Seeing Serena

Written by Gerald Marzorati

Narrated by Kaleo Griffith

A riveting, revealing portrait of tennis champion and global icon Serena Williams that combines biography, cultural criticism, and sports writing to offer “a deep, satisfying meditation” (The New York Times) on the most consequential athlete of her time.

There has never been an athlete like Serena Williams. She has dominated women’s tennis for two decades, changed the way the game is played, and—by inspiring Naomi Osaka, Coco Gauff, and others—changed, too, the racial makeup of the pro game. But Williams’s influence has not been confined to the tennis court. As a powerful Black woman who struggled to achieve and sustain success, she has emerged as a cultural icon, figuring in conversations about body image, working mothers, and more.

Seeing Serena chronicles Williams’s return to tennis after giving birth to her daughter—from her controversial 2018 US Open final against Naomi Osaka through a 2020 season that unfolded against a backdrop of a pandemic and protests over the killing of Black men and women by the police. Gerald Marzorati, who writes about tennis for The New Yorker, travels to Wimbledon and to Compton, California, where Serena and her sister Venus learned to play. He talks with former women’s tennis greats, sports and cultural commentators—and Serena herself. He observes Williams from courtside, on the red carpet, in fashion magazines, on social media. He sees her and writes about her prismatically—reflecting on her many, many facets.

The result is an “enlightening…keen analysis” (The Washington Post) and energetic narrative that illuminates Serena’s singular status as the greatest women’s tennis player of all time and a Black woman with a global presence like no other.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jun 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781797108568

Gerald Marzorati

Gerald Marzorati is the author of Late to the Ball, a memoir about becoming a serious tennis player later in life. He writes regularly about tennis for The New Yorker. He was the editor of The New York Times Magazine from 2003 to 2010. He previously worked as an editor at the Soho News, Harper’s Magazine, and The New Yorker. His writing has appeared in The New York Times and many other publications. His first book, A Painter of Darkness, won the PEN/Martha Albrand award for a first book of nonfiction.

Reviews for Seeing Serena

[laura Edmunds · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a tennis junky and this held my attention. While the info was presented well and the attempt to capture that which is 'Serena' was thoughtful and sincere, it still did not fully capture her full essence- but I'm not sure it can be done and it's no fault of the author. I think interviews specifically for the book have been helpful! Lots of fun - Serena May be the greatest athlete ever and I am forever grateful that I got to see Serena and Halep play!

[Jessica Desvarieux · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! You will learn not just about Serena and her monumentous career but about the intricacies of the game of tennis. The author is not tone deaf to what a feat the Williams sisters' presence has meant to tennis and to a generation of girls, especially Black girls (myself included). I only wish that he had the opportunity to interview Serena one-on-one for the book. Rather her voice comes across mostly from her press conferences and social media posts, which are highly orchestrated events. Otherwise, the book is an ace.