Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981)<ref name=profile/> is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks (third-most of all time),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Williams won 73 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including 23 major women's singles titles — the most in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. She is the only player to accomplish a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.<ref name="Berkok-2022">Template:Cite web</ref>

Along with her elder sister Venus, Serena Williams was coached by her parents Oracene Price and Richard Williams. Turning professional in 1995, she won her first major singles title at the 1999 US Open. From the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open she was dominant, winning all four major singles titles (each time over Venus in the final) to achieve both a career Grand Slam and a non-calendar year Grand Slam (nicknamed the "Serena Slam"). The next few years saw Williams capture two more major singles titles, but suffer from injury and decline in form. Starting in 2007, however, she gradually returned to form despite continued injuries, reclaiming the world No. 1 singles ranking. Beginning with the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, Williams returned to dominance, claiming Olympic gold (completing the career Golden Slam in singles)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and winning eight out of thirteen singles majors, including all four in a row from 2014–2015 to achieve a second "Serena Slam". At the 2017 Australian Open, she won her 23rd major singles title, surpassing Steffi Graf's Open Era record. After becoming pregnant, Williams took a break from professional tennis, but reached four major finals upon returning to play. In August 2022, Williams announced her impending "evolution" away from professional tennis, and played her final match at the 2022 US Open.<ref name="New York Times">Template:Cite news</ref>

Williams also won 23 WTA Tour-level doubles titles. This includes 14 major women's doubles titles, all won with her sister Venus, and the pair was unbeaten in major doubles finals (the best unbeaten record in major finals in any discipline of the sport).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The sisters achieved a non-calendar year Grand Slam between the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and the 2010 French Open, which granted them the doubles world No. 1 ranking. Williams won four Olympic gold medals, three in women's doubles—an all-time joint record in tennis, shared with her sister.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The duo are the only women in the Open Era to win Olympic gold in both singles and doubles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams also won two mixed doubles majors, both in 1998. She is the only player, male or female, to complete three career Golden Slams – one in women's singles and two in women's doubles.<ref name="Berkok-2022" />

The ascent of the Williams sisters has been credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Serena holds a combined 39 major titles — 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles — placing her joint-third on the all-time list and second in the Open Era for total major titles. She is the most recent woman to simultaneously hold all four major singles titles (2002–2003 and 2014–2015), and to win the Surface Slam (major titles on hard, clay and grass courts in the same calendar year), which she accomplished in 2015. She is also, with Venus, the most recent player to have simultaneously held all four major women's doubles titles (2009–2010).

Williams was the world's highest paid woman athlete in 2016, earning almost $29 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She repeated this feat in 2017 when she was the only woman on ForbesTemplate:' list of the 100 highest-paid athletes, with $27Template:Nbspmillion in prize money and endorsements. She is the highest-earning woman athlete of all time.<ref name=Forbes21>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams won the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year a record four times (2003, 2010, 2016, 2018),<ref name=Laureus>Template:Cite web</ref> Comeback of the Year once (2007),<ref name=Laureus /> and in December 2015 was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2020, the Tennis Channel ranked Williams as the greatest female tennis player in history.<ref name=":3" />

Early life

Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, to Oracene Price and Richard Williams. She is the youngest of Price's five daughters, after half-sisters Yetunde, Lyndrea, and Isha Price, and full older sister Venus.<ref name=profile/> She also has at least seven paternal half-siblings.<ref name="Edmondson">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When the children were young, the family moved to Compton, California, where she started playing tennis at the age of four.<ref name="Serenabio">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn Her father home-schooled her and Venus.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While he and her mother have been her official coaches, her other mentors have included Richard Williams, a Compton man who shared her father's name and subsequently founded The Venus and Serena Williams Tennis Tutorial Academy.<ref name="Tennis Week, March 6, 2006">Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Venus and Serena 1993.jpg

Venus and Serena Williams (right) at a Pam Shriver event in Baltimore, 1993

When Williams was nine, she and her family moved from Compton to West Palm Beach, Florida,<ref name="Serenabio" /> so she could attend the tennis academy of Rick Macci, who provided her with additional coaching. Macci did not always agree with Williams's father, but respected that "he treated his daughters like kids, allowed them to be little girls".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 1991, Williams had a 46–3 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked No. 1 among under-10 players in Florida.<ref name="Museum">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=sportytell>Template:Cite web</ref> When Williams was 10, Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments, as he wanted them to "go slowly" and focus on school, and because he wanted to ensure they would not burn out before turning professional.<ref name="Museum" /> Experiences of racism also influenced this decision, as he had heard white parents talk about the Williams sisters in a derogatory manner during tournaments.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1995, when Williams was in the ninth grade, her father pulled his daughters out of Macci's academy and took over all coaching at their home.<ref name=tennispal>Template:Cite web</ref> When asked in 2000 whether it would have been more beneficial for them to have followed the normal path of playing regularly on the junior circuit, Richard responded, "Everyone does different things. I think for Venus and I, we just attempted a different road, and it worked for us."<ref name=mobfacts>Template:Cite web</ref>

Professional career

1995–1998: Professional debut

Template:Main Williams's parents initially wanted their daughter to wait until she was 16 to participate in professional tournaments.<ref name=tradition>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1995, just after turning 14, Williams planned to make her professional debut as a wild-card entry in the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California, but was denied due to age-eligibility restrictions.<ref name=Finn>Template:Cite news</ref> She subsequently filed an antitrust lawsuit against the WTA, but withdrew it at her parents' request.<ref name=Finn/> Her first professional event was in October 1995 at the Bell Challenge in Quebec,<ref name=tradition/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> where she used a wild-card entry to circumvent age-eligibility rules.<ref name=tradition/> She lost in the first qualifying round to 18-year-old American Annie Miller.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After not playing in 1996, Williams won her first main-draw match at the Ameritech Cup Chicago in November 1997.<ref name=tennispal/><ref name=youngerwilliams>Template:Cite news</ref> Ranked No.304, she upset No.7 Mary Pierce and No.4 Monica Seles,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> recording her first career wins over topTemplate:Nbsp10 players and becoming the lowest-ranked player in the Open Era to defeat two top-10 opponents in one tournament.<ref name=Card>Template:Cite web</ref> She ultimately lost in the semifinals to No.5 Lindsay Davenport.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her run in Chicago propelled Williams into the Top 100 for the first time in her career, and she finished 1997 ranked No.99 in the world.<ref name=sportytell/><ref name=Fed>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the 1998 Sydney International, Williams defeated No.3 Davenport in the quarterfinals, before losing to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the semifinals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams's first main draw of a Grand Slam tournament was at the Australian Open, where she defeated sixth-seeded Irina Spîrlea in the first round, before losing to Venus in the second round in the sisters' first professional face-off.<ref name=Card/><ref name=Irina>Template:Cite news</ref> She reached six other quarterfinals during the year, but lost all of them, including her first match against No.1-ranked Martina Hingis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Looney>Template:Cite news</ref> She lost in the fourth round of the French Open to Vicario,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in the third round of the US Open to Spîrlea.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She withdrew from Wimbledon two games into a match after straining a calf muscle.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After losing the French Open mixed doubles final to Venus and Justin Gimelstob, Williams won the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open with Max Mirnyi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams won her first professional title in non-mixed doubles at the U.S. National Indoor Championships in Oklahoma City with Venus, which made them the third pair of sisters to win a WTA title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams finished the year ranked No.20 in singles, the fastest achievement of that milestone in women's history.<ref name="rankingshistory">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=memorable>Template:Cite web</ref>

