Editing Serena Williams (section)

===2011–2013: Return to dominance, Career Golden Slam===
{{Main|2011 Serena Williams tennis season|l1=2011|2012 Serena Williams tennis season|l2=2012|2013 Serena Williams tennis season}}

[[File:Serena Williams wins Gold cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|Williams won the singles gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.]]

Williams made her first appearance on the WTA tour in almost a year in [[2011 Aegon International|Eastbourne]], where she lost in round two to Zvonareva.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clarey |first=Christopher |date=June 6, 2011 |title=Serena Williams Plans to Play at Wimbledon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/sports/tennis/serena-williams-plans-to-play-at-wimbledon.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610155446/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/07/sports/tennis/serena-williams-plans-to-play-at-wimbledon.html? |archive-date=June 10, 2011 |access-date=June 6, 2011 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/tennis/06/15/tennis.eastbourne.zvonareva.serena/index.html |title=Serena comeback ended by Zvonareva |date=June 15, 2011 |publisher=CNN |access-date=April 3, 2013 |archive-date=April 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406102748/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/tennis/06/15/tennis.eastbourne.zvonareva.serena/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In June, she attempted to defend her title at [[2011 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]], but was eliminated in the round of 16, which dropped her ranking to No.169. Later in the summer, she won titles in both [[2011 Bank of the West Classic|Stanford]] and [[2011 Rogers Cup|Toronto]]. Williams played the [[2011 Western & Southern Open|Western & Southern Open]], but withdrew due to injury. She reached the final at the [[2011 US Open (tennis)|US Open]], where she faced Stosur. During the match, Williams became angry with umpire [[Eva Asderaki|Eve Asderaki]]. She made gestures and unflattering comments towards her, including calling her "a hater".<ref name="saga" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Abad-Santos |first=Alexander |date=September 12, 2011 |title=Serena Williams' Tirade Was Seven Years in the Making |url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/09/serena-williamss-tirade-was-seven-years-making/42357/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130601230234/http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2011/09/serena-williamss-tirade-was-seven-years-making/42357/ |archive-date=June 1, 2013 |access-date=June 15, 2013 |work=The Atlantic}}</ref> Williams eventually lost the match, and then declined to offer Asderaki the customary handshake.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 11, 2011 |title=Serena Williams Upset By Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–3 In US Open Final |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/11/serena-williams-upset-samantha-stosur-us-open-final_n_957662.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030014958/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/11/serena-williams-upset-samantha-stosur-us-open-final_n_957662.html |archive-date=October 30, 2011 |access-date=September 11, 2011 |work=[[HuffPost]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Chase |first=Chris |date=September 11, 2011 |title=She did it again: Serena Williams blows up in U.S. Open loss |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/serena-williams-blows-up-again-in-u-s-open-loss?urn=ten,wp3253 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204050527/http://sports.yahoo.com/tennis/blog/busted_racquet/post/serena-williams-blows-up-again-in-u-s-open-loss?urn=ten%2Cwp3253 |archive-date=February 4, 2015 |access-date=September 11, 2011 |publisher=Yahoo! Sports}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fendrich |first=Howard |date=September 11, 2011 |title=Stosur stops Williams in controversial final |url=http://news.nationalpost.com/sports/stosur-stops-williams-in-controversial-final |access-date=July 12, 2015 |work=National Post}}</ref> A writer for [[ESPN]] suggested that Williams did not violate the terms of her probation (on which she was placed following her 2009 outburst), since she did not use profanity when addressing the umpire.<ref>{{cite news |last=Garber |first=Greg |date=September 11, 2011 |title=Serena Williams loses cool, then match |url=https://www.espn.com/tennis/usopen11/story/_/id/6958687/us-open-serena-williams-loses-cool-match |access-date=September 11, 2011 |publisher=ESPN}}</ref> In the end, Williams was fined $2,000, but was not barred from competing.<ref>{{cite web |title=Serena Williams fined for final outburst |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/tennis/09/12/tennis.serena.williams.fined/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110913090713/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/tennis/09/12/tennis.serena.williams.fined/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 13, 2011 |access-date=April 2, 2023 |website=CNN}}</ref> The US Open was Williams's final event of 2011, and she ended the year ranked No.12, with two titles and a 22–3 record for the season. She only played in six tournaments during the season.

