Serena Williams Shows Her Unretouched Body, Pens Powerful Essay on Her US Open 2018 Loss in ‘Bazaar’

Credit: Alexi Lubomirski

Serena Williams Shows Her Unretouched Body, Pens Powerful Essay on Her US Open 2018 Loss in ‘Bazaar’

At this point, it’s basically indisputable: Serena Williams is the greatest tennis player of all time. With 23 grand slam singles titles under her belt — just one shy of the most ever in women’s tennis — you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s going to win every tournament she enters. Of course, it’s impossible to win every championship. At the 2018 U.S. Open title game, Williams’ ardent fans watched as she was penalized three times in the final moments of the final set for speaking out to the umpire — and ultimately lost to Japan’s Naomi Osaka. Now, nearly a year later, Williams has finally addressed the outburst that cost her the title in Harper’s Bazaar’s August 2019 cover story, in an essay she penned herself. “I started to think again, ‘What could I have done better?’ the tennis star wrote. “‘Was I wrong to stand up? Why is it that when women get passionate, they’re labeled emotional, crazy, and irrational, but when men do they’re seen as passionate and strong?’” Williams ultimately decided, though, that she should apologize — not to the world for speaking up in the moment, but to the then 20-year-old winner, Osaka. “In the end, my opponent simply played better than me that day and ended up winning her first Grand Slam title,” wrote Williams. “I thought back to my first Grand Slam. It’s the one you remember best; it’s supposed to be the most special. This debacle ruined something that should have been amazing and historic. Not only was a game taken from me but a defining, triumphant moment was taken from another player, something she should remember as one of the happiest memories in her long and successful career. My heart broke.” Accompanying the story is a beautiful photo shoot where Williams, 37, shows off her unretouched body. Posing in various gold gowns, the pro displays her powerful arms, shoulders and legs, and, in one beautiful shot, even her bare bum, which is partially covered by a gilded, floor-length train. Scroll through to see the gorgeous photographs and read more of Williams’ empowering thoughts.

Credit: Alexi Lubomirski

Serena Williams Shows Her Unretouched Body, Pens Powerful Essay on Her US Open 2018 Loss in ‘Bazaar’

At this point, it’s basically indisputable: Serena Williams is the greatest tennis player of all time. With 23 grand slam singles titles under her belt — just one shy of the most ever in women’s tennis — you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s going to win every tournament she enters. Of course, it’s impossible to win every championship. At the 2018 U.S. Open title game, Williams’ ardent fans watched as she was penalized three times in the final moments of the final set for speaking out to the umpire — and ultimately lost to Japan’s Naomi Osaka. Now, nearly a year later, Williams has finally addressed the outburst that cost her the title in Harper’s Bazaar’s August 2019 cover story, in an essay she penned herself. “I started to think again, ‘What could I have done better?’ the tennis star wrote. “‘Was I wrong to stand up? Why is it that when women get passionate, they’re labeled emotional, crazy, and irrational, but when men do they’re seen as passionate and strong?’” Williams ultimately decided, though, that she should apologize — not to the world for speaking up in the moment, but to the then 20-year-old winner, Osaka. “In the end, my opponent simply played better than me that day and ended up winning her first Grand Slam title,” wrote Williams. “I thought back to my first Grand Slam. It’s the one you remember best; it’s supposed to be the most special. This debacle ruined something that should have been amazing and historic. Not only was a game taken from me but a defining, triumphant moment was taken from another player, something she should remember as one of the happiest memories in her long and successful career. My heart broke.” Accompanying the story is a beautiful photo shoot where Williams, 37, shows off her unretouched body. Posing in various gold gowns, the pro displays her powerful arms, shoulders and legs, and, in one beautiful shot, even her bare bum, which is partially covered by a gilded, floor-length train. Scroll through to see the gorgeous photographs and read more of Williams’ empowering thoughts.

Credit: Alexi Lubomirski

On Speaking Out

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve felt a need to voice my opinion and be heard. Some may not like it, and to be honest, that’s their prerogative. I respect it,” Williams wrote in her Harper’s Bazaar’s August 2019 cover story. “Growing up as the youngest of five girls, I learned that I had to fight for everything I wanted. And I won’t ever stop raising my voice against injustice… Ultimately, my daughter is the reason I use my voice, the reason I picked up a racket again.”

Credit: Alexi Lubomirski

On the Power of Resilience

“I’ve been called every name in the book. I’ve been shamed because of my body shape. I’ve been paid unequally because of my sex,” Williams wrote, adding more incidents of discrimination. “In short, it’s never been easy. But then I think of the next girl who is going to come along who looks like me, and I hope, ‘Maybe, just maybe, my voice will help her.’”

Credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

On Apologizing to Osaka

“Days passed, and I still couldn’t find peace,” Williams wrote. “I started seeing a therapist. I was searching for answers, and although I felt like I was making progress, I still wasn’t ready to pick up a racket. Finally I realized that there was only one way for me to move forward. It was time for me to apologize to the person who deserved it the most. I started to type, slowly at first, then faster as if the words were flowing out of me.”

Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images

On Osaka’s Response to Williams’ Apology

“When Naomi’s response came through, tears rolled down my face,” Williams admitted. “‘People can misunderstand anger for strength because they can’t differentiate between the two,’ [Osaka] said graciously. “‘No one has stood up for themselves the way you have and you need to continue trailblazing.’” Williams then understood why she’d been so upset over the end of the game. “It wasn’t because of the backlash I faced but rather because of what had happened to the young woman who deserved so much more in her special moment,” she wrote. “I had felt that it was my fault and that I should have kept my mouth closed. But now, seeing her text putting everything in perspective, I realized she was right.”

Credit: Alexi Lubomirski

On Women in Tennis

“This incident — though excruciating for us to endure — exemplified how thousands of women in every area of the workforce are treated every day,” Williams wrote of the 2018 US Open championship game. “We are not allowed to have emotions, we are not allowed to be passionate. We are told to sit down and be quiet, which frankly is just not something I’m okay with. It’s shameful that our society penalizes women just for being themselves.”