1999: First major and becoming a top-5 player

Template:Main In February 1999, Williams won her first professional singles title when she defeated Amélie Mauresmo in the final of the Open Gaz de France in Paris.<ref name=Card/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March, Williams won her first WTA 1000 event at the Evert Cup in California, defeating Steffi Graf in the final.<ref name=memorable/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=Card/> At the Miami Masters, Williams had her 16-match winning streak ended by her sister in the first all-sister singles final in WTA history.<ref name="Card" /><ref name="Lipton">Template:Cite web</ref> In the doubles event at the French Open, she and Venus won the title after defeating Hingis and Anna Kournikova in the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams missed Wimbledon in 1999 due to injury. When she returned to the tour two months later, she made her Fed Cup debut, defeating Rita Grande to send the United States to the final.<ref name=Fed/> She then won her third title at the JPMorgan Chase Open, beating Julie Halard-Decugis in the final. At the US Open, Williams defeated Grand Slam champions Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martínez, Monica Seles, and Lindsay Davenport (the defending champion) in consecutive matches to reach the final, where she defeated No.1-ranked Hingis. Williams became the second African-American woman to win a Grand Slam singles tournament, after Althea Gibson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Williams sisters also won the doubles event at this tournament, making Serena the fifth woman in the Open Era to win both singles and doubles at the same major event.<ref name=Card/> To complete her 1999 season, Williams won a doubles match against Russia in the Fed Cup final to help the US win the title.<ref name=Fed/> Williams ended the year ranked in a career-high world No.4 in just her second full year on the main tour.<ref name=Card/>

2000–2001: Olympic gold, US Open final, and Indian Wells boycott

In 2000, Williams failed to defend her titles in Paris and Indian Wells, although she did win the Faber Grand Prix in Germany.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Soon afterwards, she missed the French Open due to injury.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She recovered and played at the Wimbledon Championships, where she lost to Venus in the semifinals; however, the pair won the doubles title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her defense of the US Open title ended when she lost in the quarterfinals to Davenport. Williams and her sister won the gold medal in doubles at the Sydney Olympics that September,<ref name=Card/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Williams ended the year by winning the Toyota Princess Cup and finishing at No.6.<ref name=rankingshistory/>

Williams began 2001 by losing to Hingis in the quarterfinals of both the Medibank International and the Australian Open.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She and Venus won the doubles event at the latter tournament, becoming only the fifth doubles team in history to win all four Grand Slam women's doubles titles during their career, completing a "Career Grand Slam".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her next event was the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, where she defeated Clijsters in the final. During the tournament, Richard Williams stated that racist comments were made to him by spectators.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As a result, both Serena and Venus pledged to boycott the event, even though it was a mandatory stop on the WTA tour; Serena's boycott lasted until 2015. Williams then lost to Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals of three tournaments: Miami Masters, the French Open and Wimbledon. She claimed her second title of the year at the Rogers Cup, defeating Capriati in the final. In September, Williams lost to her sister in the final of the US Open, which was the first Grand Slam tournament final played by two sisters during the Open Era. At the 2001 season-ending Tour Championships, Williams won the championship by walkover when Davenport withdrew due to injury. Williams finished 2001 at No.6 for the second straight year.<ref name=rankingshistory/>

2002–2003: "Serena Slam"

Early in 2002, injury saw Williams retire from the semifinal at the Medibank International Sydney and later withdraw from the Australian Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After recovering, Williams won her first title of the year in Scottsdale, Arizona, defeating No.2 Capriati, in the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She then won the Miami Masters for the first time after beating No.3 Hingis in the quarterfinals, No.2 Venus in the semifinals, and No.1 Capriati in the final, becoming only the second player in the Open Era to defeat the world's top 3 ranked players at the same event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:SWilliams-SYD-1.jpg

Medibank International Sydney, 2002

In May, Williams reached her first clay-court final at the Eurocard German Open, but lost to Justine Henin. Williams won her first clay-court title at the Italian Open,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which raised her ranking to a new high of No.3.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She then claimed her first French Open title, which elevated her to No.2, second only to Venus.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During the summer, Williams won Wimbledon for the first time, defeating Venus in the final. The victory propelled her to No.1, making her the third African American woman to hold the top ranking.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Williams sisters also won the doubles event at the tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the US Open, Williams reached the final where, for the third Grand Slam in a row, she defeated her sister to win the title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams won two consecutive singles titles in the fall, defeating Clijsters to win the Toyota Princess Cup in Tokyo, and Anastasia Myskina to win the Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She reached the final at the Home Depot Championships in Los Angeles, where she lost to Clijsters in straight sets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 win/lose record, eight singles titles, and the No.1 ranking.<ref name="Serena02">Template:Cite web</ref> Her three consecutive Grand Slam titles in 2002 made her only the third player in history to win the "Surface Slam" after Martina Navratilova (1984) and Steffi Graf (1993, 1995, 1996).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At the 2003 Australian Open, Williams faced Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament final. She defeated her older sister and became the sixth woman in the Open Era to complete a Career Grand Slam, alongside Graf, Navratilova, Margaret Court, Chris Evert and Billie Jean King. She also became the fifth woman to hold all Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously, a feat which was dubbed the "Serena Slam" by the press.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At this tournament, the Williams sisters also won their sixth Grand Slam doubles title as a team.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During the spring of 2003, Williams captured the singles titles at the Open Gaz de France and the Sony Ericsson Open. Her streak of 21 wins ended when she lost the final of the Family Circle Cup to Henin. She also lost to Mauresmo in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Despite these defeats, Williams was the top seed at the French Open, where she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Henin; this was Williams's first loss in a Grand Slam tournament since 2001. The match was controversial, with Williams questioning Henin's sportsmanship, and spectators applauding Williams's errors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams rebounded from the loss at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, where she defeated Venus in the final. This was Williams's second consecutive Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam singles title overall. Wimbledon was her last tournament of 2003; she pulled out of three events and then underwent surgery on the quadriceps tendon in her knee in early August. She was expected to be in recovery for six to eight weeks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2004–2007: Injuries and comeback

After eight months away from tennis, Williams began her comeback at the NASDAQ-100 Open in March 2004, where she won the title for the third consecutive year. Although ranked No.7, Williams was seeded second at the French Open, where she lost to Capriati in the quarterfinals. A few weeks later, Williams was seeded first at Wimbledon, even though her ranking had dropped to No.10. She won six matches en route to the final, where Maria Sharapova defeated her. The loss caused her to drop out of the top 10 for the first time since 1999. Later that summer, Williams reached her third final of the year at the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles, where she lost to Lindsay Davenport.

