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Serena Williams for Nintendo
Sometimes in the middle of our games they would stop working. So we all made Nintendo’s unwritten rule. We blew the cartridges, put them back into the system, and resumed operations. From Duck Hunt to Super Mario Bros to Mike Tyson’s Punchout, growing up in the 80s, we were all addicted to the Nintendo Entertainment System. And when I say we were all addicted to the revolutionary home console that hit America in 1985, that includes a young black girl who grew up to be a tennis freak – Serena Williams.
When the now six-time Grand Slam champion wasn’t perfecting her game and building a tennis legacy with her equally talented and accomplished sister, Venus, and their father, who doubled as a coach, she was blowing cartridges like the rest of us. And now that she’s grown up, a lot has changed, including her new role as wife and mom, but the one thing that has remained constant is her love for Nintendo.
At the peak of 2020, COVID-19 forced the world to go on lockdown, and the Nintendo Switch truly became a flagship, but Williams was an avid Switch gamer before the global pandemic. So much so that when her family went on vacation just before COVID swept the world, she packed it in her suitcase.
ESSENCE met the world star, who won his first Grand Slam title in 1999 at 17 and has won titles every decade since. She shares with us details about her new partnership with Nintendo Switch and how she and her sister got into trouble with their dad for playing Nintendo too much instead of focusing on their studies. Williams, arguably the best tennis player of her time, even shares a bit of how her competitive ways get a little out of hand while playing Mario Tennis Aces.
Congratulations on your new partnership with Nintendo for Nintendo Switch. What is your first memory of childhood play?
SERENA WILLIAMS: Definitely the Nintendo console. What was it called?
Was it the Game Boy?
WILLIAMS: No, but you know the big deal with the cartridges. It was the NES. Nintendo entertainment system.
Oh yeah, the one where we had to blow up the cartridges.
WILLIAMS: Exactly. I think everyone has that memory and it was definitely mine. I also remember going to the arcades a lot when I was younger and it was always a lot of fun for me. It was like a thrill to have the chance to go and play different games.
But at home we were so excited when we got our Nintendo console, and it was amazing. We have played so many games. We were playing too much, and my dad would get angry and say, “You have to go to school. And we were like ‘okay’, and we would still play.
So many of us have fond memories of Nintendo from childhood, and we probably never imagined that we would find so much joy playing Nintendo as adults. When did you first hear about Nintendo Switch and get your Nintendo Switch?
WILLIAMS: I heard about it for the first time a short time ago. It was definitely over a year and a half ago. And I got it because I liked the fact that there were so many Nintendo games that I could still play them.
So so much has happened this year. Has Switch been an escape or your time to breathe amid COVID and all that has happened this year?
WILLIAMS: Yeah I think so. I spend so much time at home that I’m not used to it, and it’s just different. It’s a whole different world than the one we lived in, in January and February. In addition, there are no more gyms. At least I don’t go to the gym anymore, so I really liked Just Dance 2021 and Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise.
So it’s like, okay, I don’t have to work out right now, but I want to sweat it out and sweat it out for fun. I literally love new music. I also love choreography, dance choreography, and it’s just a cool way for me to exercise and have fun. Olympia, she started dancing with me and she loves it. And so, it’s almost like a lot of family fun for us. It’s great, super fun.
Currently, due to COVID, it is more difficult to connect with family and friends. Have you used Nintendo Switch to connect with your people? And if so, how are you, who do you play with the most?
WILLIAMS: So not so much. I haven’t done much with the connection, but I certainly do if someone is in my house. But you know, with this new world, not many people are finished unless they’re in my bubble. I mainly play with my family. And before all of that happened, we were on vacation. I actually traveled with it and we played on vacation, and it was crazy. We had so much fun. But no, I haven’t done all the connection part yet. I did this once in a Mario Tennis Aces, kind of like a tournament, which was fun, but got a little too competitive. [hysterical laughter]
What are your favorite games to play?
WILLIAMS: Definitely Just Dance 2021. And I really, really love Mario Tennis Aces. These two are by far my favorites.
Are you super competitive while playing… Is Serena the tennis player different from Serena the Nintendo Switch player?
WILLIAMS: I am very competitive in Mario Tennis Aces to the point that I cannot lose, or I will be very upset and start to dislike the character. Yeah, just a little too competitive, which is absolutely wrong. But in the others, like Just Dance 2021 and Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise, I’m not as competitive. I’m like, okay, I can drop this slide or I can drop it. But in tennis [Mario Tennis Aces], it’s dangerously competitive.
Why this partnership with Nintendo, and this is our last question, but why is this partnership a good partnership for you and where are you now?
WILLIAMS: Well that’s just the best. It’s a great opportunity to encourage others to take a break, you know, and relax. I think we’ve often forgotten this, and I think it’s so important to remember to relax and have fun. And that’s one way to do it.
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