I’m going to take a risk here and assume that, unless you’re brand new to this planet, you’ve heard of Serena Williams. It’s almost impossible to believe that there was ever a time that people didn’t know who she was, and thanks to this unearthed video, we can see that, even at age 9, the world was starting to know her name. In a 1991 video posted by CNN, 9-year-old Williams is interviewed along with her father, Richard Williams, and she mentions her dream to become No. 1 on the junior tennis circuit.
Little did Williams know, her dreams of being No. 1 would surpass junior tennis and take her on to win so many titles that the tennis star may have to Google herself to be able to name them all. During the interview with CNN, Richard Williams reveals that Serena and her older sister Venus had already been offered multimillion dollar contracts but the family refused to sign—although not for reasons one may think, like wanting more money or being unhappy with working conditions. Richard Williams tells CNN they didn’t sign because, “If we accept all of these millions of dollars that people are offering us, we won’t have little girls no more. We’ll have a business. And they’re too young to be a business.”
With Williams announcing her retirement before emotionally completing her last matches amid standing ovations and tears from fans, it feels fitting for CNN to pull this out of the vault. Seeing a pint-sized Williams dream big as a little girl in Compton, California, and witnessing her career evolution, this video clip is bound to bring a smile to your face.
Check it out below:
