Serena Williams took a career break to study to become a nail technician

In 2009, Williams suffered a knee injury that eventually took her off the court. Never one to keep still, Williams used her time off to learn new things.

Williams enrolled in a course at Palm Beach Nail School to become a certified nail technician. “No one likes getting their nails done more than I do.

As a matter of fact I go every 4 days to get a manicure and every 7 days for a pedicure,” she wrote on her blog at the time. “So, I had a brilliant idea to get certified to be a nail tech.”

Serena Williams practiced her nail art skills on Oprah Winfrey’s feet

Williams sat down with her sister Venus and supermodel Naomi Campbell on Campbell’s web show No Filter with Naomi in April of 2020 to discuss their careers,

business ventures beyond tennis, and more. Campbell asked Serena about one thing in particular: when she gave Oprah Winfrey a pedicure on her talk show in 2010.

“It kinda relaxes me. I’m always watching TV and kinda wasting time and not really doing much,” Williams said of her decision to go to nail school.

“I can’t believe Serena Williams is actually filing my big toe,” Winfrey laughed “Unbelievable. ”Williams also discussed how many people don’t see the other side of her — the Serena Williams in everyday life and not on the tennis court.

“I feel like I’m two people. I feel like on the court I’m Serena Williams and everyone knows. Then I feel like the moment I step off the court, I’m a different animal,” she said. “I’m really super feminine and I’m really soft and sensitive about people that don’t like me because I feel like I always want people to like me. But at the same time, on the court, I couldn’t care less what people feel.”