Serena Williams

Serena Williams
Williams at the 2013 US Open
Full nameSerena Jameka Williams
Country (sports) United States
ResidencePalm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.[1]
Born (1981-09-26) September 26, 1981 (age 43)
Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1]
Turned proOctober 1995
RetiredSeptember 2022
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$94,816,730[2]
Official websitewww.serenawilliams.com
Singles
Career record858–156
Career titles73 (5th in overall rankings)
Highest rankingNo. 1 (July 8, 2002)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017)
French OpenW (2002, 2013, 2015)
WimbledonW (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016)
US OpenW (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam CupW (1999)
Tour FinalsW (2001, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014)
Olympic GamesW (2012)
Doubles
Career record192–35
Career titles23
Highest rankingNo. 1 (June 21, 2010)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010)
French OpenW (1999, 2010)
WimbledonW (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016)
US OpenW (1999, 2009)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2009)
Olympic GamesW (2000, 2008, 2012)
Mixed doubles
Career record27–4 (87.1%)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenF (1999)
French OpenF (1998)
WimbledonW (1998)
US OpenW (1998)
Team competitions
Fed CupW (1999), record 17–3
Hopman CupW (2003, 2008)
Signature
Medal record
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Singles
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Doubles

Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981)[1] is an American former professional tennis player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time,[a] she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. She won 23 Grand Slam women's singles titles, the most in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. She is the only player to accomplish a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.[18]

Along with her elder sister Venus, Serena Williams was coached by her parents Oracene Price and Richard Williams. Turning professional in 1995, she won her first major singles title at the 1999 US Open. From the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open she was dominant, winning all four major singles titles (each time over Venus in the final) to achieve both a Career Grand Slam and a non-calendar year Grand Slam (known as a "Serena Slam"). The next few years saw her capture two more major singles titles, but suffer from injury and decline in form. Starting in 2007, however, she gradually returned to form despite continued injuries, reclaiming the world No. 1 singles ranking. Beginning with the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, Williams returned to dominance, claiming Olympic gold (completing the Career Golden Slam in singles)[19] and winning eight out of thirteen singles majors, including all four in a row from 2014 – 2015 to achieve a second "Serena Slam". At the 2017 Australian Open, she won her 23rd major singles title, surpassing Steffi Graf's Open Era record. After becoming pregnant, she took a break from professional tennis, but reached four major finals upon returning to play. In August 2022, Williams announced her impending "evolution" away from professional tennis. She played her final match at the 2022 US Open.[20]

Williams won 14 major women's doubles titles, all with her sister Venus, and the pair was unbeaten in major doubles finals (the best unbeaten record in major finals in any discipline of the sport).[21][22] The sisters achieved a non-calendar year Grand Slam between the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and the 2010 French Open, which granted the sisters the doubles world No. 1 ranking. Williams won four Olympic gold medals, three in women's doubles—an all-time joint record in tennis, shared with her sister.[23][24] The duo are the only women in the Open Era to win Olympic gold in both singles and doubles.[25] Williams also won two major mixed doubles titles, both in 1998. She is the only singles player, male or female, to complete three Career Golden Slams – one in women's singles and two in women's doubles.[18]

The ascent of the Williams sisters has been credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour.[26][27][28][29] Serena holds a combined 39 major titles: 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. She is joint-third on the all-time list and second in the Open Era for total major titles. She is the most recent woman to simultaneously hold all four major singles titles (2002–2003 and 2014–2015), and to win the Surface Slam (major titles on hard, clay and grass courts in the same calendar year), which she accomplished in 2015. She is also, with Venus, the most recent player to have simultaneously held all four major women's doubles titles (2009–2010).

Williams was the world's highest paid woman athlete in 2016, earning almost $29 million.[30] She repeated this feat in 2017 when she was the only woman on Forbes' list of the 100 highest-paid athletes, with $27 million in prize money and endorsements.

