"When I'm in the car, I can't do work" - Serena Williams speaks on her love for driving and it's calming effect on her hectic life

Three months after she retired from professional tennis, Serena Williams hasn’t stopped moving. She’s building out her investment platform Serena Ventures, running her clothing and jewelry brands, walking Vogue runways, and spending time with her young daughter Olympia.

To decompress, Williams says she seeks out quiet moments all to herself, behind the driver’s wheel, where she opts to take the long way home.

“I am the kind of person that when I drive, I look forward to it,” she shared with Town & Country. “I am such a hands-on mom. I'm always with Olympia and I'm always doing work, but when I'm in the car, I can't do work. I have me-time and I really take my time. I love the quiet, the focus.”

Williams was in Miami Beach for Art Basel and participated in a panel discussion organized by Lincoln Motor Company along with Estée Lauder creative director Gabriele Chiave, and Lincoln interior design chief Ryan Niemic. She became a Lincoln brand ambassador in 2018 and teased the brand’s in-car fragrance Coastal Morning on her Instagram ahead of the Miami Art Week event.

When it comes to specing out her perfect ride, she wants her signature Lincoln Navigator to make a stark statement and looks forward to an electric model.

“I would stick to vegan leathers. I like strong, bold colors," said the 23-time Grand Slam champion. "I like blacks and to see the stitching through it. Pink stitching would be nice. I definitely want something that is less cozy and more that keeps me alert.”

Williams would go on to reminiscence about road-trips taken when she was a youth, particularly those that involved her family during the early part of her tennis career.

“We used to take so many road trips when we were younger with my dad," she recalled. "We drove to Florida from California. We drove to the Grand Canyon. We would always drive to Mexico because we lived in southern California and we would see different cultures.

"Driving has always been something that I associate good memories with because it was so much family time. I'm always trying to push my husband to be like, let's do road trips. It has so many great memories tied to it.”