Serena Williams
Serena Williams is a name that is dominating women’s sports. She is the most influential tennis player in history. Her journey started as a young rising tennis star, who is now a global sports symbol. Serena was the world number one in women’s singles for 319 weeks, according to the Women’s Tennis Association. She had also won various other awards for her accomplishments. Serena Williams was coached by her father, who himself was a self-taught tennis player. Her professional journey started in the year 1995, and she retired in September 2022.
Early Life and Introduction to Tennis
Serena Williams was born in Michigan on September 26, 1989. She has four other sisters. Her father started teaching her and Venus, her elder sister, at a young age of four. They were homeschooled so that they could focus on both academics and sports. When Serena was just nine years old, their family decided to relocate to Florida, where she attended the Tennis Academy of Rick Macy. Her childhood was structured in a way wherein she was motivated towards the sport. Her father eventually decided to remove her from Rick Macy’s tennis academy, as he wanted his daughters to prioritize their well-being and education while balancing that tennis journey.
Early Professional Career
By the age of 14, Serena was already playing professionally. She rapidly progressed. She made her professional debut as a wild card entry for the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, but later on, she was denied due to the age restriction. She went on to participate in her first professional event in October 1999 in Quebec, but she lost in the first qualifying round to Annie Miller. She rapidly scaled herself and was the lowest-ranked player in the Open Era to defeat a top 10 opponent. She ranked 99th in the 1997 rankings because of her sheer talent. In 1998, she played in the Sydney International, where she qualified for the quarter-finals but lost in the semifinals. Later on, she went on to play against her sister Venus, which was the sisters’ first professional face-off. She lost to Venus Williams. She won the professional title in non-mixed doubles in the US for the first time in Oklahoma City with her sister Venus, which gave a lot of popularity to the Williams sisters. Serena won her first professional singles in 1999, which was held in France. She won her first WTA title in California, defeating Steffi Graf.
Career Milestones and Achievements
In 1999, Williams’ career ran her to the number four because of her wins. In 2000, Williams and her sister won gold medals in the Sydney Olympics. In 2002, Serena faced an injury that made her retire from the semi-final of the Medibank International Sydney. She had to wait to recover to start playing again. She went on to win the Miami Masters and became the top three-ranked player. Her status was now elevating, and she was just behind her sister Venus, who was the number two player at that time. In the US Open, Serena managed three Grand Slams in a row while defeating her sister. In the 2003 Australian Open, she again defeated her sister and went on to become the fifth woman who had won four Grand Slam singles simultaneously.
Awards and Recognition
Serena had various awards and achievements. She had 23 major single titles and 14 major women’s double titles. She also has 4 gold Olympic medals. Serena was the world’s number one tennis player for 319 weeks. She is one of the highest-earning female athletes. She is also the first woman who won prize money of $10 million in a single season. Serena Williams is known for her mental toughness and athleticism. Her success is credited to her strong family values. Her father is widely credited for the success of both Serena and Venus. She married Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, in 2017 and has two daughters, Olympia and Adira. She wants to be like her father, who believed discipline and ambition were important values for kids to be successful.
Life Beyond Tennis
Serena is one of the wealthiest athletes globally and has a net worth of $245 million. Currently, she gets paid around $29 million, which is one of the highest recorded earnings of a woman athlete. She has also been added repeatedly to the Forbes list of the hundred highest-paid women athletes.
Business and Philanthropy
Serena is also a businesswoman and has her own fashion line, S by Serena. She believes in supporting start-ups and investing in them through her firm, Serena Ventures. She is highly invested in philanthropy and causes regarding education, gender equality, and disaster relief.
Retirement and Legacy
In August 2022, Serena decided to step away from her professional tennis life. She played her final match in the US Open, and after that, she announced her retirement. Serena is considered an inspiration and a mentor for all the aspiring tennis players.