Williams started the 2012 season at the [[2012 Brisbane International|Brisbane International]]. During her match against [[Bojana Jovanovski]], she injured her left ankle, and was forced to withdraw from the tournament.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2012/01/serena-withdraws-from-brisbane-international |title=Serena withdraws from Brisbane International |work=Brisbane International |date=January 4, 2012 |access-date=July 10, 2012 |archive-date=June 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610200138/http://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2012/01/serena-withdraws-from-brisbane-international |url-status=live }}</ref> Next she participated in the [[2012 Australian Open – Women's singles|Australian Open]], where she was upset by [[Ekaterina Makarova]] in the fourth round. After a month layoff, Williams returned to competition in [[2012 Sony Ericsson Open|Miami]], losing in the quarterfinals. She then won consecutive titles in [[2012 Family Circle Cup|Charleston]] and [[2012 Mutua Madrid Open|Madrid]], but withdrew from her semifinal match in [[2012 Internazionali BNL d'Italia|Rome]] due to a lower back injury. At the French Open, Williams suffered her first ever loss in the opening round of a Grand Slam. She notched up a 33–1 record for the second half of the season, winning five titles in the process.<ref name="BBC 2012">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/20117316 |title=Serena Williams beats Sharapova in WTA Championships final |date=October 28, 2012 |access-date=May 30, 2017 |work=BBC Sport |archive-date=September 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917230857/https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/20117316 |url-status=live }}</ref> She captured her fifth [[2012 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]] singles title (her 14th Grand Slam victory), and became the first female player to serve 24 [[Ace (tennis)|aces]] in a match. She also set a record for the most aces in a tournament by any player—male or female—with a total of 102.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hegde |first=Prajwal |date=July 8, 2012 |title=Serena Williams beats Radwanska to clinch fifth Wimbledon title |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon-2012/top-stories/Serena-Williams-beats-Radwanska-to-clinch-fifth-Wimbledon-title/articleshow/14738318.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429224632/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/wimbledon-2012/top-stories/Serena-Williams-beats-Radwanska-to-clinch-fifth-Wimbledon-title/articleshow/14738318.cms |archive-date=April 29, 2018 |access-date=July 8, 2012 |work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=July 7, 2012 |title=Wimbledon 2012 – Serena Williams stretched to three sets, wins 5th title |url=https://www.espn.com/tennis/wimbledon12/story/_/id/8138336/wimbledon-2012-serena-williams-stretched-three-sets-wins-5th-title |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714183059/http://espn.go.com/tennis/wimbledon12/story/_/id/8138336/wimbledon-2012-serena-williams-stretched-three-sets-wins-5th-title |archive-date=July 14, 2012 |access-date=July 16, 2012 |publisher=ESPN |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/158997.html |title=Serena books latest Wimbledon final appearance |publisher=ESPN |date=July 5, 2012 |access-date=April 28, 2017 |archive-date=February 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204031925/http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/158997.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Williams and her sister also captured their fifth trophy in Wimbledon doubles.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bondy |first=Filip |date=July 8, 2012 |title=Bondy: Williams sisters are kin-do at Wimby |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-07-08/news/32591733_1_venus-williams-serena-and-venus-williams-sisters |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028220418/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-07-08/news/32591733_1_venus-williams-serena-and-venus-williams-sisters |archive-date=October 28, 2012 |access-date=August 4, 2012 |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]] |location=New York}}</ref>

