Serena Williams is among history's most celebrated athletes and refuses to let that be tainted by perception.
“For every negative comment, there are 300,000 positive ones,’’ Williams told The Miami Herald . “My fans are incredibly supportive. I look like a normal athlete, a normal woman walking down the street, a thicker one. I’m OK with that. I love that. You have to be OK with yourself no matter if you’re size 0 or a little bigger, like me. A lot of other people say I inspire them to be comfortable with themselves. My mom was really strong on that, on learning to love yourself."
MORE: Serena's Open titles | Winners since 2000 | American Open champs
Williams and her sister, Venus have been on the receiving end of harsh comments about their bodies. Most recently, The New York Times was criticized for publishing an article about female tennis players' physiques , specifically drawing attention to Serena's arms.
Last year, the head of the Russian Tennis Federation was fined and banned for a year from the WTA Tour after referring to Serena and Venus as "the Williams brothers" and said they looked "scary." Serena called the comments racist, sexist and a form of bullying.
Despite the distracting comments, Williams is on the verge of making history. If she wins the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 31, she will be the first female player since Steffi Graf in 1988 to complete a calendar grand slam — a sweep of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. She would also tie Graf with 22 major titles, the most of all time.