In the world of sports, there are few names as synonymous with greatness as Serena Williams. With Grand Slam singles titles, doubles titles, and Olympic gold medals, Serena has built a formidable legacy. It will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the greatest athletes, male or female, of all time. But beyond her incredible achievements on the court, Serena has become a symbol of inspiration for women in sports, defying barriers and shattering stereotypes along the way.

It is not just us who think Serena Williams’ journey has been inspirational for many. Now, U.S. women’s soccer star, Naomi Girma has spoken up and she, too, agrees. The 23-year-old breakout star Girma mentioned in one of her interviews how Serena has been super inspiring for her and many others.

Naomi Girma talks about Serena Williams being an idol

Girma met with CNN just ahead of her team’s knockout stage matches in the Women’s World Cup. In the course of the interview, she highlighted the issue of how black women’s influence in sports was much less when she was growing up. Now, she wants to change it so that the next generation feels more ambitious.

Talking to CNN, she said, “I can remember watching Simone Manuel, Simone Biles, Serena Williams just dominate their sports, and being Black women in sports that typically didn’t see a lot of women of color competing was always super inspirational to me.”

For her, witnessing a black swimmer, gymnast, and tennis player in professional sports was truly life-changing. Now, she wants to do the same for other women and inspire them to be in her position in the future. In the interview, Naomi also discussed how, besides being inspired by these wonderful women, she reached stardom with her community’s support.

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Naomi opens up about her rise to the top of the U.S. Team

Girma discussed in the CNN interview how difficult it was to manage things alone regarding practicing and focusing on sports. Both her parents were working full-time jobs as she learned to play and trained hard. So they did not have time to pick her up from school and drop her at her practice sessions. However, they did not leave her to fend for herself, either.

At the time, her neighbors and teammates from different schools picked her up and dropped her off whenever needed. People in her local community lent her a hand. At different turns, they stepped up to meet her needs and support her through her gruesome schedules. Girma, humble and rooted as ever, credited her success to them. Without their presence, she probably would not have gotten to where she is today.

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