Serena Williams gets first Wheaties box cover, hopes to inspire next generation

- by Paige Elliott
General Mills

The tennis champ follows in the footsteps of Althea Gibson

Serena Williams started off July with a bang, becoming the new face on the cover of Wheaties cereal boxes. The cereal giant announced the honor on June 25 with a tweet: “She’s an athlete. She’s a fashion designer. She’s a philanthropist. She’s a mother. @serenawilliams is a Champion. #ShesAChampion”

For Williams, the achievement fulfills a long-held goal. “I have dreamt of this since I was a young woman and it’s an honor to join the ranks of some of America’s most decorated athletes,” Williams said in a press release.

One of those decorated athletes was tennis great Althea Gibson, who became the first Black female tennis player to grace a Wheaties box cover in 2001.

On Instagram, Williams made sure her 11.1M followers knew the score. “In 2001, Wheaties paid homage to a true champion and an icon by putting her on the cover of a Wheaties Box. Althea Gibson was the FIRST Black Woman tennis player to be on the box. Today, I am honored to be the second.”

Gibson and Williams are among just a handful of Black women to covet a “Breakfast of Champions” cover. Gymnast Dominique Dawes received hers in 1996 and Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee in 2004.

“Serena exemplifies all of the personal attributes that Wheaties looks for when choosing who its next champion will be,” stated Wheaties Marketing Manager Tiffani Daniels in a press release. “On the court, she has been named the women’s most valuable player seven times, while off the court she uses her voice to inspire and spark change to make the world a better place.”

Williams, widely considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, is currently competing at Wimbledon in both women’s singles and mixed doubles with Andy Murray. She’s on a quest for a 24th Grand Slam singles title. She’s won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and four Olympic gold medals.

The limited-edition Wheaties box featuring Williams will be on the shelves throughout the summer starting in July. “I hope my image on this iconic orange box will inspire the next generation of girls and athletes to dream big,” said Williams.