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Founder's Letter: Serena Shows That Ageism Looks Different When You Are A Black Woman

I’ve written a lot about Serena Williams in the past. There are many reasons for that. When I was in primary school, both her and Venus were the reason I hounded my parents for a tennis racket and spent an entire summer in the park playing tennis with my dad. The Williams sisters are the reason why I loved wearing beads in my hair when I was double digits and nearly two decades later, my fascination with them both has evolved, but never faded.

Now I’ll be honest, I couldn’t watch Serena play in this year’s Australian Open. I get too nervous for her (why am I that invested?). So when I knew she facing Naomi Osaka, I was in part optimistic because Serena has beaten her in their last two meetings. Yet, it was not meant to be and Serena’s dream of getting Grand Slam 24 at this year’s Australian Open was over in straight sets