Serena Williams shares the No.1 value her parents taught her that led to her success

Serena Williams, former professional tennis player and Managing Partner of Serena Ventures, speaks during the New York Times annual DealBook summit at Jazz at Lincoln Center on December 04, 2024 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images

Tennis legend Serena Williams shared the most important value her parents imparted that fostered her success both as a tennis pro and as a businesswoman.

In an interview with CNBC Meets’ Tania Bryer, Williams divulged that one of the values she has sustained through her career is staying humble.

“I think the main value that they instilled in me is just humility, and I think that goes way better than any championship or anything, because it keeps you grounded as an individual,” Williams said.

“It keeps you respectful, and it keeps you just like everybody else, because at the end of the day, we’re all the same, right? It’s just [that] some of us might be a little bit better, but we’re all really the same,” she added.

How Serena Williams went from tennis GOAT to VC powerhouse

Williams has won 23 “Grand Slam” singles titles, making her one of the most decorated tennis players in history. After stepping away from the sport in 2022, she pivoted into entrepreneurship to focus on her venture capital fund Serena Ventures.

Asked about her impact on tennis and whether she’s improved the sport, Williams admitted: “I would never say that. I just had an opportunity to play a great sport, and I did the best I could, and is it better because of me? I don’t know. I think that it was great before me, and it’s gonna be great after me, and I just had a fleeting moment that I will always relish and cherish.”

Williams is now taking on a new role as entrepreneur in residence for consumer goods conglomerate Reckitt, which unveiled a new program called “Reckitt Catalyst” last week that aims to invest in and support 200 health and hygiene startups founded by women. Williams will play a key role in mentoring these founders and entrepreneurs.

‘You have to be very disciplined’

The 43-year-old mother of two said that discipline is “the number one thing” she’s taken from her tennis career into business, which has been crucial to her success.

“Tennis is [played] every day, you have to do it every day. You have to train, and business is the same. It is exactly the same. You have to be very disciplined,” she said.

“You also have to be determined through ups and downs, be determined to keep going. And that’s one thing that I’m excited to do, is to talk to these mentors about that determination that I’ve shown so much in my past career and just bring it out to this new career.”

Williams added that some of her success and skill is part of her nature, but the other part had to be nurtured.

“I think a lot of things are nature, but a lot of things can be nurtured, and I know that from experience, that a lot of things can be nurtured. I look forward to nurturing them [founders] and getting them to a place of being very successful at whatever they define success, because the success is defined in many different ways,” she said.