Day in the Life:
Serena Williams
Serena Williams has four Olympic gold medals that stand on a trophy shelf with 73 WTA titles, including 39 Grand Slams. She was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated and one of the most powerful women in the world by Forbes. When asked if her tremendous success on the court is due to something unique to her nature, she answers:
“All I know is that I do work very, very hard. The other day I was on the court for four hours with my coach and everyone was like, “OK, are you crazy?” No, I’m just really intense. I work really hard. As long as you’re willing to do hard work, you’ll have everything.”
Serena’s Daily Routine:
- 7 AM-Breakfast
- 8AM – Tennis Practice w/ Sister Venus and Father
- 12PM – Lunch Break
- 2PM – Strength Training
- 4PM – Dance Class
- 5PM – Rehab
- 6PM – Dinner with Family
- 8PM – Social Media and Promotional Work
- 12AM – Sleep
Keeping it Fun
One of the biggest changes in Serena’s daily routine recently has been switching to dance class for her afternoon cardio. She traditionally ran, then biked, then used the elliptical… eventually moving to yoga and Pilates. When recovering from injury, she started dancing because it was less impact and she had fun:
“I actually love dancing as well. I’ve been taking dance classes because it’s actually super challenging. I have a lot of friends that take it with me. I make fun of them, and they make fun of me in the class. We do it year-round, and we always see who’s improved the most, then bam, put on a show, which is kinda ridiculous but really fun.”
Sleep Struggles
With all her training, tournaments, traveling and endorsement opportunities, Serena Williams puts sleep on the back burner. Serena has been public about her problems getting good sleep. She explains her inability to shut down at night by saying she’s, “constantly on a natural high, high on life and happy, happy, happy and working.”
She once tried a prescription pill to get good sleep before the Australian Open Finals, and felt it made her groggy the next day (she still won the trophy). Serena’s frustration led her to join a venture with LeBron James, Chris Paul and Pitbull called Sleep Sheets, which they promote as a natural sleep aid.
According to an interview with HELLO! magazine:
“Looking bright eyed and fashionable in a plunging shirt and fringed skirt, Serena shared her secret for balancing her busy schedule. “I don’t sleep, so I think that helps,” she told HELLO!. “Literally I don’t sleep. It’s not healthy for me but it helps me out. I’ll sleep tonight though! I’ll work it out tonight; I’ll have time to sleep.””