BRADENTON, Fla. — Inside IMG Academy in Bradenton, the walls are decorated with legends like Serena Williams, who, along with her sister Venus, trained at the academy for nearly a decade with Nick Bollettieri, who founded IMG in 1978.
"It's a dream come true even to just walk on a court that Serena played on, it's really special to me," said Aiko Jackson, a 13-year-old tennis student.
Margie Zesinger is head of the Girl's Tennis Program and said Williams is a huge inspiration for hundreds of her students.
"It has changed the women’s game, Serena, introducing her into the women’s tennis game. We’re teaching girls to be way more athletic. The girls now are hitting the balls a lot harder. She was really the pioneer of power," said Zesinger.
Sofia Lindholm, 17, has been at IMG for five years and said Serena Williams is her role model. Proving to her that with hard work, dreams do come true.
"Just seeing someone who looks like me and can power through any match is really important and has really affected my life," said Lindholm.
Williams is set to retire after the U.S Open. She plays Friday at 7 p.m.
