Being tennis icons has allowed Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova to break several taboos related to the life of an athlete, as the former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic recently underlined in the podcast The AO Show.
The two legendary tennis players, rivals on the court (and sometimes off the court), have changed the perception of a tennis player and an athlete in general. If until then it was only linked to performances on the court, Serena and Maria have managed to transcend this image, becoming a role model even off the tennis courts, thanks to their initiatives, their businesses and their hobbies.
Petkovic revealed how previously tennis players who did something different off the court were seen in a somewhat negative light. Now, also thanks to the contribution of Williams and Sharapova, having hobbies is the norm in the life of an athlete, even in public life, thanks to the media exposure due to social media.
Precisely in this regard, Andrea analyzed: “I always had my interests, my hobbies, my books, my writings and all these other things, but I almost never talked about them because I thought I had to focus on what I do, playing tennis. Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams changed everything. When I started, having more hobbies was a little frowned upon and I really think they were the first.
Serena and Maria kind of took it to another level, they changed the narrative of an athlete in general, not just tennis players. And it was okay to do other things. And after that I felt much more comfortable talking about the things that I had and I always saw it as an addition, not a takeaway from my game. Something that can strengthen me mentally and not take away from me mentally.”