Williams was seeded third at the 2004 US Open, where she faced Capriati in the quarterfinals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the match, umpire Mariana Alves made a call that favored Capriati, but subsequent video review showed that her call was incorrect.<ref name="saga">Template:Cite web</ref> Williams argued with Alves over several other calls during the match, which Capriati eventually won. Williams acknowledged that her loss was primarily due to her 57 unforced errors, but she nevertheless felt "cheated" and accused Alves of temporary insanity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The controversy renewed calls for, and was widely given credit for, the adoption of new technology such as the MacCAM and Hawk-Eye systems.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams won her second title of the year at the China Open in September, defeating US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. Williams's successful season allowed her to qualify for the Tour Championships, held again in Los Angeles. She lost to Sharapova in the final, where she suffered an abdominal injury.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams finished 2004 ranked No.7, but did not win a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first season since 2001.<ref name="rankingshistory" />

File:Serena serving.jpg

Exhibition match, 2004

Following Venus's early exit from the 2005 Australian Open, Williams rejected suggestions that she and her sister were a declining force in tennis.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She defeated top seed Davenport to win the tournament, claiming her second Australian Open trophy and seventh Grand Slam singles title.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The victory moved her back to No.2.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams completed just two tournaments between the Australian Open and Wimbledon, losing to Venus in Miami and Francesca Schiavone in Italy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A reoccurring ankle injury caused her to miss the French Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She returned to Wimbledon as the 4th-seeded player, but was defeated in the third round. At the US Open, Williams lost to her sister in the fourth round. Williams played just one more match that fall, a loss to No.127 Sun Tiantian at the China Open in Beijing. She failed to qualify for the year-end championship for the first time since 1998, and she finished 2005 ranked No.11.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>

Williams made her 2006 debut at the Australian Open, defending her title. After she lost to Daniela Hantuchová in the third round, she told the press that she was injured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In her biography, Williams wrote that she was suffering from depression during this time. She stayed away from tennis for six months during the 2006 season, and began seeing a therapist daily.Template:Sfn After a chance meeting with a young girl who idolized Williams and believed in her, Williams signed up to play in Cincinnati in July, her first tournament since January.Template:Sfn She had slipped to No.139, her lowest ranking since 1997. On her return, Williams defeated Myskina and Bethanie Mattek,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> before losing in the semifinals to Vera Zvonareva.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She also reached the semifinals in Los Angeles, losing to Janković in straight sets. Williams needed a wildcard to enter the US Open, as her No.139 ranking was too low to automatically qualify her to play. By the time the tournament began, however, she had risen to 79th.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She lost to top-seeded Mauresmo in the fourth round.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams finished the year ranked No.95, her lowest year-end ranking since 1997.<ref name=":0" />

Williams began 2007 with renewed confidence. She stated her intention to return to the top of the rankings, a goal that was labeled "deluded" by commentator Pat Cash.<ref name="targets#1">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="cash">Template:Cite news</ref> Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the Hobart International, a warm-up for the Australian Open, where she was unseeded and widely regarded as "out of shape".<ref name="shape">Tandon, Kamakshi (January 14, 2008) New Mindset: Serena Playing for Herself. tennis.com</ref> Shortly before her first match, a representative from Nike told her the company might cancel her sponsorship if she did not perform at her customary level. Williams claimed that Nike's ultimatum meant she would have to reach the quarterfinals at least.Template:Sfn

The Nike situation did not distract Williams, as she lost just three games to Mara Santangelo and defeated Anne Kremer in straight sets.Template:Sfn By this point, a blister had developed on her foot and she had contracted a cold. In the third round, Williams found herself two points away from losing to Nadia Petrova, but fought back to win in three sets. She then made it to the final, defeating Jelena Janković, Shahar Pe'er and Nicole Vaidišová along the way. Williams described them as "good players ... who certainly didn't expect an overweight, out-of-shape, has-been champion ... to give them a game."Template:Sfn<ref name="NY 2007 AUS" /> Commentator Tracy Austin said she expected Sharapova to easily defeat Williams in the final. Williams thought the commentary was mean, and used it as motivation to win.Template:Sfn She triumphed over Sharapova, losing just three games; it was her first tournament title in two years.<ref name="NY 2007 AUS">Template:Cite news</ref> Williams became the first player since Chris O'Neil to capture the title without being seeded. The victory, which elevated her to No.14, was her third Australian Open title and eighth career Grand Slam singles title. Williams dedicated the achievement to her deceased half-sister Yetunde.<ref name="ausopen07">Template:Cite news</ref>

Her performance in the final was described in the press as one of the best performances of her career, and "arguably the most powerful display ever seen in women's tennis".<ref name="shape" /><ref>"Resurgent Serena targets Paris" Template:Webarchive, BBC Sport. Retrieved August 19, 2008.</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams won the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami for the fourth time by defeating Henin, but then lost to her in the quarterfinals at the French Open.<ref>"Serena takes title in epic final" Template:Webarchive, BBC Sport. Retrieved August 19, 2008.</ref><ref name="activity">Serena Williams Playing Activity Template:Webarchive, WTA. Retrieved August 19, 2008.</ref> During a fourth round match against Hantuchová at Wimbledon, Williams collapsed from an acute muscle spasm. After a medical timeout, rain forced play to be suspended for nearly two hours. When the players returned, Williams won the match.<ref>Injured Serena seals amazing win Template:Webarchive, BBC Sport. Retrieved August 19, 2008.</ref> Williams then lost her quarterfinal match against Henin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the US Open, Williams lost her third consecutive Grand Slam singles quarterfinal to Henin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams reached the final of the Kremlin Cup, but lost to Elena Dementieva. She qualified for the WTA Championships, but retired from her first match with a knee injury and subsequently withdrew from the event.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams finished 2007 as No.7 and the top-ranked American for the first time since 2003.<ref name="activity" />

2008–2010: Injuries, controversy, and return to No. 1

Williams started 2008 by winning the Hopman Cup for the US, with Mardy Fish.<ref>USA beat Serbia to take Hopman Cup Template:Webarchive, BBC Sport. Retrieved August 19, 2008.</ref> At the 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>Template:Cite news</ref> She then won three consecutive singles titles at Bangalore and her fifth Miami title, tying Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</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 Berlin.<ref name="activity" /> Williams withdrew in Rome in the quarterfinals due to a back injury, and lost in the third round of the French Open to Katarina Srebotnik.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At 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 Stanford, but retired in the semifinals with a knee injury, which also forced her to withdraw from a tournament in Los Angeles. During the 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 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>Template:Cite news</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 Medibank International, losing in the semifinals to Dementieva. At the 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>Template:Cite web</ref> Serena and Venus also won the doubles event at the Australian Open for the third time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the Open GdF Suez, Williams withdrew before her semifinal match against Dementieva because of a knee injury.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She then played in Dubai, losing to Venus in the semifinals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Serena Williams Australian Open 2009 5.jpg

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>Template:Cite web</ref> After Ericsson, she was defeated in her opening matches in Barcelona, Rome, and 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 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>Template:Cite news</ref> For the second consecutive year, Serena and Venus claimed the Wimbledon doubles title, which was their ninth Grand Slam title in doubles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Ahead of the US Open, Williams suffered a third-round defeat in 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 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">Template:Cite news</ref> Williams was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct, which resulted in Clijsters winning the match.<ref>Template:Cite web</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">Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="tirade" /><ref>Template:Cite web</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 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>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite web</ref> She was also the International Tennis Federation World Champion in both singles and doubles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Melbourne Australian Open 2010 Serena Serve.jpg

