Episode 300 of The Body Serve is our meditation on the career of Serena Williams - an episode we’d put off, partly out of denial and partly because we wanted so badly to do it justice. In 1999, just before beating Steffi Graf at Indian Wells, Serena said: “I’m tired of losing to people I should beat. Whatever my potential is, I want to reach it. Now.” She did just that for over two decades, amassing 23 major singles titles, 14 major doubles titles with Venus, international fame and cultural influence, and hundreds of Open Era tennis records. The hardest thing about covering Serena is to take her out of the realm of metaphor: she is (rightfully) an icon, someone who means even more than what she did on court, but how do you take a measure of the woman herself? What follows is not a full biography. We look at distinct eras in Serena’s career and weave in themes of misogynoir, body shaming, integrity, sisterhood, shade, and finally, a celebration of Serena’s legendary kits and press conference moments. 

3:00 Let’s look at the receipts: the resume and the records 

7:25 The early years: a “perfect bond of union” and Serena’s first WTA match

20:45 You can’t tell the story of Serena without Venus

27:20 Domination Part One (2002-2003): Serena Slam and prophecy fulfilled

32:00 The desert (2004-2006): acceptance is conditional; the Great White Hope

40:40 The Chris Evert letter

50:50 Getting back to #1 (2007-2010)

57:00 The myths of 2012 lead to one of the greatest stretches in tennis history (2012-2017)

1:02:25 Returning to Indian Wells, 2015

1:10:45 Twilight (2018- )

1:14:50 Misogynoir

1:23:10 Controversy: why is it always the US Open?

1:36:10 Serena in press: there is truly nothing like it

1:45:25 Serena dropped a massive bombshell while we were recording, and it gave us closure

1:49:10 Legacy

1:58:20 The legendary fits: Cameroon, catsuits, and Puma supremacy