Williams returned to America to successfully defend her [[2012 Bank of the West Classic|Stanford]] title, overcoming [[CoCo Vandeweghe]] in the final.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/story/2012-07-15/serena-williams-wins-back-of-the-west-classic/56240708/1 |title=Serena Williams wins at Stanford in final Olympic tuneup |date=July 20, 2012 |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=June 20, 2013 |archive-date=December 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224110710/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/story/2012-07-15/serena-williams-wins-back-of-the-west-classic/56240708/1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="huffingtonpost.com">{{cite news|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/04/serena-williams-gold-medal-olympics-sharapova_n_1741297.html |title=Serena Williams Wins Gold Medal In Olympic Singles Tennis, Beats Maria Sharapova In Final |last=Wine |first=Steven |agency=Associated Press |date=August 4, 2012 |work=[[HuffPost]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917023255/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/04/serena-williams-gold-medal-olympics-sharapova_n_1741297.html |archive-date=September 17, 2012 }}</ref> At the Olympics, she won gold by defeating Sharapova in a dominating performance.<ref name="huffingtonpost.com" /> She and Venus also won a second consecutive Olympic doubles title. In New York, Williams claimed her fourth [[2012 US Open (tennis)|US Open]] singles title, which was her 15th career Grand Slam singles title.<ref name="BBC 2012" /><ref>{{cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20120909/serena-williams-wins-us-open-victoria-azarenka/ |title=Serena tops Azarenka for fourth U.S. Open championship |agency=Associated Press |date=September 9, 2012 |access-date=September 10, 2012 |archive-date=September 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120911040351/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/tennis/news/20120909/serena-williams-wins-us-open-victoria-azarenka/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> She ended the season by going undefeated at the WTA Championships and winning the event for the third time.<ref name="BBC 2012" /> She was named [[International Tennis Federation|ITF]] World Champion, and was voted [[WTA Player of the Year]] for the fourth time.<ref>{{cite news |title=Serena Williams wins WTA Tour Player of the Year award |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/20540525 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102180534/https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/20540525 |archive-date=January 2, 2019 |access-date=November 29, 2012 |work=BBC Sport}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/Novak-Djokovic-Serena-Williams-crowned-ITF-world-champions/articleshow/17572209.cms? |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212040808/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/Novak-Djokovic-Serena-Williams-crowned-ITF-world-champions/articleshow/17572209.cms |archive-date=December 12, 2012 |title=Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams crowned ITF world champions |website=[[The Times of India]] |date=December 11, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="CBS-Olympic">{{cite news |date=August 5, 2012 |title=Venus and Serena Williams win Olympic gold |publisher=CBS News |agency=Associated Press |location=London, England |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/venus-and-serena-williams-win-olympic-gold/ |access-date=April 24, 2017 |archive-date=November 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116074656/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venus-and-serena-williams-win-olympic-gold/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Williams's first tournament of the 2013 season was in [[2013 Brisbane International|Brisbane]], where she won the title without dropping a set. At the [[2013 Australian Open|Australian Open]], she was upset in the quarterfinals by fellow American [[Sloane Stephens]]. After defeating [[Petra Kvitová]] in Doha, Williams returned to No.1 for the sixth time in her career, becoming the oldest woman in the Open Era to hold the ranking.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3077758/title/serena-to-return-to-no1-for-sixth-time |title=Serena To Return To No. 1 For Sixth Time |date=February 15, 2013 |publisher=WTA |access-date=April 25, 2017 |archive-date=April 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421071222/http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3077758/title/serena-to-return-to-no1-for-sixth-time |url-status=live }}</ref> In the Miami final, Williams recorded her 70th come-from-behind win. The victory made Williams a six-time champion in Miami, breaking the record she held with Graf. She also became the fourth woman in the Open Era to win a given tournament six times.