{"id":1328305,"date":"2021-03-05T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-05T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1328305"},"modified":"2023-05-16T17:21:10","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T21:21:10","slug":"serena-williams-revitalized-slumping-career-letter-trip-changed-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/serena-williams-revitalized-slumping-career-letter-trip-changed-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Serena Williams Revitalized Her Slumping Tennis Career With a Letter and a Trip That Changed Her Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Serena Williams<\/a> will forever be known as one of the greatest athletes ever. After winning 23 major singles championships, she retired from professional tennis in 2022 with nothing left to prove in the sport. However, there was a time when Williams\u2019 journey to greatness was in serious doubt.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All great athletes endure rough stretches at some point in their careers, and Williams was no different. The tennis legend was able to revitalize her legendary career thanks to a letter from a former tennis player and a trip to one of her favorite places in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serena Williams struggles in tennis after a tragic personal loss<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Tennis
Serena Williams faced a plethora of personal and professional struggles during 2005-06 | William West\/AFP via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Things were going well for Serena Williams<\/a> at the start of the 2005 calendar. On Jan. 29, she dominated Lindsay Davenport at the Australian Open, winning the match in straight sets. Afterward, things started to unravel for the then-23-year-old tennis player.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams dealt with depression during the 2005-06 season. Her half-sister, Yetunde Price, had been killed in her hometown of Compton, California, in 2003. Price was caught in the middle of a gang shootout while in the car with her boyfriend. Not only was she Williams\u2019 older sibling, but she had also been the tennis star\u2019s assistant.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During those two years, knee injuries had hampered her ability to compete at a high level. The tennis legend also participated in some off-court endeavors, guest-starring in TV shows and attending movie premieres, per ESPN<\/a>. She had also experienced some conditioning issues, signaling that her heart wasn\u2019t fully committed to tennis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams faced a lot of adversity from 2003-06, and it impacted her tennis career. She wasn\u2019t the same player, falling as far as No. 140 in the world tennis rankings. But the legendary tennis player got her career back on track because of a letter and multiple trips to one of her favorite places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Evert\u2019s letter and trips to Africa helped Serena Williams\u2019 tennis career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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