Exclusive: Top 5 cheekiest Serena Williams quotes, ft. Dinara Safina dig at Wimbledon

Serena Williams is arguably the greatest women’s tennis player of all time. The American superstar dominated the women’s game for the better part of two decades, winning everything on her way. The 23-time Grand Slam champion was also just as entertaining off-court as she was on it.

Throughout her career, Williams has thrilled the crowd with a mic in her hand during interviews. Be it banter on-court after a win, or in the press conference, she has never shied away from being herself and delivered some iconic quotes.Here is a list of the five sassiest quotes from Serena Williams.

#5 “I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger”

Serena Williams has often leaned on her inner strength to get her over the line in tough circumstances. During her interview with The Times in 2015, the American dove deep into her Miami Open 2001 controversy and how that match affected her.Serena and her sister Venus Williams were set to face off in the semi-final of the Miami Open 2001, but Venus pulled out due to an injury. This decision by Venus to withdraw from the tournament kickstarted allegations of match-fixing against Serena and she was booed throughout the final.

Talking about the incident, Serena said that she was deeply hurt by the allegations but claimed that her desire to win in any situation got her over the line.

“I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger,” Serena Williams said.

#4 “I’m drama, and I don’t want to be drama”

Serena Williams was in the hot seat again during the French Open in 2009. The American faced off Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, in what turned out to be an ill-tempered match on Center Court. Williams claimed that her opponent ‘cheated’ during a point in the first set, which she ended up losing.However, Williams kept her cool and ended up mounting a comeback to win the match 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. During her post-match conference, Williams claimed that she is often the drama but she does not like to be involved in such antics.

“I’m drama, and I don’t want to be drama. I’m beginning to think it’s me because I do have a lot of drama, and it’s always something, whether it’s my life with friends, or with anybody. It’s like I have the most dramatic life. It’s so ridiculous,” Williams said.

#3 “I’d rather definitely be No. 2 and hold three Grand Slams in the past year than be No. 1 and not have any”

Serena Williams spent 319 weeks as the women’s World No. 1 throughout her career. However, she was overtaken by Dinara Safina for around 10 months in 2009. Interestingly, Safina had never won a Grand Slam title and still claimed the No. 1 spot in the rankings.After her Wimbledon title win, Williams was asked about the World No. 1 ranking in WTA and she claimed that she is relaxed about the situation. Williams also took a dig at Safina saying that she would rather stay second and win Grand Slam titles, than remain first and win nothing.

“I think if you hold three Grand Slam titles maybe you should be No. 1, but not on the WTA Tour, so my motivation is just to win another Grand Slam and stay No. 2, I guess. I’d rather definitely be No. 2 and hold three Grand Slams in the past year than be No. 1 and not have any,” Williams said.

#2 “I went on court with a ball, a racquet and hope… That’s all I had.”
Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova in the final of the Australian Open 2015 to claim her 19th Grand Slam title. What followed was an emotional post-match speech which left everyone teary-eyed.Talking about her tennis journey, Williams claimed that she had gone through a lot of hardship during her youth. She was nostalgic after winning her 19th Grand Slam title and admitted that she always carried hope with her every time she went on the court.

“I wasn’t the richest. But I had a rich family in spirit and support, and standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I went on the courts with just a ball and a racket and a hope, and that’s all I had,” Serena said.

#1 “Am I the greatest? I don’t know, I’m the greatest I can be.”

Speaking to Glamour magazine in 2016, Serena Williams was asked about her opinion on the GOAT (greatest of all time) label, given to her by her fans. She was at her humble best while answering the question and chose against making any bold claims.Instead, Williams said that she tries to be the greatest version of herself each day and tries to be better than she was yesterday. The American admitted that she has bad days like everyone else, but prefers to focus on the future and improving herself.

“I try to be the best that I can be every day. I have bad days. I had a bad day the other day. I hit for only, like, 30 minutes, and I stormed off the court. But that was the best I could do on that day. So am I the greatest? I don’t know. I’m the greatest that I can be,” Serena Williams said.