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3126967/title/serena-conquers-sharapova-miami |title=Serena Conquers Sharapova & Miami |access-date=April 25, 2017 |date=March 30, 2013 |publisher=[[Women's Tennis Association|WTA]] |archive-date=April 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412005853/http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3126967/title/serena-conquers-sharapova-miami |url-status=live }}</ref> Williams then defended her Charleston title, winning the event for the third time.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3136277/title/serena-wins-49th-wta-title-in-charleston |title=Serena Wins 49th WTA Title In Charleston |date=April 6, 2013 |access-date=April 25, 2017 |publisher=WTA |archive-date=October 8, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008125252/http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3136277/title/serena-wins-49th-wta-title-in-charleston |url-status=live }}</ref> She won her 50th career singles title in [[2013 Mutua Madrid Open|Madrid]], prevailing over Sharapova in the final. She then played in Rome, where she won the title a second time. At the French Open, Williams lost only one game whilst defeating [[Sara Errani]] in the semifinal. Evert said Williams's play during the match was the finest performance she had ever seen by a female player on clay.<ref>{{cite web |last=Caple |first=Jim |date=June 7, 2013 |title=New Heights For Serena Williams |url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/news-commentary/story/_/id/9352085/2013-french-open-serena-williams-looks-better-ever-heading-final-maria-sharapova |publisher=[[ESPN]] |access-date=June 7, 2013 |archive-date=June 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610152520/http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/article/9352085/2013-french-open-serena-williams-looks-better-ever-heading-final-maria-sharapova |url-status=live }}</ref> Williams bested Sharapova in the final to claim her second French Open title and her 16th Grand Slam title overall. She also became the fourth woman in the Open Era to win each Grand Slam tournament at least twice. At [[2013 Wimbledon Championships|Wimbledon]], she advanced easily to the fourth round before being defeated by eventual finalist [[Sabine Lisicki]]. Williams then won the Swedish Open, her first victory at the [[WTA International tournaments|International]] level. She was undefeated on clay during the season.<ref>{{cite news|title=Serena Wins 53rd WTA Title in Bastad|url=http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3323512/title/serena-wins-53rd-wta-title-in-bastad|publisher=WTA|access-date=July 21, 2013|date=July 20, 2013|archive-date=July 23, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723102117/http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3323512/title/serena-wins-53rd-wta-title-in-bastad|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Serena Williams serves at the US Open (9665931630).jpg|thumb|upright=.7|left|Williams winning her fifth US Open title]]

Williams won her third Rogers Cup title in Toronto, beating [[Sorana Cîrstea]] in the final.<ref>{{cite news|title=Serena Williams wins Rogers Cup women's title|url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/serena-williams-wins-rogers-cup-women-s-title-1.1408357|publisher=[[CBC News]]|access-date=August 11, 2013|date=August 11, 2013|archive-date=August 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814034013/http://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/story/2013/08/11/sp-wta-tennis-rogers-cup-final.html|url-status=live}}</ref> She reached the final of the [[2013 Western & Southern Open|Western & Southern Open]] for the first time, but lost to Azarenka.<ref>{{cite news|first=Steve |last=Keating |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/news/azarenka-beat-williams-cincinnati-title-231248255.html |title=Azarenka beats Williams for Cincinnati title |publisher=Yahoo! |date=August 18, 2013 |access-date=September 9, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823010432/http://sports.yahoo.com/news/azarenka-beat-williams-cincinnati-title-231248255.html |archive-date=August 23, 2013 }}</ref> At the [[2013 US Open (tennis)|US Open]], Williams began as top seed and defending champion. She reached the final and defeated Azarenka in three sets, capturing her 17th Grand Slam singles title and pushing her career prize winnings past $50{{nbsp}}million.