to Africa enabled her to appreciate her heritage. Since the trip her career has continued on an upward trajectory both on and off the court.


What lessons do we learn from Serena? First, the road to success is often marked with sweat, blood and tears. Second, focus and determination are key ingredients to success.

queen of the court
Excellent read. Really get to know Serena's character. A winner thru and thru!
ps that was never a footfault in US open.
Mike Geraghty