Serena Williams Covers Harper's BAZAAR's August 2019 Issue

Serena Williams Covers Harper’s BAZAAR’s August 2019 Issue

Undisputed world’s greatest athlete Serena Williams is covering the pages of Harper’s BAZAAR in all her unretouched glory.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner is the mag’s August 2019 cover girl and posed for images taken by Alexi Lubomirski where she’s completely Photoshop free.

The result?

Beautiful baaaaawdy baring images that speak to the vulnerability and honesty Serena’s sharing in an essay she wrote for the publication.

In the essay, ‘Rena reflects on the US Open where she had that faceoff with a referee during her September 2018 Naomi Osaka match. If you can remember, umpire Carlos Ramos accused Serena of cheating during the match and a frustrated Serena broke her racket after Ramos who she called a “thief” took away a point and refused to apologize.

Ultimately Serena racked up three penalties and the match went to Osaka.

According to Serena, the backlash and anger she felt from the incident shook her so much that she first went to therapy…

“So often, in situations similar to mine, when men fight back against the referees, they’re met with a smile or even a laugh from the umpire, as if they’re sharing an inside joke. I’m not asking to avoid being penalized. I am asking to be treated the same way as everyone else. Sadly, that’s simply not the world we currently live in.

Days passed, and I still couldn’t find peace. I started seeing a therapist. I was searching for answers, and although I felt like I was making progress, I still wasn’t ready to pick up a racket.”

before penning a letter to Naomi Osaka apologizing. According to Serena, Naomi’s response brought tears to her eyes.

“Finally I realized that there was only one way for me to move forward. It was time for me to apologize to the person who deserved it the most. I started to type, slowly at first, then faster as if the words were flowing out of me.”

[…]

When Naomi’s response came through, tears rolled down my face. “People can misunderstand anger for strength because they can’t differentiate between the two,” she said graciously. “No one has stood up for themselves the way you have and you need to continue trailblazing.”

We see you, Serena, baring not only your body but your soul.

What do YOU think about Serena’s Harper’s BAZAAR essay/cover?

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