The Player’s Box

By Julia F. Green

In the last years of Serena Williams’ career as a professional tennis player, I realized I’d been making a huge mistake as a writer.

Serena is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. I watched her for decades admiring her unrivaled strength and accuracy. For years, I believed her status as a champion was due to her innate ability. She was simply better than everyone else on the court.

I applied this misguided logic to writing, assuming those who succeeded we...