Australian Open, 2010

In 2010, Williams's first tournament was in Sydney, where she lost in the final to Dementieva. At the 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>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams sat out several events with a leg injury,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but returned for the Rome Masters, where she was defeated by Janković in the semifinals. At Madrid, she fell to Nadia Petrova in the third round, but partnered with Venus to win the doubles title.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the 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>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams's next tournament was Wimbledon, where she did not lose a single set, defeating Zvonareva in the final.<ref name="NYTIMESW10">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="TennisSW10">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2011–2013: Return to dominance, Career Golden Slam

File:Serena Williams wins Gold cropped.jpg

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 Eastbourne, where she lost in round two to Zvonareva.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In June, she attempted to defend her title at 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 Stanford and Toronto. Williams played the Western & Southern Open, but withdrew due to injury. She reached the final at the US Open, where she faced Stosur. During the match, Williams became angry with umpire Eve Asderaki. She made gestures and unflattering comments towards her, including calling her "a hater".<ref name="saga" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams eventually lost the match, and then declined to offer Asderaki the customary handshake.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite news</ref> In the end, Williams was fined $2,000, but was not barred from competing.<ref>Template:Cite web</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 Brisbane International. During her match against Bojana Jovanovski, she injured her left ankle, and was forced to withdraw from the tournament.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Next she participated in the Australian Open, where she was upset by Ekaterina Makarova in the fourth round. After a month layoff, Williams returned to competition in Miami, losing in the quarterfinals. She then won consecutive titles in Charleston and Madrid, but withdrew from her semifinal match in 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">Template:Cite news</ref> She captured her fifth Wimbledon singles title (her 14th Grand Slam victory), and became the first female player to serve 24 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>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams and her sister also captured their fifth trophy in Wimbledon doubles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams returned to America to successfully defend her Stanford title, overcoming CoCo Vandeweghe in the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="huffingtonpost.com">Template:Cite news</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 US Open singles title, which was her 15th career Grand Slam singles title.<ref name="BBC 2012" /><ref>Template:Cite news</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 ITF World Champion, and was voted WTA Player of the Year for the fourth time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="CBS-Olympic">Template:Cite news</ref>

Williams's first tournament of the 2013 season was in Brisbane, where she won the title without dropping a set. At the 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>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams then defended her Charleston title, winning the event for the third time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She won her 50th career singles title in 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>Template:Cite web</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 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 International level. She was undefeated on clay during the season.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Serena Williams serves at the US Open (9665931630).jpg

Williams winning her fifth US Open title

Williams won her third Rogers Cup title in Toronto, beating Sorana Cîrstea in the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She reached the final of the Western & Southern Open for the first time, but lost to Azarenka.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the 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 $50Template:Nbspmillion.<ref name=usopen>Template:Cite web</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>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>"Serena powers past Jankovic for 10th title in 2013" Template:Webarchive. 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), "Serena Williams beats Li Na to win WTA Championships" Template:Webarchive. 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 $10Template:Nbspmillion 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>"Serena Conquers Li & Istanbul" Template:Webarchive. WTA.</ref>

Williams finished as the year-end No.1 for the third time, becoming the oldest No.1 player in WTA history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was named the ITF World Champion for the fourth time.<ref>(December 18, 2013), Williams and Djokovic named 2013 ITF World Champions Template:Webarchive. 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>Template:Cite news</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>Template:Cite news</ref>

2014–2015: Second "Serena Slam"

Template:Main Williams defended her title at the Brisbane International by defeating No.2 Azarenka in the final.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> At the Australian Open, she fell in the fourth round to Ana Ivanovic. In Dubai, Williams lost her semifinal match to Alizé Cornet in straight sets. Williams then played in the Miami Open, where she won her record seventh title with a straight-sets victory over No.2 Li Na.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> At the Family Circle Cup, she lost to Jana Čepelová in the second round. She made it to the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open before withdrawing with a thigh injury. In Rome, Williams won her third title of the season. She suffered the worst loss of her Grand Slam career in the second round of the French Open when Garbiñe Muguruza defeated her while losing just four games in two sets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cornet defeated Williams in the third round of Wimbledon, handing Williams her earliest Wimbledon elimination since 2005. During the doubles event with Venus, Serena hit four consecutive doubles faults. She appeared disoriented and unsteady on her feet, and withdrew from the tournament. The official cause of withdrawal was "viral illness".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams rebounded by winning 19 out of her next 20 matches (losing only to Venus in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup). The streak included titles at the Bank of the West Classic and the Western & Southern Open, and her third consecutive and sixth overall US Open singles title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With this victory, Williams tied Evert for most US Open singles titles won by a woman in the Open Era. Williams also tied Evert and Navratilova's record of 18 career Grand Slam singles titles won in the Open Era. By virtue of winning both the US Open and the US Open Series, Williams collected $4 million—the biggest payday in tennis history. At the 2014 WTA Finals in Singapore, Williams advanced to the final for the third consecutive year despite having equaled her career-worst loss in her second round robin match against Simona Halep.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She claimed the WTA Finals title, which was her seventh title of the year, and finished the year ranked No.1 for the fourth time in her career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She held the top ranking for the entire calendar year, a feat not accomplished since Graf achieved it in 1996. Williams was voted WTA Player of the Year and ITF World Champion for a third consecutive year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Williams began the 2015 season by reaching the final of the Hopman Cup, where she and her partner John Isner lost to Poland.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the Australian Open, Williams defeated Sharapova for the 16th consecutive time to claim her sixth Australian Open singles title and 19th career Grand Slam singles title.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> With this victory, Williams surpassed both Evert and Navratilova for the second most Grand Slam singles titles won in the Open Era. She is the only player in history to win all four Grand Slams at age 30 or older. She and Venus next traveled to Buenos Aires to face Argentina in a World Group II tie in the Fed Cup. She played and won her only match against María Irigoyen to help the US team win against the Argentines.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After a 14-year boycott of the Indian Wells Masters, Williams announced that she would be competing at the event.<ref>"Serena 'proudly returning' to tourney" . ESPN.</ref><ref name=NYT20150205>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Upon her return, she received a standing ovation from the crowd and won her first match in straight sets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She reached the semifinals, but was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury. When Williams defeated Lisicki in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, she became the eighth woman in the Open Era to record 700 match wins in her career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This also made her one of only three active players to have won 700 or more matches in singles, the others being Nadal and Roger Federer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams went on to win a record eighth title in Miami.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Serena Williams Won Roland Garros in 2015.JPG

