Tennis legend Serena Williams is set to write a memoir where she will share with readers “intimate” stories from her life.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the 42-year old announced she’d signed a two-book deal with the Random House Publishing Group (PRH), and that her memoir will delve into the struggles and challenges she faced during her childhood, early tennis training, and subsequent rise to the top.
“For so long, all I was focused on was winning, and I never sat down to look back and reflect on my life and career,” Williams said in the statement.
“Over the last year I’ve really enjoyed taking the time with my growing family to celebrate my accomplishments and explore my other passions. I couldn’t be at a more perfect place to be able to take-on such a personal intimate project, and there’s no one I would rather do it with than the team at Random House.”
The first book does not yet have a title and the publishers have not yet announced a release date.
Its North American rights were acquired by PRH vice-president and executive editor Jamia Wilson and publisher Andy Ward.
“Through stories that have yet to be told, Serena will pull back the curtain to reveal new layers about her experiences on and off the court and what it took for her to make such an indelible mark on sports and culture,” Wilson said.
Williams’ memoir will give “a full and open account of her remarkable life, from her childhood in Compton, California, learning to play with her mother and father, to her academy years in West Palm Beach and her decision to turn professional at age 14, to her rise and reign as the top women’s tennis player in the world – and one of the most accomplished athletes in history.”
The memoir will be an “open-hearted exploration of the experiences that have shaped her life,” according to the publisher.
Williams will reflect on “overcoming scrutiny and attacks in a predominantly white and male-dominated sport, navigating devastating losses on and off the court, falling in love with tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, celebrating body diversity and expanding the confines of style in sports and pop culture, bringing awareness to maternal health disparities, and being a devoted mother to her daughters, Olympia and Adira.”
The second book, also untitled, will be an “inspirational” work, according to Random House.
“Williams will offer rules for living that draw on her experiences as a philanthropist and advocate, her career as an investment unicorn with Serena Ventures, and someone who has long sought to lift a diverse and emergent generation of young women whose aspirations are not confined to the court,” the publishers revealed.
Ben Brusey, the publishing director at Century — the imprint of PRH that acquired the books’ UK and Commonwealth rights, said he was honoured to be publishing “these deeply personal and inspiring books by Serena Williams.”
“[She is] a true cultural icon and one of the greatest athletes of all time,” he said. “Her upbringing was the subject of an Oscar-winning movie. But the full story of her journey off the court, told intimately here for the first time, is even more remarkable.”
“Full of the energy, passion and commitment Ms Williams has demonstrated throughout her life, these empowering books will present to readers a profound blueprint of how to conquer nearly insurmountable challenges, and how to thrive.”
Random House group president, Sanyu Dillon described Williams’ life as “one of deep commitment, fierce talent, unabating passion and love.”
“The team and I are honoured to collaborate with Serena on her literary endeavours, and we can’t wait to publish what will no doubt be landmark books of inspiration from a truly singular woman, athlete, mother, and business leader,” he said.
Widely considered to be the Greatest of All Time, Williams announced her retirement shortly before the U.S. Open in 2022. Throughout her career, she won 39 major tennis titles and is a four-times Olympic gold medalist.
In an piece published in Vogue last year, Williams spoke about her thoughts on the next phase in her life.
“I have never liked the word retirement. It doesn’t feel like a modern word to me. I’ve been thinking of this as a transition, but I want to be sensitive about how I use that word, which means something very specific and important to a community of people. Maybe the best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution.”
She also wrote that she hoped that due to her success, “women athletes feel that they can be themselves on the court. They can play with aggression and pump their fists. They can be strong yet beautiful. They can wear what they want and say what they want and kick butt and be proud of it all.”
Williams is not new to authoring books. Her previous titles include a memoir from 2009 “On the Line” and a picture story, “The Adventures of Qai Qai” released in September 2022.
In August this year, she gave birth to her second child, Adira River Ohanian. She and her husband, tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, welcomed their first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. in September 2017.
Several high-profile memoirs have recently made headlines across the West.
They include Jada Pinkett Smith’s “Worthy” (released earlier this month), Britney Spears’ “The Woman in Me” (coming out October 25) Barbra Streisand’s “My name is Barbara” (released on November 7 — and it’s a whopping 992 pages!) and Paris Hilton’s “Paris, the memoir”) released in March this year.