Serena Williams praises family for helping her deal with fame

Serena Williams credits her “really strong family” for helping her keep her feet on the ground at the start of her career.

The 23-time grand slam winner was asked about newcomer 15-year-old Cori Gauff and how she and sister Venus managed to avoid the pitfalls of fame when they were the new kid on the block.

Williams said: “We have a really strong family. For us, it’s like fame is relative.

“We’re not famous when we go home or when we go to sleep and we shut our eyes.

“We really look at ourselves as anyone else.

“We really always try to remain incredibly humble.

“I think it was the way we were raised by my mom and my dad just to take everything in stride.”

She also praised Venus for setting a good example.

“(Venus) really led the charge for me.

“I pretty much did everything that she did and she – she was always on the straight and narrow.

“I was just following right behind her,” she said.

“I had a really good role model.

“I really think it boils down to parents and role models.”

She joked she was “nothing like” Miss Gauff when she was 15, adding: “She’s just so poised.

“I was somewhere watching cartoons, for sure.”

When asked if she felt women’s matches weren’t promoted in the same way as the men’s game, she replied: “Of course, the women’s matches aren’t pushed as much as the men’s matches to be on the marquee courts.

“I think there are some players that are pushed more than others.”

She added: “With what I believe, (it’s) just trying to get equality for women to be treated the same way.”