Williams celebrating her third French Open title

As preparation for the clay-court season (and to ensure her eligibility for the 2016 Summer Olympics), Williams travelled to Brindisi, Italy, where she competed with that country's team for a place in the Fed Cup's World Group. Williams and teammate Alison Riske lost the decisive doubles match to Errani and Flavia Pennetta, which meant the United States was relegated to World Group II. It was Williams's first loss in the Fed Cup.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The week of April 20 marked Williams's 114th consecutive week ranked No.1, the third-longest run in WTA history at the time, behind Graf's 186 weeks and Navratilova's 156. In the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open, Williams suffered her first defeat of the season, ending a 50-match winning streak at Premier-Mandatory events.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She played one match at the 2015 Internazionali BNL d'Italia before withdrawing with an elbow injury.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At the 2015 French Open, Williams defeated Lucie Šafářová in three sets to claim the trophy and win her third French Open and 20th Grand Slam singles title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The accomplishment made Williams only the third person in history to win each Grand Slam at least three times, the others being Court and Graf.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At Wimbledon, Williams defeated three former No.1 players—Azarenka, Sharapova, and her sister Venus—to advance to the final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Awaiting her was Muguruza, who had previously handed Williams the worst Grand Slam defeat of her career.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Williams bested Muguruza and claimed her sixth Wimbledon singles title and 21st Grand Slam singles title overall. With this triumph, she completed her second "Serena Slam" (winning all four Grand Slams in a row, but not in the same calendar year).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Wimbledon victory made Williams the oldest woman in the Open Era to win a Grand Slam singles title.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It also was her eighth consecutive victory in Grand Slam singles finals appearances, breaking Graf's Open Era record of seven and tying Pete Sampras's Open Era record of eight. The week of July 13 marked the first time in WTA history that the No.1 player had more than twice as many points as the No.2.<ref name="ReferenceB">Template:Cite web</ref> Following her win at Wimbledon, Williams was awarded her seventh ESPY for Best Female Tennis Player.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams was the defending champion at the Bank of the West Classic, but withdrew from the tournament to recover from an elbow injury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the semifinals of the Canadian Open, Williams had a 19-match winning streak ended by 18-year-old Belinda Bencic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The next week Williams defended her title at the Western & Southern Open with a straight sets victory over No.3 Halep.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams's attempt at capturing the "Grand Slam" (winning all four Grand Slams in a calendar year) came to an end at the US Open, where she lost to Roberta Vinci in the semifinals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The defeat has been described by some as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On October 1, Williams called an end to her season, stating that she had been injured for most of the year and wanted to "properly address [her] health".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Coach Patrick Mouratoglou hinted that her decision to end the season early might be due to a lack of motivation and disappointment following her loss at the Open.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On October 5, Williams surpassed Evert for third-most weeks ranked world No.1.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams held the top ranking the entire season for the second consecutive year, finishing there for the fifth time in her career. She was voted WTA Player of the Year for the seventh time, and named ITF World Champion for the sixth time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was also voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for the fourth time in her career, and was chosen as Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="SISPOTY2015">Template:Cite magazine</ref> She became the third solo woman, and the first since 1983, to receive the latter award.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2016: Equalling the records of Steffi Graf

Template:Main Williams was the No.1 seed and defending champion at the Australian Open. She reached the final without dropping a set, and faced first time Grand Slam finalist Angelique Kerber. Williams was considered the heavy favorite, as she had never lost an Australian Open final or semifinal. She had also dominated in past matches against Kerber, losing only once to her in six meetings. Williams lost the final in three sets, however, which marked her first-ever three-set loss in the final of a Grand Slam.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The week of February 15 marked Williams's 157th consecutive week ranked No.1, the second-longest streak in WTA history. Only Graf had held the ranking longer, for 186 weeks. Williams competed in Indian Wells as the No.1 seed, and reached the final for the first time since 2001. She was defeated by Azarenka, whom she had beaten the last five times the pair had met. This marked the first time since 2004 that Williams lost two consecutive finals. She next played the Miami Open as the defending champion, losing in the fourth round to Kuznetsova. In Rome, she prevailed over Anna-Lena Friedsam and Christina McHale to progress to the quarterfinals, where she defeated Kuznetsova. She then defeated Irina-Camelia Begu and Madison Keys to win her 70th career WTA title and her first title of the year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At the French Open, Williams dropped only one set en route to the final, where she faced Muguruza. She lost to the Spanish-Venezuelan player in straight sets, marking the first time she had lost two consecutive Grand Slam finals. At Wimbledon, Williams again dropped only one set on her way to the final, where she faced Kerber in a rematch of their Australian Open final earlier in the year. Williams defeated Kerber in straight sets and tied Graf's record of 22 Open Era Grand Slam singles titles. Later that day, Williams and her sister won their sixth Wimbledon doubles title and 14th Grand Slam doubles title overall, keeping their perfect record at Grand Slam doubles finals intact.

In July, Williams withdrew from the Rogers Cup due to a shoulder injury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She next participated in the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she was the defending gold medalist in both singles and doubles, and was the heavy favorite to retain those titles. The sisters suffered a shock exit in the first round of doubles, losing to the Czech duo of Šafářová and Barbora Strýcová, which ended their career record of 15–0 dating back to the 2000 Olympics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In singles, Williams lost to Elina Svitolina in the third round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Days after the Olympics, Williams entered the Western & Southern Open to defend her crown, but then withdrew due to the same shoulder injury from earlier in the summer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The week of September 5, 2016, marked Williams's 186th consecutive week ranked No.1, tying her with Graf for the longest run in WTA history. Williams's streak ended when she lost to Karolína Plíšková in the semifinals of the US Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October, she pulled out of the WTA Finals, citing her shoulder injury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2017: Australian Open victory and pregnancy

Template:Main Williams started 2017 by playing in the WTA Auckland Open for the first time in her career. In the second round, she lost to Madison Brengle. She then won the Australian Open for an Open Era record seventh time, defeating Venus in the final.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> It was her 23rd Open Era Grand Slam singles title, pushing her past Graf's record of 22. It was the first time in the Open Era that two players aged 35 or older had competed in the final of a Grand Slam tournament. The win ensured Williams's return to the No.1 ranking.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She subsequently withdrew from the Indian Wells and Miami Opens, citing a knee injury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On April 19, 2017, Williams revealed that she was 20 weeks pregnant and would miss the remainder of the season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The timing of her announcement meant she was already pregnant when she won the Australian Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In interviews, she said that she intended to return to tennis after giving birth, saying she had an "outrageous plan" of competing in the 2018 Australian Open.<ref name="voguesept17">Template:Cite web</ref> On September 1, 2017, Williams gave birth to a daughter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She suffered a pulmonary embolism after delivery, leaving her bedridden for six weeks and delaying her return to training.<ref name="vogue.com">Template:Cite web</ref> On December 30, Williams played her first match since giving birth, an exhibition match at the World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, where she lost to Jeļena Ostapenko.

