Go Ahead, Underestimate Serena Williams at Your Own Peril

Pity the poor people tasked with determining seeds for Wimbledon. The quirks of world rankings put Serena Williams 181st in the world as she took time off for her pregnancy and the birth of her daughter, Olympia. She ended up with the 25th seed for the tournament but, let’s be honest, that’s low. Williams is one of the world’s greatest athletes and made a serious charge yet fell short of nabbing her 24th Grand Slam tennis championship, losing to Germany’s Angelique Kerber in the final. With such fine form in the tournament, Williams vaulted back up the rankings, where she currently sits at 28th. [kickout id="1"] In celebration, Gatorade released a new spot that is a tribute, not only for her return but to mothers around the world. Narrated by Williams’ own mother, Oracene Price, the themes of sacrifice, dedication and strength provide a powerful foundation and are a reminder that Williams is indeed in her own league. While some congratulatory creative can feel forced, the theme and messages in the spot are authentic and close to Williams’ heart. After a difficult delivery, that included emergency surgery post-birth, motherhood is an incredibly important part of her perspective. A gracious runner-up, Williams said in a post-match on-court interview that “I was playing for [all the moms] today.” Additionally, in a news conference, she encouraged all mothers to keep pursuing their careers saying: “I had such a long struggle to come back and it was really difficult, and honestly I feel like if I can do it, they can do it. I'm just that person, that vessel that's saying you can be whatever you want to be if you want to go back to work." And we’ll see Williams back at work, leading up to the next Grand Slam, the U.S. Open in New York at the end of August and, chances are, we'll see her back at the top of the rankings sooner than later. CREDITS: Client: Gatorade Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day Chief Creative Officer: Renato Fernandez Global Creative Director: Doug Menezes Global Creative Director: Mark Peters Senior Copywriter: Liz Cartwright Senior Art Director: Stephen Lum Director of Production: Brian O'Rourke Executive Producer: Guia Iacomin Associate Producer: Jeff Holiday Managing Director: Jerico Dig Cabaysa Brand Director: Robyn Morris Management Supervisor: Gabriela Marino Account Group Assistant: Wenona Carlos Group Planning Director: Scott MacMaster Global Planning Director: Martin Ramos Director of Business Affairs: Robin Rossi Business Affairs Manager: Tana Prosper Talent Payment Manager: Kevin Castro Senior Traffic Operations Manager: Judy Brill Media Agency: OMD Editorial House: Cut + Run Managing Director: Michelle Eskin Executive Producer: Amburr Farls Producer: Brian Mulvey Editor: Sean Fazende Assistant Editor: Ronnie Shatto VFX: Framestore Executive Producer: James Razzall Producer: Morgan MacCuish Creative Director: Alex Thomas Flame Leads: Sarah Marikar, Julian Ford Compositors: JD Yepes, Minsang Lee, Kingsley Rothwell, Humberto Reynaga VFX Coordinator: Amee Minsal VFX Support: Brent Shafer, Alexandra Wysota Color: Framestore Colorist: Jonah Braun Final Mix: Lime Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan Mixer: Mark Meyuhas Assistant Mixer: Peter Lapinski Music: Human Executive Producer: Carol Dunn Creative Director: Gareth Williams Composer: Jon Hubbell Sound Design: Human Sound Designer: Gareth Williams