Serena Williams inspires student athletes

When 100 young women taking part in the Nike Training Club fitness programme showed up at the National Tennis Centre for a workout, they expected to sprint, volley, lunge, lob and jump—but they certainly didn’t anticipate meeting a sporting legend.

Yet that’s exactly what happened on Friday afternoon when Serena Williams dropped by the NTC to congratulate the most active participants in the Training Club schools network scheme.

The girls were so intent on returning shots on the practice court that it took them a moment to realise Williams had stepped in for one of the NTC pros. Waves of realisation rolled over the indoor courts, and a crowd of girls quickly clustered around Williams. ‘You’re beautiful!’ one student yelled, eliciting a smile from Williams before the tennis champion answered a few questions from the group.

‘My pulse raced more than it did when I was excercising!’ Lydia Bekouchi, a college student taking part in the Nike programme, said of meeting Williams. ‘I like her figure, she’s very smiling and she’s won loads of stuff. She’s a huge inspiration for everyone here.’

The support is sure to have inspired Williams right back, just in time for her to chase another title at the Wimbledon Championships, starting today in London. We’ll be there, bringing you news from Centre Court from this afternoon.

Click through the gallery above for photos of the NTC event

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