Editing Serena Williams (section)

===2008–2010: Injuries, controversy, and return to No. 1===
{{Main|2008 Serena Williams tennis season|l1=2008|2009 Serena Williams tennis season|l2=2009|2010 Serena Williams tennis season}}

Williams started 2008 by winning the [[Hopman Cup]] for the US, with [[Mardy Fish]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7170304.stm USA beat Serbia to take Hopman Cup] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106100258/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7170304.stm |date=January 6, 2008}}, BBC Sport. Retrieved August 19, 2008.</ref> At the [[2008 Australian Open|Australian Open]], she lost in the quarterfinals to Janković, her fourth straight loss in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament.<ref name="activity" /> In the women's doubles event, she and Venus were defeated in the quarterfinals. Williams withdrew from her next three scheduled tournaments because of an urgent need for dental surgery.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7279958.stm |title=Serena returns to action with win |work=BBC Sport |date=March 5, 2008 |access-date=August 19, 2008 |archive-date=March 9, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309010932/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/7279958.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> She then won three consecutive singles titles at [[Bangalore Open|Bangalore]] and her fifth [[Sony Ericsson Open|Miami]] title, tying Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miami Open presented by Itaú Past Winners |url=https://www.wtatennis.com/tournament/902/miami/past-winners |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=Women's Tennis Association |language=en}}</ref> She claimed victory at the [[Family Circle Cup]], her first clay-court title since 2002. Her 17-match winning streak was ended by [[Dinara Safina]] in the quarterfinals in [[Qatar Telecom German Open|Berlin]].<ref name="activity" /> Williams withdrew in [[2008 Internazionali BNL d'Italia|Rome]] in the quarterfinals due to a back injury, and lost in the third round of the [[2008 French Open|French Open]] to [[Katarina Srebotnik]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2008-05-17 |title=Williamses Out of Italian Open |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-9A03E3DC1231F934A25756C0A96E9C8B63.html |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=The New York Times |language=en |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bierley |first=Steve |date=2008-05-30 |title=Serena's crash to Srebotnik guarantees new champion |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/may/31/frenchopen.tennis |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

At [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon]], Williams reached the finals for the first time in four years, but lost to Venus in their first Grand Slam final since 2003. Serena and Venus teamed up and won the doubles title, however. Williams played at [[Bank of the West Classic|Stanford]], but retired in the semifinals with a knee injury, which also forced her to withdraw from a tournament in [[East West Bank Classic|Los Angeles]]. During the [[Tennis at the 2008 Summer Olympics|Summer Olympics]] in Beijing, Williams lost to Dementieva in the singles quarterfinals, but she and Venus won the gold medal in doubles. In early September, Williams captured her third [[2008 US Open – Women's singles|US Open]] title, which was also her ninth Grand Slam singles title. The victory returned her to No.1 for the first time since 2003.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://usopen.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/match-tracking-jelena-jankovic-vs-serena-williams/?hp |first=Thomas|last= Lin |title= Serena Williams Wins to Regain No.&nbsp;1 Ranking |work=The New York Times |date=September 7, 2008|access-date=May 4, 2009}}</ref> At the year-end championships, she defeated Safina and lost to Venus in round-robin matches, but withdrew from a match against Dementieva, citing a stomach muscle injury. She ended 2008 ranked No.2 and with four singles titles, her strongest performance in both respects since 2003.