Williams won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year a record four-times (2003, 2010, 2016, 2018),[31] Comeback of the Year one time (2007),[31] and in December 2015 was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.[32] In 2020, the Tennis Channel ranked Williams as the greatest female tennis player in history.[33] She is the highest-earning woman athlete of all time.[34]

  1. ^ a b c Serena Williams at the Women's Tennis Association
  2. ^ "wtatennis.com". April 29, 2019. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  3. ^ "Comparing Serena Williams to two of the all-time greats". ESPN. September 4, 2015. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  4. ^ "Wimbledon 2012: Serena Williams true great after fifth title". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  5. ^ St. John, Allen. "Tennis' Battle Of The Sexes: Who's The Greatest Of All Time, Roger Federer Or Serena Williams?". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  6. ^ Zagoria, Adam (October 12, 2014). "Legends Evert, King call Serena Williams greatest ever – Metro.us". Metro. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  7. ^ Corpuz, Rachelle (March 3, 2015). "Andre Agassi Says Serena Williams Is The 'Greatest Ever'". International Business Times AU. Archived from the original on July 2, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  8. ^ Schiavenza, Matt (July 13, 2015). "Serena Williams Wins Wimbledon for Her 21st Grand Slam Title". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  9. ^ Crouch, Ian (September 9, 2014). "Serena Williams Is America's Greatest Athlete". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 13, 2015.
  10. ^ Randle, Aaron (July 13, 2015). "Serena Williams Is the Greatest of All Time". Complex. Archived from the original on April 24, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  11. ^ Chase, Chase (July 13, 2015). "Serena Williams will go down as one of the greatest athletes in history". For The Win. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  12. ^ Jaccarino, Alexa (July 13, 2015). "Short List / Things To Look Forward To". Observer. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  13. ^ Block, Justin (September 9, 2015). "Billie Jean King Thinks Serena Williams Is The Best Tennis Player Of All Time". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  14. ^ McManus, Jane (July 13, 2015). "With Drake's Help, John McEnroe Joins Chorus Of Praise For Serena Williams". espnW. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  15. ^ Keating, Peter (February 5, 2017). "Powering Toward History". espnW. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  16. ^ Eboda, Michael (September 7, 2016). "Why Serena Williams is the greatest sportsperson ever". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  17. ^ Fallon, Kevin (June 27, 2017). "Serena Williams Is the Greatest Ever. Can We Please Stop the Debate?". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Berkok, John (August 28, 2022). "Serena Williams records that may never be broken: A Career Golden Slam in singles AND doubles". Tennis.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  19. ^ Berkok, John (August 4, 2020). "On This Day: Serena completes her Golden Slam at 2012 London Olympics". Tennis.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  20. ^ Streeter, Kurt (August 9, 2022). "Serena Williams Will Retire TennisJust as She Played: On Her Own Terms". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  21. ^ Neworth, Jack (September 10, 2012). "Almost Serene Serena". 10sballs.com. Archived from the original on May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  22. ^ Berkok, John (August 27, 2022). "Serena Williams records that may never be broken: Going 14–0 in Grand Slam doubles finals with Venus". Tennis.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  23. ^ "Venus and Serena Williams win Olympic gold". CBS News. August 5, 2012. Archived from the original on March 13, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  24. ^ Fernando, Shemal (November 6, 2022). "Serena Williams, the tennis Queen who conquered four Olympic Golds and 23 Grand Slams". Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  25. ^ Fernando, Shemal (November 6, 2022). "Serena Williams, the tennis Queen who conquered four Olympic Golds and 23 Grand Slams". Sunday Observer. Archived from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  26. ^ Allen, Ja (September 28, 2012). "The Williams Sisters and the Rise of the Women's Power Game". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  27. ^ Kimmelman, Michael (August 25, 2010). "How Power Has Transformed Women's Tennis". The New York Times. p. MM23. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  28. ^ Crouse, Karen (August 30, 2009). "Williams Sisters Write Their Own Story". The New York Times. p. F2. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  29. ^ "Girl power: Evolution of the women's game". Advantage Publishing (published November 2011). December 15, 2011. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2013.
  30. ^ Badenhausen, Kurt. "Serena Williams – In Photos: The World's Highest-Paid Female Athletes 2016". Forbes. Archived from the original on June 11, 2017. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  31. ^ a b "Past Winners". Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.
  32. ^ McCarvel, Nick (December 16, 2015). "Serena Williams revels in Sports Illustrated cover limelight". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  33. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  34. ^ "Serena Williams". Forbes. 2021. Archived from the original on May 2, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2021.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).