Serena Williams Makes Harper’s Bazaar 'Daring” List

Serena Williams has been included in Harper’s Bazaar 2015 “Daring” list and it’s not difficult to see why the tennis champion is being recognized for being a bold woman. The 34-year-old has nabbed the Grand Slam title 21 times and still going strong when most would have retired the game by now. Posing in a white Ralph Lauren jumpsuit and a pair of Louboutins against a wall of graffiti, Williams shows that as fierce as she is on the court, she’s not afraid to have fun.

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Williams is known to be no-nonsense during a game, but she’s been starting to look at the benefits of chilling out. After her struggles with a hematoma and a pulmonary embolism in 2011, she’s learned that being calmer on court would be better for her health.

“I’ve made it a point to be calmer,” Williams said. “You know me, I’m really intense and really crazy, but in my career I want to be more calm.”

But don’t take her toned-down demeanor to mean she’s not ready to continue beating her opponents and maintaining her rank as No. 1 in women’s singles tennis. In fact, her practice to be calmer could hone her skills even further.

“Some people are born to do certain things, and I think I was born to do tennis,” she said. “I definitely didn’t miss my calling!”

As for her definition of what being daring entails, Williams said you have to be courageous by being smart.

“Daring to me is taking a chance but not doing it blindly. A very calculated change,” Williams said. “Think of amazing women like Sheryl Sandberg and Oprah Winfrey — they’re daring, but they’re not jumping off a building without a parachute, you know?”

“You have to be smart about it. You can’t be afraid to be a pioneer and take a chance and speak up and just be bold,” she continued.

Catch up with BET’s most daring woman in the Being Mary Jane: Facing Fears clip below. Full episodes available online now!

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(Photo: Grant Lamos IV/Getty Images)