Williams began 2009 at the [[2009 Sydney International|Medibank International]], losing in the semifinals to Dementieva. At the [[2009 Australian Open|Australian Open]], she claimed her tenth Grand Slam singles title by defeating Safina. This win restored her No.1 ranking and made her the all-time career prize money leader in women's sports, a title previously held by golfer [[Annika Sörenstam]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Serena ousts Annika |date=January 29, 2009 |url=https://www.eurosport.com/tennis/serena-ousts-annika_sto1827447/story.shtml |website=Eurosport }}</ref> Serena and Venus also won the doubles event at the Australian Open for the third time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Epic win puts Nadal in final; Williams sisters win doubles title |newspaper=Arizona Republic |date=January 31, 2009 |page=32}}</ref> At the [[2009 Open GDF Suez – Singles|Open GdF Suez]], Williams withdrew before her semifinal match against Dementieva because of a knee injury.<ref>{{cite news |title=Knee injury forces Serena out in Paris |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/02/14/tennis.mauresmo/ |work=CNN |date=February 14, 2009 }}</ref> She then played in [[2009 Dubai Tennis Championships – Women's singles|Dubai]], losing to Venus in the semifinals.<ref>{{cite news |title=WTA Barclays Dubai TennisChampionships |newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen |date=February 21, 2009 |page=24}}</ref> [[File:Serena Williams Australian Open 2009 5.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|Australian Open, 2009]]

Williams was beset by ankle and quadriceps injuries at the [[Sony Ericsson Open]], and was upset in the final by [[Victoria Azarenka]]. This was the first of four consecutive losses for Williams, the longest losing streak of her career.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tandon |first=Kamakshi |title=Serena's protests lack teeth |publisher=ESPN |date=May 13, 2009 |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?columnist=tandon_kamakshi&id=4161689 |access-date=May 19, 2009 |archive-date=May 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090519093949/http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/columns/story?columnist=tandon_kamakshi%26id=4161689 |url-status=live }}</ref> After Ericsson, she was defeated in her opening matches in [[Andalucia Tennis Experience|Barcelona]], [[Internazionali d'Italia|Rome]], and [[Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open|Madrid]]. At the French Open, she lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion Kuznetsova. This ended her 18-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments. She rebounded at [[2009 Wimbledon Championships – Women's singles|Wimbledon]], prevailing over Dementieva in the semifinals and Venus in the finals. The victory was her third Wimbledon title and her 11th Grand Slam singles title.<ref>{{cite news |last=Newbery |first=Piers |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tennis/8134542.stm |title=Serena shocked to stay number two |work=BBC Sport |date=July 4, 2009 |access-date=January 27, 2011 |archive-date=July 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200721082201/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8134542.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> For the second consecutive year, Serena and Venus claimed the Wimbledon doubles title, which was their ninth Grand Slam title in doubles.<ref>{{cite news |title=At a glance: Women's doubles |newspaper=Bristol Herald Courier |date=July 5, 2009 |page=33}}</ref>

Ahead of the US Open, Williams suffered a third-round defeat in [[Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open|Cincinnati]] and a semifinal defeat at the Rogers Cup. At the Open, she was given a racket abuse warning after losing the first set of her semifinal match against Clijsters. Later in the match, one of her serves was called a [[Glossary of tennis terms#F|foot fault]].<ref name="saga" /> Williams yelled profanities at the lineswoman who made the call, and threatened to shove a tennis ball down her throat.<ref name="tirade">{{cite news |last=Donegan |first=Lawrence |date=September 14, 2009 |title=Serena Williams is fined $10,500 for US Open line judge tirade |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/sep/13/serena-williams-tirade-us-open |access-date=June 5, 2010 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> Williams was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct, which resulted in Clijsters winning the match.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 13, 2009 |title=Clijsters wins after controversial ending |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/usopen09/news/story?id=4468762 |access-date=March 17, 2024 |website=ESPN |language=en}}</ref> The following day, Williams was issued a fine of $10,500. After further investigation, the Grand Slam Committee fined her $175,000 in place of suspending her from the 2010 US Open or other Grand Slams.<ref name="Hefty">{{cite news |last=Clarey |first=Christopher |date=November 30, 2009 |title=Serena Williams Given Hefty Fine but No Suspension for Tirade |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/sports/tennis/01serena.html |access-date=November 30, 2009 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> They also placed her on a two-year probation, which meant that if she committed another offense at a Grand Slam during the next two years, she would be suspended from the following US Open. If, however, she committed no offenses, her fine would be reduced to $82,500.<ref name="Hefty" /> Although Williams initially did not express regret for her outburst, she eventually apologized, saying she was humbled by the experience.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 15, 2009 |title=Serena Williams tries to move on from uproar over outburst |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/15/serena.williams.outburst/index.html |access-date=September 15, 2009 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="tirade" /><ref>{{cite web |date=September 14, 2009 |title=Serena Williams apologizes for outburst toward line judge during U.S. Open semifinal |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/usopen09/news/story?id=4472638 |access-date=August 18, 2015 |publisher=ESPN}}</ref>