File:Williams S. RG18 (17) (41168711240).jpg

French Open, 2018

2018: Return to tennis, Wimbledon, and controversies

On January 5, 2018, Williams withdrew from the upcoming Australian Open, citing a lack of sufficient preparation in the wake of her pregnancy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February, after overcoming pregnancy-related health problems, she returned to the tennis court with Venus. The pair lost to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs of the Netherlands in the first round of the Fed Cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams then suffered back-to-back early exits in Indian Wells and Miami. Williams returned to Grand Slam tennis at the 2018 French Open, playing singles and doubles with her sister. In the first round, she defeated Kristýna Plíšková, then overcame Ashleigh Barty in the second round. She then defeated 11th seed Julia Görges to set up a fourth-round match against Sharapova, whom she had bested 18 consecutive times since 2004. Williams withdrew from the match due to an injury, however.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July, she played Wimbledon and was seeded No.25. Many felt the decision showed bias and unduly favored Williams, who was ranked No.181.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Others argued that the All England Club, which does not base seedings on players' world rankings—as other Grand Slam tournaments do—had sensibly considered Williams's excellent historic record at Wimbledon.<ref name="surprise">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams reached the Wimbledon semifinals, becoming the lowest-ranked player to do so.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She bested 13th seed Görges in the semifinal match, but lost to Kerber in a rematch of the 2016 final.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Following Wimbledon, Williams entered the 2018 Silicon Valley Classic, her first appearance in a US Open series tournament since 2015. She suffered the worst loss of her career in the first round, winning just a single game against Johanna Konta.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams later revealed in an interview with Time that she checked Instagram prior to the match, and discovered that the man who had murdered her half-sister, Yetunde, in 2003 had been released on parole earlier in the year. Williams said she "couldn't shake it out of [her] mind."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Williams's next tournament was the Cincinnati Masters. She beat Daria Gavrilova in straight sets in the first round, but lost to Petra Kvitová in the second round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was then seeded 17th at the US Open, although ranked 26th in the WTA. She prevailed over Magda Linette in the first round, Carina Witthöft in the second, Venus in the third, and Kaia Kanepi in the fourth. Williams's quarterfinal face-off against Karolína Plíšková was a rematch of the 2016 US Open semifinal, which the Czech player had won. Williams prevailed, notching her first win against a top 10 player since her return from pregnancy. Williams then won her semifinal match against Anastasija Sevastova, putting her into the final against Naomi Osaka. During the second set of the match, Williams was given a code violation because her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, gave her coaching hand signals. Williams claimed Mouratoglou was simply giving her a thumbs-up, and demanded an apology from umpire Carlos Ramos. However, Mouratoglou later admitted in the after-game interview that he had been coaching, but believes Williams did not understand the hint.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Williams then received a second violation for racket abuse, which resulted in a point penalty. After her third code violation for verbal abuse of the umpire, Williams received a game penalty, which caused her to lose the match. She was fined a total of $17,000 for the three offenses, although she claimed she was treated unfairly because she is a woman.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following the US Open final match, the Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun published a cartoon by Mark Knight depicting Williams throwing a tantrum while the umpire asks her opponent to "just let her win".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The cartoon was widely criticized as racist and sexist, including by Williams's husband, Alexis Ohanian, and author J. K. Rowling.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Complaints centered on the portrayal of Williams as an angry black woman with exaggeratedly large lips and a broad, flat nose; the depiction of Williams in an ape-like pose; and the rendering of Osaka with blonde hair (only some of her hair was colored blonde during the tournament).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Herald18">Template:Cite web</ref> Knight defended his work, claiming his satire was never about race or gender, but rather about shining a spotlight on bad behavior by sports superstars.<ref name="Herald18" />

2019: Return to the top 10

Williams started her 2019 season at the Australian Open, her first appearance at the tournament since winning it in 2017. Seeded 16th, she defeated Tatjana Maria, Eugenie Bouchard, and Dayana Yastremska in the first three rounds, then bested top seed and world No.1 Halep in the fourth. In the quarterfinals, she met Karolína Plíšková, who won the match after Williams twisted her ankle. This was Williams's earliest defeat at the Australian Open since her fourth-round loss in 2014. Despite the loss, her ranking climbed to No.11. Williams prevailed over Azarenka in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters, but a viral illness caused her to retire. She then experienced a recurrence of a long-term knee injury, which caused her to pull out of upcoming Miami and Rome events. She could not train properly until after the French Open, where she lost in the third round.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams then reached the final at Wimbledon, making 2019 the 13th consecutive year in which she played in a Grand Slam final. She became the oldest Grand Slam finalist in the Open Era.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams lost the final to Halep in two straight sets.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At the Canadian Open, Williams defeated Osaka in the quarterfinals and Marie Bouzkova in the semifinals, then faced Bianca Andreescu in the final. However, Williams was forced to withdraw early in the match after experiencing back spasms.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her back problems continued at the Cincinnati Open, where she withdrew before her first-round match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams was seeded eighth at the US Open, where she bested Sharapova in the first round. In the quarterfinals she defeated Wang Qiang, and in the semifinals she triumphed over Svitolina. Williams then proceeded to the final against Andreescu, who won the title in straight sets.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams finished the year ranked No.10.<ref name="rankingshistory" />

2020–2022: Final years

In January 2020, Williams won her first singles title as a mother at the ASB Classic, defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the Australian Open, Williams lost in the third round to Wang in three sets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams then entered the Top Seed Open as the No.1 seed, defeating Venus in the second round before losing to Shelby Rogers in the quarterfinals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the US Open, Williams defeated Stephens in the third round before losing to Azarenka in the semifinals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams withdrew from the delayed French Open in October, citing an Achilles injury she had sustained during the US Open. She failed to reach a Grand Slam final in 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams started the 2021 season by playing the Yarra Valley Classic, where she withdrew prior to her semifinal match, citing a right shoulder injury.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the Australian Open, Williams lost in the semifinal to Osaka.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In May, Williams played her 1000th match of her career against Nadia Podoroska in the second round of the Italian Open, which she lost in straight sets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She sustained an injury during the first round at Wimbledon against Belarusian player Aliaksandra Sasnovich, forcing her to withdraw from the tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August, a leg injury forced Williams to retire from the US Open.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The withdrawal saw Williams plummet nineteen places to 41st in the world, her lowest year-end ranking in 15 years.<ref name=rankingshistory/>

File:Serena and Venus (cropped).jpg

The Williams sisters in 2022 during their final doubles match together

In December 2021, Williams announced she would not play the 2022 Australian Open, citing the same leg injury.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She returned to professional play in June 2022 when she teamed up with Ons Jabeur for the Eastbourne International. The pair won two matches before retiring from the tournament due to an injury sustained by Jabeur.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Williams also played singles at Wimbledon, where she lost to No.113 Harmony Tan in the first round.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams was ranked No. 320 at the end of 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Farewell tour

In the September 2022 issue of Vogue, Williams announced her plans to "evolve away" from tennis after the 2022 US Open, indicating retirement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Vogueretire">Template:Cite web</ref> She stated her intention to focus on her family and her venture capital firm.<ref name="Vogueretire"/> Williams began her farewell tour by entering the Canadian Open in Toronto using a protected ranking. She beat Nuria Párrizas Díaz in straight sets for her first singles win in 14 months, before losing to Belinda Bencic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After her elimination, tournament organizers gave Williams gifts to remember the city.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref> Williams subsequently entered the Cincinnati Masters, where she fell to reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the first round.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

At the US Open, Williams played doubles with Venus for the first time since 2018; the sisters lost to the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecká and Linda Nosková.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the first round of singles, Williams defeated Danka Kovinić of Montenegro. After the match—which was attended by Eric Adams, Bill Clinton, Spike Lee, Mike Tyson, Vera Wang, Ruth Westheimer, and Tiger Woods—a tribute video narrated by Oprah Winfrey was played, and an interview was conducted by Gayle King.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the second round, Williams upset world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit, becoming the oldest woman in the Open Era to defeat a top-three ranked player.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She then lost to Ajla Tomljanović in what was ultimately her final match.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Rivalries

