How a skateboarding accident shaped Serena Williams’ devastating forehand

Contrary to popular belief, Serena Williams wasn’t born with her powerful, match-winning forehand. The iconic shot was honed over the years thanks to thousands of hours on public courts with her mother Oracene, father Richard and big sister Venus.

But without Serena’s punk rock tendencies, this forehand might never have become what it is.

In Williams’ new eight-part documentary series on ESPN, “In the Arena: Serena Williams,” the 23-time major winner revealed that a skateboarding accident transformed her forehand from a liability to a weapon seemingly overnight.

“In the Arena” streams every Tuesday on ESPN+.

“All my dreams weren’t on the tennis court,” Williams said in Episode 1. “I learned guitar and started listening to Green Day. I became a low-key punk rocker because I loved Bad Religion and Rancid. Back then, I loved skateboarding. That’s how I got a good forehand.”

“One day I was at school and I didn’t want to be there, so I just got out my skateboard and went skateboarding around the neighborhood. I fell and hurt my wrist badly. I never told my dad.

“I couldn’t hit the backhand properly, so I thought, I want to work on my forehand today, I want my forehand to get better.”

Williams, who described herself as too small and too weak, suddenly started tearing the ball.

“We remember her forehand getting much bigger after that,” Venus said, laughing. “I thought maybe I should have fallen.”

It was a defining moment for Serena, who described herself as the opposite of her then-big sister.

“For me, it was always about Venus and Serena,” Serena said. “She was the phenomenon. My whole game was lobs and drop shots. That’s nothing like my game today. I just wasn’t strong enough. So I hit lobs, waited and moved my feet really well and hit drop shots. My matches lasted about two hours.”

“I was the kind of player that people hated when you played in the junior league.”

In “In the Arena,” Williams gives fans a glimpse into her career, from her beginnings on the public courts of Compton, California, to her illustrious professional career. Williams takes viewers inside some of the most important matches of her career and gives honest insights into the wins and losses that have shaped her career.

In Episode 1, Williams recalls how she recovered from her daunting professional debut, a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Anne Miller in the first round of qualifying in Quebec City in 1995, and how she won her first Hologic WTA Tour tournament four years later at the 1999 Paris Indoors, where she overcame a partisan crowd to defeat Amelie Mauresmo in the final.

This title marked the beginning of her memorable 1999 season, which culminated in her first Grand Slam title at the US Open, where she was preparing to play against No. 1 Martina Hingis, who had defeated Venus in the semifinals a round earlier.

When Serena saw Venus lose, her fighting spirit increased.

“We just flipped the coin – and I never talked about it – but I lost the toss,” Serena said. “I lost the toss and the umpire says to Martina: serve or return.”

Hingis decided to serve.

“I looked at her and said, ‘Are you sure about this?’ and she was kind of scared,” Serena said.

She would win in two sets.

“I remember years later thinking, I can’t believe I said that,” Williams said.