Williams continued in the US Open doubles competition, teaming up with Venus to capture their third Grand Slam doubles title of the year, and the tenth of their career. Williams won all three of her round-robin matches at the year-end [[2009 WTA Tour Championships|WTA Tour Championships]], defeating Venus, Dementieva, and Kuznetsova. She advanced to the final after [[Caroline Wozniacki]] retired from their semifinal match. In the final, Williams defeated her sister to claim her second singles title at this event.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8336793.stm |title=Serena ends Venus reign in Doha |date=November 1, 2009 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=May 30, 2017 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405083123/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8336793.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Williams finished the year ranked No.1 for the second time in her career. She played in 16 tournaments in 2009, more than any other year. With $6,545,586 in prize-money earnings, she broke the record previously set by Justine Henin for most prize money earned by a female tennis player in one year. In doubles, the Williams sisters finished 2009 at No.2, despite playing only six tournaments together. Williams now had a total of 23 Grand Slam titles, and was consequently named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams wins AP's Female Athlete of the Year award |website=tennis.com |date=December 22, 2009 |url=http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2009/12/williams-wins-aps-female-athlete-of-the-year-award/19661/ |access-date=December 24, 2009 |archive-date=August 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829163012/http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2009/12/williams-wins-aps-female-athlete-of-the-year-award/19661/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She was also the [[International Tennis Federation]] World Champion in both singles and doubles.<ref>{{cite web |title=Serena ITF World Champion |publisher=[[Women's Tennis Association|WTA]] |date=December 23, 2009 |url=http://www.wtatennis.com/news/serena-itf-world-champion-20091223_2256076_1912973 |access-date=December 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904024154/http://www.wtatennis.com/news/serena-itf-world-champion-20091223_2256076_1912973 |archive-date=September 4, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>[[File:Melbourne Australian Open 2010 Serena Serve.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|left|Australian Open, 2010]]

In 2010, Williams's first tournament was in [[Medibank International Sydney|Sydney]], where she lost in the final to Dementieva. At the [[2010 Australian Open|Australian Open]], Williams was the defending champion in both singles and doubles. She reached the final and defeated Justine Henin, who had recently come out of retirement, for her twelfth Grand Slam singles title. In doubles, Williams and her sister successfully defended their title by defeating [[Cara Black]] and [[Liezel Huber]] in the final.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-01-29 |title=Australian Open 2010: Venus and Serena Williams claim fourth doubles title |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen/7099660/Australian-Open-2010-Venus-and-Serena-Williams-claim-fourth-doubles-title.html |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=The Telegraph |language=en}}</ref> Williams sat out several events with a leg injury,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fialkov |first=Harvey |date=2010-03-23 |title=Who Can Fill Serena's Shoes? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel-who-can-fill/148781540/ |access-date=2024-06-05 |work=[[Sun Sentinel]] |pages=2C}}</ref> but returned for the [[2010 Internazionali BNL d'Italia|Rome Masters]], where she was defeated by Janković in the semifinals. At [[2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open|Madrid]], she fell to Nadia Petrova in the third round, but partnered with Venus to win the doubles title.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-05-12 |title=Serena Williams loses to Nadia Petrova in Madrid Open |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8679103.stm |access-date=2024-05-27 |work=BBC |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=WTA Tour|title=Williams sisters beats hottest doubles team Dulko/Pennetta to claim Madrid Open doubles title|url=http://www.pubsub.com/Williams-sisters-beats-hottest-doubles-team-Dulko-Pennetta-to-claim-Madrid-Open-doubles-title_Tennis-madrid-title-kmG2XbpqPIN,kGZXuuSZzI9E|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130411163232/http://www.pubsub.com/Williams-sisters-beats-hottest-doubles-team-Dulko-Pennetta-to-claim-Madrid-Open-doubles-title_Tennis-madrid-title-kmG2XbpqPIN,kGZXuuSZzI9E|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 April 2013|date=17 May 2010}}</ref>

