Is Serena Williams an inspiration to working women?
Story by
July 24, 2018
Serena Williams
As a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated business world, Managing Director at Blue Branch, Rania Noumaan was inspired by Serena William’s comeback, seeing the tennis legend climb 153 places in the world rankings to number 28, after a phenomenal Wimbledon performance.
Before going on maternity leave, Williams was the world number one. The tennis legend was left unseeded after 13 months out of the sport, due to the birth of her first child. The unseeding left Williams with an uphill battle to reclaim her former glory.
Wimbledon was only the fourth tournament since her comeback. Williams overachieved to reach the final, unfortunately failing at the final hurdle in a loss to Angelique Kerber. Williams has previously won the tournament a staggering seven times. Making it to the final was a tremendous feat for the trailblazer considering she only played her first competitive match in February, after 13 months out.
The tennis legend is facing many of the same problems millions of working women encounter after taking a career break. Female entrepreneur and supporter of women in business, Rania Noumaan was incredibly motivated by Williams grit and determination, overcoming the odds to make it to the Wimbledon final.
Williams has a tough journey to claim another Grand Slam facing stiff competition thanks to her dramatic fall down the rankings. Noumaan believes that Williams valiant effort is an inspiration to working women who want to achieve success both personally and professionally.
“Many women find it difficult to get back to their career high after having a baby, and it was really inspiring to see Serena Williams defying the odds to make it to the final,” commented Noumaan.
It was even a surprise to Williams herself who said: “It’s crazy. I don’t even know how to feel because I literally didn’t expect to do this well in my fourth tournament back in 16 months.”
Noumaan believes that the grit and determination shown by Williams can be a powerful motivator for working women.
