Looks like congratulations are in order for Serena Williams. The 37-year-old tennis pro will be the next athlete to appear on the outside of the iconic orange Wheaties box.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion is the second black female tennis player to make the box cover after Althea Gibson was honored almost 20 years ago. General Mills announced the news on Tuesday morning in a press release, while Williams herself shared the news with fans on social media.
“In 2001, Wheaties paid homage to a true champion and an icon by putting her on the cover of a Wheaties Box,” Williams captioned her post. “Althea Gibson was the FIRST Black Woman tennis player to be on the box. Today, I am honored to be the second.” History in the making, people.
According to the company, Williams’s
“When we started to evaluate who our next athlete would be, we started to go through who we believe are the top athletes of our time,” said Taylor Gessell, manager in Brand Experience at General Mills. “Serena was named an overwhelming amount of times. We mocked up a few boxes with images for Serena and her team to select from, and it was a unanimous choice to go with that shot—and that white dress—was it! It truly signifies a championship moment.” We totally agree.
Williams's limited-edition Wheaties Box will be available nationally in the next several weeks.