At the [[2010 French Open|French Open]], Williams was bested by [[Samantha Stosur]] in the quarterfinals. She and Venus won the doubles event, achieving their fourth consecutive Grand Slam doubles title and improving their doubles ranking to No.1.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2010-06-04 |title=Williams sisters win French doubles title |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/tennis/french10/news/story?id=5251333 |access-date=2024-05-27 |website=ESPN.com |language=en |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> Williams's next tournament was Wimbledon, where she did not lose a single set, defeating Zvonareva in the final.<ref name="NYTIMESW10">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/sports/tennis/04wimbledon.html|title=A Booming Serena Williams Keeps Title|last=Bishop|first=Greg|date=July 3, 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 5, 2010|archive-date=April 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406104507/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/sports/tennis/04wimbledon.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TennisSW10">{{cite news|url=http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2010/07/serena-routs-zvonareva-for-fourth-wimbledon-title/23255/|title=Serena routs Zvonareva for fourth Wimbledon title|agency=Associated Press|date=July 3, 2010|work=[[Tennis Magazine]]|access-date=July 5, 2010|archive-date=May 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530222657/http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2010/07/serena-routs-zvonareva-for-fourth-wimbledon-title/23255/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/3/serena-williams-beats-vera-zvonareva-win-wimbledon/?page=all |title=Serena Williams beats Zvonareva to win Wimbledon |last=Wilson |first=Stephen |agency=Associated Press |date=July 3, 2010 |work=[[The Washington Times]] |access-date=July 5, 2010 |archive-date=February 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204045725/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/jul/3/serena-williams-beats-vera-zvonareva-win-wimbledon/?page=all |url-status=live }}</ref> After the match, Navratilova said Williams was among the top five female tennis players in history. She asserted that being a great player is "not just about how many Slams you win ... it's just your game overall ... she's got all the goods."<ref name="TennisSW10" /> The Williams sisters lost in the doubles quarterfinals to [[Elena Vesnina]] and Zvonareva. In Munich on July 7, Williams stepped on broken glass while in a restaurant, and the injury caused her to miss the rest of the year.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mitchell |first=Kevin |date=September 2, 2010 |title=Serena Williams reveals details of her serious foot injury |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/sep/03/serena-williams-silence-tendon-injury |access-date=October 5, 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=August 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220808201732/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/sep/03/serena-williams-silence-tendon-injury |url-status=live }}</ref> She finished 2010 ranked No.4 in singles and No.11 in doubles.On March 2, 2011, she confirmed that she had suffered a [[hematoma]] and a [[pulmonary embolism]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/03/serena-williams-has-emergency-health-treatement/1 |title=Tennis star Serena Williams home after treatment for blood clot |last=Cherner |first=Reid |date=March 2, 2011 |work=USA Today |access-date=March 2, 2011 |archive-date=March 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305094815/http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/03/serena-williams-has-emergency-health-treatement/1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.celebritydiagnosis.com/2011/03/serena-williams-undergoes-emergency-treatment-for-pulmonary-embolism/ |title=Serena Williams undergoes emergency treatment for pulmonary embolism |last=Berman |first=Michele |work=Celebrity Diagnosis |date=March 2, 2011 |access-date=January 5, 2012 |archive-date=January 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120102132822/http://www.celebritydiagnosis.com/2011/03/serena-williams-undergoes-emergency-treatment-for-pulmonary-embolism/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.celebritydiagnosis.com/2011/03/serena-williams-gives-more-details-about-recent-health-scare/ |last=Berman |first=Michele |title=Serena Williams gives more details about recent health scare |work=Celebrity Diagnosis |date=March 9, 2011 |access-date=January 5, 2012 |archive-date=March 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314203556/http://www.celebritydiagnosis.com/2011/03/serena-williams-gives-more-details-about-recent-health-scare/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>