On Saturday, Serena Williams beat Angelique Kerber to win her seventh singles title at Wimbledon, clinching her 22nd Grand Slam singles title in the process. This ties her up with Steffi Graf’s Open-era record, and made her one happy lady:
Williams’ grace on the court is matched only by her grace off of it, where she firmly asks for the credit she deserves.
At a press conference on Thursday, she shared her thoughts on her incredibly successful career, and her status not just as a female athlete, but as an athlete generally:
I’ve been given such a great opportunity, I’ve been given so much talent. I’ve been put in a position where I can inspire females, ladies, and men as well. Anyone, any kid out there that wants to be something, has dreams.
I’ve had great dreams. I didn’t come from any money or anything, but I did have a dream and I did have hope. That’s really all you need.
We shouldn’t put any female athlete in a box. Why do we have to be limited to just female athletes? We all work really hard. We just want to be known as just athletes.
Her next appearance is alongside her sister, Venus, in the tournament’s doubles match.
(h/t ThinkProgress|Image via Getty)