Serena vs. Venus

Williams played her older sister Venus in 31 professional matches starting in 1998. Overall, Serena is 19–12 against her sister.<ref name="headtohead">Template:Cite web</ref> The pair played 15 times in Grand Slam singles and 13 times in other tournaments (including 11 finals).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They have met in nine Grand Slam tournament finals, with Serena winning seven times.<ref name=headtohead/> Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam finals, which was the first time in the Open Era that the same two players had faced off in four consecutive finals in Grand Slam singles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

When both the Williams sisters entered the top ten and started facing off in tournaments, rumors of match fixing started to circulate. John McEnroe, while commenting on the 2000 Wimbledon semifinal between the two sisters, said that "Serena may not be allowed to win. Richard [Williams] may have something to say about this."<ref>wine, Steve (July 6, 2000), "Williams Sister Giving Tennis a Lift with Family Feud". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Retrieved April 29, 2017.</ref> After losing to Venus at the Indian Wells quarterfinals in 2001, Elena Dementieva claimed that Richard Williams had decided the results of matches between the sisters.<ref>"ASAP Sports Transcripts – Tennis – 2001 – TMS – Indian Wells, Women – March 14 – Elena Dementieva" Template:Webarchive. asapsports.com.</ref> Shortly after that, Venus pulled out of her Indian Wells semifinal match against Serena at the last minute, claiming tendinitis; this led to much speculation in the press, and some spectators demanded their money back.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The final, in which Serena defeated Kim Clijsters, was marred by the behavior of the crowd toward Williams and her family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams vs. Hingis

Template:Main One of Williams's first rivalries was with Martina Hingis, who turned pro less than one year before her (Hingis in October 1994, Williams in 1995). They first played each other at the 1998 Miami Open where Hingis won in three sets. All but one of their matches was played on a hard court with the exception being a contest on clay in Rome in 1999, which Hingis won in straight sets. Their last match took place at the 2002 Miami Open, which Williams won.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams leads the rivalry 7–6.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams vs. Capriati

Williams leads the series against Jennifer Capriati 10–7.<ref name="wtatennis.com">Template:Cite web</ref> The rivalry—which began in 1999 and was once considered one of the best rivalries in women's tennis—started off one-sided, with Capriati winning four of the first five matches. Williams went on to win the next eight.<ref name="wtatennis.com" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Twelve of the pair's seventeen meetings went three sets.<ref>Template:Cite web 3. Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams vs. Henin

Template:Main Justine Henin and Williams have met 14 times, five of which were in tournament finals. In Grand Slam tournaments, they have faced each other seven times, with Henin leading 4–3.<ref name="ReferenceA">Template:Cite web</ref> The two women's different personalities and styles of play are often credited with making the rivalry entertaining.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Williams leads the series 8–6.

Williams vs. Azarenka

Williams leads the series 18–5. The rivalry began at the 2008 Australian Open, and their most recent match was in the semifinals of the 2020 US Open. Williams holds a 10–1 record in Grand Slams. Azarenka is the only player to win four WTA tour-level finals against Williams, and, despite only winning five matches against Williams, is considered one of the few modern players to truly challenge Williams.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams vs. Sharapova

Williams leads the series 20–2. The pair first met in the fourth round of the 2004 Miami Open, where Williams defeated Sharapova. Their rivalry truly began at the 2004 Wimbledon final, where Williams was the two-time defending champion; Sharapova bested her in an upset. Williams next lost to Sharapova in the finals of the 2004 WTA Tour Championships. Since then, however, Williams has dominated the rivalry, winning all of their clashes, with only three of their matches going to three sets. They met 10 times in Grand Slam tournaments, where Williams leads 9–1. They faced off in a further nine finals, with Williams leading 7–2. Their final match was in the first round of the 2019 US Open, where Williams defeated Sharapova in two sets.

Legacy

Williams is regarded as one of the best female tennis players of all time. In 2017, BBC Sport users selected Williams as the greatest female tennis player of the Open Era.<ref name=":1" /> In 2018, a Tennis.com panel arrived at the same conclusion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many players, commentators, and sports writers regard Williams as the greatest female tennis player of all time.<ref group="lower-alpha">Attributed to multiple sources:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ESPN-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="BBC Sport">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="St. John">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Zagoria-2014">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Corpuz-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Schiavenza-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Crouch-2014">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Randle-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Chase-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Jaccarino-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Block-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="McManus-2015">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Keating-2017">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Eboda-2016">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Fallon-2017">Template:Cite news</ref></ref> In 2020, the Tennis Channel ranked Williams as the greatest female tennis player in history.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2018, Roger Federer said the player who probably has the best case for "Greatest Of All Time", man or woman, is Serena Williams.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022, McEnroe described Williams as an "icon" and the "GOAT of GOATs".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> BBC presenter and former French Open Champion Sue Barker has called Williams's serve "without question the greatest ever".<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Williams has won the Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year four times (2003, 2010, 2016, 2018).<ref name="Love">Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2019, the Associated Press named her Female Athlete of the Decade for the 2010s.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She is the highest-earning woman athlete of all time.<ref name="Forbes21" />

For their first match in March 2019, the members of the United States women's national soccer team each wore a jersey with the name of a woman who inspired them on the back. Crystal Dunn chose Serena Williams.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2022, Twitter said that Williams was the most tweeted-about female athlete of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She and Venus have been widely credited with increasing diversity within the sport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Player profile

Playing style

Williams was an aggressive baseliner whose game was centered around her powerful serve and forceful groundstrokes. Owing to her high-risk playing style, she typically hit a large number of winners and a large number of unforced errors. Williams's serve—which is considered the greatest in the history of women's tennis<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>—is known for its speed and accurate placement, which allowed her to deliver numerous aces.<ref name=":2" /> At the 2013 Australian Open, she delivered the third-fastest serve in WTA recorded history, a 128.6 mph (207 km/h) ace against Ayumi Morita.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Williams possessed an accurate and consistent ball toss, allowing her to serve to any position on the court with minimal differences in the position of the ball in the air; this made it difficult for opponents to read her service motion and predict the position of her serve, allowing her to dominate a rally from the first stroke.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Williams also possessed effective and accurate kick and slice serves. She deployed these as second serves, minimizing double faults and preventing opponents from scoring free points.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams's forehand and backhand are considered two of the most powerful shots in the history of women's tennis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She hit both her forehand and her backhand in an open stance, allowing her to generate consistently powerful, heavy, and dominating groundstrokes. She was able to generate sharp, acute angles, which allowed her to hit winners from any position on the court.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her forehand—which has been described as "devastating"—was hit with heavy topspin, which allowed her to dominate rallies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She was capable of hitting her forehand both crosscourt and down the line to produce winners.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her two-handed backhand was equally dominant, and has been described as one of the greatest backhands of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams tended to hit her backhand flatter than her forehand, which allowed her to hit with speed, power, and depth both crosscourt and down the line. Despite playing primarily from the baseline, Williams was an adept net player thanks to her extensive doubles experience. She frequently chose to finish points at the net, either with deft touch, aggressive drive volleys, or a solid, powerful, and reliable overhead smash.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She possessed an aggressive return of serve; she neutralized powerful first serves, and attacked weak second serves. She is widely considered one of the greatest returners of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Despite predominantly employing an aggressive style, Williams was also an excellent defender who was capable of counterpunching against aggressive opponents until she created an opportunity to hit a winner. She was an exceptional athlete, known for her movement, speed, court coverage, agility, flexibility, balance, and footwork. Her on-court intelligence, shot selection, and point construction allowed her to execute her game plan effectively.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> American tennis player Christina McHale praised her composure in high-pressure moments, while Martina Navratilova called her mental strength "unbelievable".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Williams has been noted for her ability to produce extraordinary comebacks, particularly at the Grand Slam level. She won three Slams after saving match points, more than any other player in history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams bounced back from a set down to win 37 Grand Slam matches. Her ability to come back from set and break deficits in Grand Slam matches was described by McEnroe as "a gift", and he called her "the greatest" competitor in the history of women's tennis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She has also been praised for her ability to serve aces at critical moments. As noted by retired player Li Na in 2016, "break point down, [there is an] 80% chance [she] serves an ace".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine</ref>

