"What?" Williams asked.
"Are you surprised at yourself with your level?" ESPN’s Mary Jo Fernandez asked again.
When Williams chuckled, Fernandez replied, "No, I know." And then the tennis star answered.
"I mean, I'm just Serena, you know," she said.
She went on to say lightly, "Well, I'm a pretty good player" before answering the reporter's question more seriously.
"This is what I do best," Williams said. "I love a challenge. I love rising to the challenge, and yeah, I haven't played many matches, but I've been practicing really well."
She continued:
"And my last few matches it just wasn't coming together. I'm like, 'But this isn't me.' And the last couple matches, here, in New York, it's really come together. Maybe I should’ve traveled with you all for all those years."
During the event that also featured commentators appearing to misidentify singer Dionne Warwick as Gladys Knight, Twitter users—both famous and otherwise—had a field day.
Journalist Master Tesfatsion tweeted: “’I’m just Serena’ is the most professional way I’ve heard someone say ‘Do you know who the (f--k) I am?’”
Vice President Kamala Harris gave the dignified response we've come to expect from a leader of our country. (Well, at least from the Democratic ones.) "Thank you @SerenaWilliams for inspiring people around the world with your talent, grace, and determination both on and off the court,” the vice president tweeted. “We celebrate all that you have been, all that you are, and all that is to come.”
Journalist Michele Norris similarly commended Williams, giving her exactly the praise she deserves.
The play of Serena is a thing to behold
But the mind of Serena. Whew!
The mental toughness & composure. The way she allows for playfulness.
She embraces the headwinds & accepts the target on her back. And through it all is clearly guided by LOVE.
Love of game
Love of self
RELATED STORY: Serena Williams reciting Maya Angelou's 'Still I Rise' might be more powerful than her serve (video)
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