Serena Williams

Learn a little about this amazing tennis player, Serena Williams, who has been wowing us all with her skill, power and athleticism since she first became "number 1" in women's tennis in 2002, and enjoy our activities with the kids.

Fun Facts:

• Serena has been a Grand Slam champion in each of the three decades she has played in (1999–2017).
• Serena is the only player in history to have a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open and Olympic gold medal. She also held all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously in 2002–3 and 2014–15.
• Serena and her sister Venus have lent their voices to an episode of The Simpsons where Serena is seen playing doubles with Marge Simpson.

Serena Williams Quotes:

“Tennis just a game, family is forever.”

“Everyone’s dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard.”

“I always believe I can beat the best, achieve the best. I always see myself in the top position.”

A Short Biography of Serena Williams

Serena Williams (1981–) is one of the world’s greatest female tennis players. For nearly 25 years she has excited audiences with her immense talent and skill. She currently has 39 Grand Slam titles (23 singles, 14 doubles and 2 mixed doubles) and has won both the Australian Open and Wimbledon singles title seven times.

Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan, USA, in 1981 to Richard Williams and Oracene Price. She is the youngest of five sisters (three half-sisters from her mother’s side, and her sister Venus who is just 15 months older).

Richard Williams had worked as a tenant farmer in Louisiana. He wanted a better life for his daughters and began teaching them tennis at the age of four. When the family moved to Compton, a troubled suburb of Los Angeles, the girls recognised that to succeed in life they needed to work hard. They began practising tennis for two hours a day and would enter tournaments to test their skill. For a time, the girls were educated at home so they could focus on their tennis training.

When Richard invited top tennis coach Rick Macci to watch his daughters play, Rick was so impressed by their talent he invited them to study at his academy in Florida. Soon after, the family relocated.

By the age of 10, Serena was the top US junior player for her age group. She turned professional at 14 and by 16, was number 99 in the women’s world rankings. The following year, she won the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon and the US Open, reaching a ranking of 20.

Serena graduated from high school in 1999, and in the same year won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open, as well as the doubles title with her sister Venus at the French Open and US Open. Serena and Venus continued to dominate in the women’s doubles – winning Wimbledon and an Olympic gold in 2000, as well as the Australian Open in 2001.

Serena became world number 1 in 2002. Venus was at number 2 – they were the first siblings to have the top two tennis rankings! Serena won the French Open, US Open and Wimbledon titles, beating Venus in all three finals. The matches showed her competitive streak – regardless of who was on the other side! The sisters also won the Wimbledon doubles that year.

Serena had more difficult times in 2003, however, when she took time out to recover from a knee injury and the tragic death of her half-sister, and her ranking dropped to 139. But by 2007, Serena was back to her best. After winning the Australian Open in 2007 and the US Open in 2008, as well as an Olympic gold and Wimbledon in the doubles, Serena regained a ranking of number 2 (and then 1 the following year). She had to take a break again in 2011, however, when doctors discovered a blood clot on one of her lungs. But nothing seems to hold Serena back! In 2012, she returned to form, winning the US Open, Wimbledon and Olympic gold in singles, and Wimbledon and an Olympic gold in doubles.

2015 saw her take all four Grand Slams again, and in 2017 she became the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam (the Australian Open) at the age of 35 – her 23rd Grand Slam singles title. Serena later revealed that she had been eight weeks pregnant at the time. She gave birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia in September 2017 and was back on court just months later.

Off-court, Serena is known for her outgoing personality and her love of fashion. She attracted much attention at the 2002 US Open, for example, when she wore a short black catsuit that she had helped design. Serena launched her own line of clothing – ‘Aneres’, which is Serena backwards – in 2004.

Serena published her first autobiography, Queen of the Court, in 2010, and a documentary about her life, Being Serena, was also aired in 2018. Serena supports many charitable organisations, as well as her own, the Serena Williams Foundation, which has helped to build schools in Africa and to fund the education of underprivileged children in the US.

Serena is married to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit (a social news website).

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