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serena williams

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Serena Williams 1991 interview with CNN.

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.

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Serena Williams has returned — and in spectacular fashion.

For the first time since giving birth to her daughter, the 36-year-old entered Grand Slam play at the 2018 French Open in Paris, dominating Kristyna Pliskova of the Czech Republic in straight sets.

But it was the message behind her uniform that got many fans talking.

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Family

Serena Williams almost died after giving birth. Here's what she learned.

She was lucky. Many others aren't, but we can fix that.

In a new blog post, tennis superstar Serena Williams opened up about how she almost died after giving birth.

"I almost died after giving birth to my daughter, Olympia," she writes. "Yet I consider myself fortunate."

Williams explains that after giving birth, she had a pulmonary embolism, or blocked arteries in her lungs. This caused her to cough, violently, tearing open the newly-stitched C-section wound. Doctors discovered blood clots in her abdomen, but were able to treat her in time to save her life. It was the type of experience you wouldn't expect of a wealthy world-class athlete like Williams, but her experience speaks to just how common these sorts of complications can be — and just how lucky she is to have survived.

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This is the ninthedition of "This week in black women," a weekly column dedicated to signal-boosting the black women who make the world spin.

This week, I'm shouting out Vogue's youngest cover model, a much-needed resource to help black women get credit, a warm reception for our future president, a photo series to celebrate, and more.

Remember these women! Pay these women! Encourage these women!

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