(Photo: Vogue Magazine, April 2015)

Serena Williams might be a formidable match on the tennis court, but in her latest cover story for Vogue’s April issue, the Gram Slam winner (19 times over!) and No. 1 ranked female player in the world chats about her insecurities and wishing she were as confident off the court as she is on it.

“On the court, I am fierce! I am mean and I am tough. I am completely opposite off the court. My confidence just isn’t the same. I wish I was more like I am on the court. Nobody would know that I am constantly crying or complaining,” Williams said.

In her interview, alongside rival and best friend Caroline Wozniacki, Williams also opened up about how important it’s been for her to have people she loves blazing through the same path she is. In fact, Wozniacki recalls how Williams was there for her when her fiancé suddenly broke off their engagement over the phone last year.

“First she texted, ‘If you don’t pick up, I am going to fly to Monaco.’ And then, ‘If you don’t answer the door, I am going to knock it down.’ So I thought, OK, I better answer the phone. And I am so glad I did. She wasn’t pitying me, like a lot of people were. I mean, it’s not like anyone died. I was in shock, but she was really helpful because she had been through it before. She didn’t sugarcoat it, and she didn’t look down on me. She was really there for me when I needed her the most, and that’s why I think our friendship is so strong now.”

They might be fierce competitors, but once the match is over, these two are back to fits of giggling and dispelling the “myth that women players cannot be friends.”

“It’s hard and lonely at the top,” Williams admitted. “That’s why it’s so fun to have Caroline and my sister too. You’re a target when you’re number one. Everyone wants to beat you. Everyone talks behind your back, and you get a lot more criticism. God forbid I lose. It’s like, ‘Why?’ Well, I am human.”

To read the entire interview, click here.
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