The media has rehashed the Serena Williams origin story so many times at this point in her career that anybody with even a passing interest in tennis probably has some knowledge of the superstar's life.
With Williams once again poised for an historic win, Nike's latest commercial takes advantage of this cultural saturation with a series of simple words and phrases meant to evoke the highs and lows of her ascendance to legendary status.
SEE ALSO:Gatorade's Snapchat game lets you relive all of Serena Williams' big winsWilliams has the chance to break a record if she notches her 23rd grand slam title at the U.S. Open in New York this month. Her unsuccessful bid to do so last year ended in an upset in the final round.
Set against a slow-build symphony score and ultra-zoomed footage of Williams in action, the ad's stark text sets the scene with "Compton," "sister" and "outsider" before cycling through the cities in which she received some of her most important accolades.
The final bit of text proclaims her the "greatest female athlete ever"-- until the "female" vanishes in a pointed rebuke of how the media treats the legacies of athletes who are women.
The claim seems to be a reference to a Wimbledon press conference this summer in which a reporter asked Williams how it felt to be "one of the greatest female athletes of all time."
"I prefer the word 'one of the greatest athletes of all time,'" she replied, earning praise from fans and admirers.
Earlier this week, the sneaker giant released another advertising tribute to Williams in which fellow athletes (and Kevin Hart) attested to her dominance and inspirational poise.
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The ads are part of Nike's "Unlimited Greatness" campaign from its longtime ad agency partner Wieden+Kennedy in Portland, Oregon.
The apparel company is a longtime sponsor of Williams along with Gatorade, its parent Pepsi and more than a dozen other major brands.
While the perception that Williams' endorsement paychecks didn't match her legendary status was a source of controversy last year, her $29 million haul this year was enough for Forbesto name her the highest paid female athlete (and 40th overall) -- in part because former titleholder Maria Sharapova's drug-related sponsorship losses dragged down her income.
Nike also provided a full key to the context of the words and phrases in the ad:
Compton - Serena Williams swung her first racket at the age of three in Compton, California, soon after her family moved from Michigan.Sister, Outsider - Along with her sister, Williams proved that precocious talent always trumps preconceptions.Pro - Williams turned pro in 1995, when she was 14.#304 - Two years later, with a ranking of 304, she beat two top-ten opponents and became the lowest-ranked player in history to achieve this feat.Winner - In 1999, she claimed her first slam and rose to number four.Top 10 - The following two years, for the first time, she ranked in top 10.Paris, London, New York - In 2002, Williams took Paris, London and New York — plus the number one ranking.Melbourne - A 2003 victory in Melbourne solidified her first “Serena Slam.”Injured - Injury briefly derailed William’s game but never her drive. She dropped to number 139 in 2006, struggled with confidence and critics labeled her obsolete.Struggling - Williams responded by winning Melbourne in 2007, as an unseeded player, completing the year among the sport’s top ten.#169 - After another bout of injury she declined to 169, but quickly battled back and resumed her ascentdone, comeback, focused - In 2013, she became the oldest player ever to earn the rank of number one.#1 - Williams held the top spot through 2014 – the second woman to retain it for a full year – and took her sixth title in New York.Legend - Today, she is revered as the greatest and her influence transcends the game of tennis.
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