Serena Williams says she was once accused of witchcraft by rival she kept beating on the court

Just in time for Halloween, Serena Williams reveals a time she was so good the haters thought it was black magic.

Serena Williams has been through a lot when it comes to rivals on the tennis court—from fights to feuds, and even at one point, accusations of witchcraft.

On a recent episode of “Stockton Street,” the newly launched podcast Serena co-hosts with her sister Venus, the 44-year-old tennis legend recalled the bizarre claim while chatting with guest Ciara about the wildest things they’ve heard about themselves.

“The craziest thing I ever heard about me was that I did witchcraft, black magic, because I was beating some girl a lot,” Serena shared. “And so she claimed that we did black magic to beat her.”

And while Serena didn’t name the former rival, Venus had her own memory of just how far the superstition went. 

“From what I understand, someone on her team consulted a black magician to beat you,” Venus, 45, added.

Together, the sisters redefined tennis and inspired generations of Black women athletes worldwide without the use of magic. Serena, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and a four-time Olympic gold medalist, has dominated the sport for decades alongside Venus, who boasts seven Grand Slam singles titles and five Olympic medals of her own. 

But despite being so good that she was accused of using witchcraft, Serena admitted she wasn’t always good at celebrating her wins.

“I think as women, to be honest, we’re not taught to celebrate our wins because there’s always something new,” she said. “It’s almost never enough. Having a kid is a huge victory, being a mom is a huge victory, doing what you do—winning a Grammy—these are massive accomplishments.”

She continued, “We’re not really taught, you know, when you go out onto the scene, you see a lot of parties happening, you see mostly men having a fabulous time, as they should—but we should also just enjoy.”

That mindset has since shifted. Serena shared that after one of her Grand Slam victories in Australia, she finally gave herself permission to celebrate big. 

“It’s okay to be happy and say, ‘I did a good job today,’ and be proud of what you do and just celebrate your wins,” she said.