Serena Williams (born 1981) is one of the greatest female tennis players ever. Her skill and success on the court are unrivaled over her long career, though off the court there have been many controversies and claims of arrogance and of being a bad loser. She retired in 2022 with 23 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, one short of the record held by Margaret Court.
Greatest Sporting Achievements
Her 23 Grand Slam tournament victories are the most for any player in the modern era. Her trophy cabinet includes 7 Australian opens, 3 French open, 7 Wimbledon, and 6 US open titles. With her sister Venus, Serena also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. She won the Laureus World Sports Award four times (2003, 2010, 2016, 2018) and was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine in 2015. All this success has been very lucrative for Serena. She is the highest-earning woman athlete of all time - in 2016 and 2017 Serena was the world's highest-paid woman athlete.
What Made Her So Good?
Serena Williams is known as a complete player. Her aggressive baseline strokes and powerful and accurate serves, combined with tactical skills honed from playing from a very young age, enables her to dominate her opponents. The arrival of the very athletic Serena and her sister Venus on the tennis world stage is considered the start of an era of power tennis on the women's professional tennis tour.
What You May Not Know
- In 2002, after the French Open, Venus and Serena Williams were ranked world No. 1 and No. 2 in singles, the first time in history that sisters occupied the top two positions.
- When Serena won her 23rd Grand Slam title in January 2017 she was pregnant at the time.
- Her first children's book is due to be released in September 2022.
- She is the youngest of five sisters
- Williams is married to Alexis Ohanian, a co-founder of Reddit.com
Was she a legend?
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Related Pages
- Serena Williams Hero Rating
- Serena is one of the 7 Wonders of the World (Female Athletes)
- More tennis player profiles
- Greatest Tennis Players Ever
- About The Sport of Tennis
- Athlete Database home