Table of Contents
Early life
Tennis Star
Private Life
Serena Williams was born 1981 in Saginaw in Michigan. She began intense tennis training when she was 3. In 1999, Serena won her first major title and in 2003 she completed the career Grand Slam. Serena is also a doubles champion, having won a number of titles with Venus Williams. In 2017, she beat her big-sister at the Australian Open and won the 23rd Grand Slam doubles title of the career. This was more than Steffi Graf’s record.
Early Life Serena Jameka Williams is an American tennis player. She was born September 26, 1981 in Saginaw. Serena Williams, the youngest daughter of Richard Williams and Oracene Williams, was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw. Serena was three years old and began practicing on a nearby court. Her father would then take her through two-hour daily practices.
It was not an accident that the family moved to Compton. Richard Williams wanted his daughters exposed to the dangers of life because of its high level of gang activity. Serena & Venus were able to learn how to persevere in difficult conditions and play tennis on court that was riddled by potholes.
Serena was number 46-3 on 1991’s junior United States Tennis Association tour. She also ranked first for the 10-and-under division. His family moved again to Florida after he realized that his daughters required better instruction to be professional tennis players. Richard relinquished some coaching duties, but not his management of Serena or Venus’s careers. Because he was concerned about his daughters’ exhaustion, he reduced the number of junior tournaments.
Serena became a tennis star in 1995. She was No. 99 in the world two years later. 99 was her new world ranking, up from No. Just 12 months earlier, she was 304. She was 19 when she graduated from highschool and almost immediately signed a $12 Million shoe deal with Puma. She won the U.S. Open title in 1999 and beat her sister.
This was the start of a long string of high-profile victories, both for Serena and Venus Williams. Venus and Serena’s unique style and play changed the face of tennis. Their athletic power and style made them stand out on the court.
Serena took home the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and French Open titles in 2002. Venus lost in the finals. In 2003 she won her first Australian Open. It was her first Grand Slam career Grand Slam. This win fulfilled her ambition to simultaneously hold the four major titles she wanted to create what she called “The Serena Slam”. In 2008, she won U.S. Open. Venus teamed her up to win a second Olympic gold in women’s doubles at Beijing Games.
Serena was not without her misfortunes. In August 2003, she had knee surgery. Her half-sister, Yetunde Price, was also murdered in Los Angeles. Serena felt exhausted after three years. Serena felt exhausted after three years of injuries, lackluster performance and general fatigue. Williams released Queen of the Court, her new autobiography. In 2009, Williams was back on top of the world rankings. Williams won the 2009 Australian Open singles (for the forth time) and the Wimbledon 2009 singles. She won doubles at Wimbledon and Australian Open that year.
However, not all went as planned. Williams was in the news again in September 2015 when she attacked a lineswoman for her foot-fault at the U.S. Open semifinal loss to Kim Clijsters. The outburst was profane and included finger pointing as well as an alleged threat by Serena to her life.
Williams played down the incident and refuted the accusation that she had threatened the woman. The incident was not popular with tennis fans, and she was also fined $10,000 by the U.S. Tennis Association. She was put on probation for two years and then ordered to pay $82,500 to Grand Slam committee. This is the most severe punishment ever imposed against a tennis player.
Serena tried to get over the incident by early 2010. She won the Australian Open doubles and singles matches that year, as well her fourth Wimbledon singles title.
Williams was forced to withdraw from tennis for several months in 2011 after a blood clot was discovered in her lungs. Williams was considered to be retiring from tennis after a series of procedures, including the removal of a hematoma. Williams had seen improvements in her health in September 2011 but she looked as dominant at the U.S. Open. She lost to Samantha Stosur during the finals.
Williams lost in the first round at the 2012 French Open. In London, Williams returned to her best that summer. She beat Agnieszka Rowanska, 23 years old, in three sets. That was her fifth Wimbledon title and first major title in two years. Williams hugged her family after her win. She was in tears when she reached out to them in the stands. After the win, Williams gave an interview to ESPN in which she answered a question about her hopes of regaining the title. The [2012] U.S. Open. Serena beat Maria Shrapova to claim her first gold in women’s singles at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. In Women’s doubles, she defeated Lucie Hradecka from Czech Republic and Andrea Hlavackova from Czech Republic. She then won her fourth overall Olympic medal.
Williams won the next Grand Slam event in her latest winning streak. She defeated Victoria Azarenka in September 2012 to win the U.S. Open singles title. USA Today reports that Williams was not certain she would win. “I’m shocked that I won. My runner-up speech was in preparation, but I thought, “Man! She’s playing so amazing!”
Williams had already won 15 Grand Slam singles and 13 Grand Slam duals titles. Williams once stated that she wanted to leave a lasting impression on the tennis world. Due to my unique approach in tennis, I believe that I will. But I doubt I will ever reach Martina Navratilova. I believe I’ll be a significant player regardless.
Williams won the French Open doubles title in June 2013, beating Sharapova 6-4, 7-6 (4). Williams admitted that she still feels upset over last year’s defeat in an interview to ESPN. For me, it’s about how you recover. I believe that champions are not about winning the most, but how they recover from losses, injuries or otherwise.
