Serena Williams vows to fight for equality until the ‘grave’

Women’s tennis star Serena Williams on Saturday vowed to continue her fight for equality after being asked about concerns over her dedication to the sport. 

“The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me will be the day I’m in my grave,” Williams told reporters. 

{mosads}The comments from Williams came shortly after her loss to Romanian Simona Halep in the Wimbledon final, an outcome that marked her third consecutive defeat in a Grand Slam final. 

Tennis great Billie Jean King had expressed concerns amid the tournament that Williams’s efforts off the court were making it difficult for her to keep up a high level of play. 

“She’s got a baby, she’s trying to help gender equity, particularly women of color. But it makes it much harder,” King, a 12-time Grand Slam champion, said, according to Reuters.

“I would like her to put everything else aside, because she’s got people working on those things,” she added. “I wish she would just make a commitment for the next year and a half to two years and say, ‘I’m going to absolutely focus on what’s necessary for my tennis, so when I look in the mirror when I’m older, then I can go back in my mind and know I gave it everything I had.’”

King later clarified on Saturday that she would “never ask anyone to stop fighting for equality.”

“In everything she does, Serena shines a light on what all of us must fight for in order to achieve equality for all,” King said. 

I would never ask anyone to stop fighting for equality. In everything she does, Serena shines a light on what all of us must fight for in order to achieve equality for all.

— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 13, 2019

Williams has been outspoken on a number of issues related to tennis and women’s equality.

She retweeted a post from King last week calling for the U.S. women’s soccer team to earn equal pay following their World Cup victory.