Following a surprising loss at the French Open earlier this month and subsequently encouraging followers to get "up time and time again after you fall," legendary tennis player Serena Williams became the second African-American woman tennis player to be featured on a Wheaties box.
On Instagram Tuesday morning, Williams said she was "honored" to be featured on the iconic orange cereal box.
"In 2001, Wheaties paid homage to a true champion and an icon by putting her on the cover of a Wheaties Box," the tennis player prefaced in her Instagram post. "Althea Gibson was the FIRST Black Woman tennis player to be on the box. Today, I am honored to be the second."
In 1956, Gibson became the first Black athlete to win a Grand Slam title. Following a successful career, the then 44-year-old retired and was inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Gibson died at the age of 76 after suffering from respiratory failure.
Numerous fans on social media pointed out Williams' Wheaties honor was "long overdue."
"I can't believe it took Wheaties this long to put your image on the box," one Instagram user wrote. "Regardless, it's great."
"Love overdue," @athens75 added. "Congratulations! There needs to be a third, fourth and fifth...plus."
"I'd say this took way too long to happen," another Instagram user commented. "The GOAT should have been on that box a long time ago."
The cereal brand also took to Twitter to announce the history-making cover: "She's an athlete. She's a fashion designer. She's a philanthropist. She's a mother. [Serena Williams] is a Champion."
Through the course of her 21-year professional tennis career, Williams has won an impressive number of titles, including 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 doubles titles; as well as, alongside her sister–Venus Williams–the power duo has won four Olympic gold medals.
It's not immediately clear if Williams will take part in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but Venus has already confirmed she plans to play in her sixth Olympic Games, according to Team USA's website.
Not only does Williams' sister plan on participating in 2020 but also in 2024 and may take up a new sport for the Winter Games in 2022.
"[In 2022,] I'm going to be on the bobsleigh team," the athlete told the Team USA site in a January interview. "I love playing at the Olympics for sure."
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Williams was the second African-American woman featured on a Wheaties box. Williams is the second African-American woman who plays tennis to be featured on the box. Newsweek regrets the error.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Hannah Preston works remotely from the Los Angeles area. She studied Journalism & New Media at California Baptist University and interned ... Read more