Williams was back at Wimbledon a month later. She lost 6-2, 1-6 and 6-4 to Sabine Lisicki from Germany. 23 seed. Williams, who won a record 34 matches, said to Sports Illustrated that she doesn’t consider it a shock. [Lisicki] can be a great player. Her rank does not affect her ability to be the best she can be. She should be higher. She is a natural grass player and has an amazing game.
Williams did a great job at the U.S. Open. After knocking out Sloane Stephens, Williams won the fourth round to win the U.S. Open. The finals was their second meeting.
Williams defeated Caroline Wozniacki to win her sixth consecutive and overall U.S. Open Singles title. She won the 2015 Australian Open title by beating Sharapova. Williams beat Sharapova to claim the 2015 Australian Open singles title.
After her victory, she said in French: “When my father was a young girl, in California. My mother wanted me to learn tennis.” “And now I am here, with 20 Grand Slam title titles.”
Williams was determined to build her hardware collection, so she had the to overcome Venus in order to progress past the fourth round. The next day, Williams defeated Garbine Murguruza in the final to become the oldest Grand Slam singles champion. Williams met her sister again at the 2015 U.S. Open. She won the quarterfinal matchup and took the decisive third set. Her win left her just two wins short the calendar-year Grand Slam. It was only three women who have accomplished this feat in tennis’ history. It wasn’t to happen. Roberta Vinci, the unseeded No. Williams’s dream was ended by 43-year-old Roberta Vinci in semifinals. She won 2-6 6-4 6-4.
Williams began the new calendar year by reaching the Australian Open final. Angelique Kerber won in three sets. Williams won the No. 1 WTA career title. After winning the Italian Open, she reached the French Open final with Muguruza. She lost in straight sets to Muguruza.
Williams was victorious over Kerber 7-5 and 6-3 at Wimbledon on July 9, 2016. This victory gave Williams her 22nd grand final title. Williams shared the title with Steffi Graf, who holds the record for the most Open-era major championships. Williams stated that she had “had some sleepless nights with quite a bit of stuff”, and was unable to achieve her goal. “This tournament was different for me. While I thought I did well in Melbourne, Angelique was better. This was the first time I felt confident, calm, and ready to play the tennis I have been playing for more than a decade.
Williams and Venus won Wimbledon’s doubles championship, just hours after winning the singles. This is their sixth Wimbledon win.
The sisters were shocked to be thrown out of the Rio Olympics Women’s Doubles competition by Barbora Stycova and Lucie Safarova of Czech. Original seeded no.1, the Williams sisters were originally seeded at number. 1, had an Olympic record (15-0), and had won three gold medals previously.
Williams was also defeated in the U.S. Open semi-final match by Karolina Pliskova. She also lost her #1 ranking, which she had held for 186 consecutive weeks.
Williams was victorious at the 2017 Australian Open. Williams defeated Venus 6-4 and 6-4 to claim her 23rd Gram Slam championship. She beat Steffi Graf’s record of 23 wins and took the number one position in the world. Williams was inspired by her sister’s win and reflected on it. Williams said that Venus is an extraordinary person and she deserves to be congratulated. “Without her, I wouldn’t be at 23. She is the reason I am at number one. She is my inspiration and the reason I am here. This is why I am here today.
Williams returned to the courts late December 2017 after giving birth to her first child. Williams withdrew her participation in the first Grand Slam tournament of 2018 because she was not ready. “I’m capable of competing–but I don’t want only to compete. I want much better and will need more time to do that.
Personal LifeSerena has shown that she is much more than a tennis prodigy. Her brand now includes television, film, and fashion. Her own Aneres clothing line was developed and she was named by People magazine as one of the 25 Most Interesting People in 2002. Essence magazine called her one the 50 Most Inspirational African Americans in America. She has also appeared on television and contributed her voice to shows like The Simpsons.
The Serena Williams Foundation was established by the tennis star to offer educational opportunities to underprivileged youth all over the globe. Serena and Venus bought shares from the Miami Dolphins for the first African American woman team.
They were close friends for more than 12 years. Serena bought a house in Jupiter, Florida in December 2013, and Serena became engaged to Alexis Ohanian in December 2016. Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian goes by “Kn0thing” here. Williams posted a Snapchat picture in April 2017 showing her baby belly and captioned “20 weeks”. The post was deleted shortly after. Williams was pregnant. She gave birth on September 1 to Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Tennis legend Williams posted an Instagram photo of herself and her baby and shared her journey to motherhood in a YouTube video.
Just three months later Williams was married to Ohanian at New Orleans’ Contemporary Arts Center. Beyonce and Eva Longoria were some of the celebrities who attended.
Vogue’s February 2018 issue covers the health problems that Alexis Olympia faced after her birth. Williams suffered sudden shortness-of-breath after undergoing an emergency Cesarean Section. This led to blood clots being discovered in her lungs. A large hematoma was also found in Williams’ abdomen. This was due to hemorhaging from her csection.
Williams returned home after one week but couldn’t get up for six weeks. Williams felt helpless when she tried to care for her baby. Vogue spoke with Williams about her willingness to have more children, despite the emotional toll it had on her. However, she said she wasn’t in a rush to have them.