<ref name=usopen>{{cite web|last=Mitchell|first=Kevin|title=Serena Williams crowns 14-year reign with fifth US Open title|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/sep/09/serena-williams-victoria-azarenka-us-open-final1|website=The Guardian|date=September 9, 2013|access-date=September 9, 2013|archive-date=September 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130909052136/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/sep/09/serena-williams-victoria-azarenka-us-open-final1|url-status=live}}</ref> At 31, she became the oldest US Open champion in the Open Era.<ref name=usopen /> After the US Open, Williams beat Janković to win the China Open, which was her 10th title of 2013.<ref>{{cite news | title=Serena Williams beats Jelena Jankovic to win China Open | work=BBC Sport | date=October 6, 2013 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/24420636 | access-date=April 20, 2017 | archive-date=April 17, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417091119/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/24420636 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[https://sports.yahoo.com/news/serena-powers-past-jankovic-10th-title-2013-143744440--ten.html "Serena powers past Jankovic for 10th title in 2013"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305220750/https://sports.yahoo.com/news/serena-powers-past-jankovic-10th-title-2013-143744440--ten.html |date=March 5, 2016}}. Yahoo! Sports. October 6, 2013.</ref> She went undefeated at the WTA Championships, triumphing over Li Na in the final and becoming the first person to defend the title since Henin in 2007.<ref>Fuller, Russell (October 27, 2013), [https://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/24694991 "Serena Williams beats Li Na to win WTA Championships"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419185211/http://www.bbc.com/sport/tennis/24694991 |date=April 19, 2014}}. BBC Sport. Retrieved April 19, 2014.</ref> She also became the oldest player to win the WTA Championships, the fourth player to win it four times or more, and the first female player to win more than $10{{nbsp}}million in a season (her total for 2013 was $12.4 million). Only [[Rafael Nadal]] (in 2013), and [[Novak Djokovic]] (in 2011, 2012 and 2013) have earned more money in one season.<ref>[http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3513171/title/serena-conquers-li-istanbul "Serena Conquers Li & Istanbul"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071608/http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3513171/title/serena-conquers-li-istanbul |date=March 4, 2016 }}. WTA.</ref>

Williams finished as the year-end No.1 for the third time, becoming the oldest No.1 player in WTA history.<ref>{{cite news|date=October 27, 2013|title=Serena Williams rallies in WTA final|url=https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/9888972/serena-williams-forced-rally-vs-li-na-final-wta-championships|location=Istanbul, Turkey|publisher=ESPN|agency=Associated Press|access-date=April 24, 2017|archive-date=April 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421000223/http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/9888972/serena-williams-forced-rally-vs-li-na-final-wta-championships|url-status=live}}</ref> She was named the ITF World Champion for the fourth time.<ref>(December 18, 2013), [http://www.itftennis.com/news/163361.aspx Williams and Djokovic named 2013 ITF World Champions] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429215902/http://www.itftennis.com/news/163361.aspx |date=April 29, 2016}}. itftennis.com. Retrieved April 29, 2016.</ref> She received two prizes at the [[2013 ESPY Awards]]: Best Female Athlete and Best Female Tennis Player, the latter of which she won for a record sixth time.<ref>{{cite news|title=Serena Wins Best Female Athlete ESPY|url=http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3282995/title/serena-wins-best-female-athlete-espy|website=WTA|access-date=July 19, 2013|date=July 18, 2013|archive-date=July 21, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130721180809/http://www.wtatennis.com/news/article/3282995/title/serena-wins-best-female-athlete-espy|url-status=live}}</ref> In December, Williams received the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year award for the third time. Only Evert and [[Babe Didrikson]] have been chosen more often as Athlete of the Year since the awards were first handed out in 1931.<ref>{{cite news|last=Fendrich |first=Howard |date=December 25, 2013 |title=Serena Williams Wins 3rd AP Athlete Of Year Award |url=http://dailydigest.com/18803/serena-williams-wins-3rd-ap-athlete-of-year-award/ |website=DailyDigest |agency=Associated Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228220845/http://dailydigest.com/18803/serena-williams-wins-3rd-ap-athlete-of-year-award/ |archive-date=December 28, 2013 }}</ref>