Coaches

Williams had five coaches during her career: Richard Williams (1994–2022), Oracene Price (1994–2003), Patrick Mouratoglou (2012–2022), Eric Hechtman (2022) and Rennae Stubbs (2022).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Endorsements

Williams graduated from Driftwood Academy in 1999, and soon after signed a $12 million endorsement deal with Puma.<ref name="Museum" /> In 2004, she signed a five-year deal with Nike for $40 million, and has been sponsored by the company ever since.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During Williams's tennis career, Nike designed custom clothing and footwear for her. The largest building on Nike's Portland campus is the one-million-square-foot Serena Williams Building, which features many references to the athlete's career and long partnership with Nike.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to John Hoke, Nike's Chief Design Officer, Williams assisted with the design of the building.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2015, Williams became the Chief Sporting Officer for British luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin, and in 2018 she joined the board of directors of SurveyMonkey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> During her career, Williams had endorsement deals with AbbVie, Anheuser-Busch InBev, AT&T, Audemars Piguet, Beats by Dre, Berlei Bras, Block Inc, Bumble, Chase Bank, Delta Air Lines, DirecTV, DoorDash, Ford Motor, Gatorade, Gucci, Hanes, IBM, Intel, Mission Athletecare, OnePiece, OPI Products, Pepsi, Subway, Tempur, Tonal and the Walt Disney Company.<ref name="Forbes21" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Rackets

Williams used the Wilson Hammer Stretch range of rackets when she won her first Grand Slam title in 1999, before switching to the Hyper Hammer range.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She switched to the Wilson nCode briefly in 2005, and has used various iterations of the Wilson Blade since 2008. Her racket is typically oversized, with a head size of 104 square inches. Since 2017, Wilson has manufactured a signature racket, the Wilson Blade SW104, which is designed to Williams's specifications. Since 2020, Williams has used a smaller variant of this racket, the Wilson Blade SW102 Autograph.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Template:Performance key Current through the 2022 US Open.

Tournament	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Template:Tooltip	Template:Tooltip	Win %
Australian Open	2R	3R	4R	QF	A	W	A	W	3R	W	QF	W	W	A	4R	QF	4R	W	F	W	A	QF	3R	SF	A	7 / 20	92–13	Template:Tennis win percentage
French Open	4R	3R	A	QF	W	SF	QF	A	A	QF	3R	QF	QF	A	1R	W	2R	W	F	A	4R	3R	2R	4R	A	3 / 19	69–14	Template:Tennis win percentage
Wimbledon	3R	A	SF	QF	W	W	F	3R	A	QF	F	W	W	4R	W	4R	3R	W	W	A	F	F	NH	1R	1R	7 / 21	98–14	Template:Tennis win percentage
US Open	3R	W	QF	F	W	A	QF	4R	4R	QF	W	SF	A	F	W	W	W	SF	SF	A	F	F	SF	A	3R	6 / 21	108–15	Template:Tennis win percentage
Win–loss	8–4	11–2	12–3	18–4	21–0	19–1	14–3	12–2	5–2	19–3	19–3	23–2	18–1	9–2	17–2	21–2	13–3	26–1	24–3	7–0	15–2	18–4	8–2	8–3	3–2	23 / 81	368–56	Template:Tennis win percentage

Note: Williams withdrew from the 2018 French Open before her fourth round match and the 2020 French Open before her second round match, both of which do not officially count as losses.

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 33 (23–10)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Opponents	Score
Win	1999	US Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Martina Hingis	6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Loss	2001	US Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	2–6, 4–6
Win	2002	French Open	Clay	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	7–5, 6–3
Win	2002	Wimbledon	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	7–6(7–4), 6–3
Win	2002	US Open (2)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	6–4, 6–3
Win	2003	Australian Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	7–6(7–4), 3–6, 6–4
Win	2003	Wimbledon (2)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	4–6, 6–4, 6–2
Loss	2004	Wimbledon	Grass	Template:Flagicon Maria Sharapova	1–6, 4–6
Win	2005	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Lindsay Davenport	2–6, 6–3, 6–0
Win	2007	Australian Open (3)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Maria Sharapova	6–1, 6–2
Loss	2008	Wimbledon	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	5–7, 4–6
Win	2008	US Open (3)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Jelena Janković	6–4, 7–5
Win	2009	Australian Open (4)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Dinara Safina	6–0, 6–3
Win	2009	Wimbledon (3)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	7–6(7–3), 6–2
Win	2010	Australian Open (5)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Justine Henin	6–4, 3–6, 6–2
Win	2010	Wimbledon (4)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Vera Zvonareva	6–3, 6–2
Loss	2011	US Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Samantha Stosur	2–6, 3–6
Win	2012	Wimbledon (5)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Agnieszka Radwańska	6–1, 5–7, 6–2
Win	2012	US Open (4)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Victoria Azarenka	6–2, 2–6, 7–5
Win	2013	French Open (2)	Clay	Template:Flagicon Maria Sharapova	6–4, 6–4
Win	2013	US Open (5)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Victoria Azarenka	7–5, 6–7(6–8), 6–1
Win	2014	US Open (6)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Caroline Wozniacki	6–3, 6–3
Win	2015	Australian Open (6)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Maria Sharapova	6–3, 7–6(7–5)
Win	2015	French Open (3)	Clay	Template:Flagicon Lucie Šafářová	6–3, 6–7(2–7), 6–2
Win	2015	Wimbledon (6)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Garbiñe Muguruza	6–4, 6–4
Loss	2016	Australian Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Angelique Kerber	4–6, 6–3, 4–6
Loss	2016	French Open	Clay	Template:Flagicon Garbiñe Muguruza	5–7, 4–6
Win	2016	Wimbledon (7)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Angelique Kerber	7–5, 6–3
Win	2017	Australian Open (7)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	6–4, 6–4
Loss	2018	Wimbledon	Grass	Template:Flagicon Angelique Kerber	3–6, 3–6
Loss	2018	US Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Naomi Osaka	2–6, 4–6
Loss	2019	Wimbledon	Grass	Template:Flagicon Simona Halep	2–6, 2–6
Loss	2019	US Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Bianca Andreescu	3–6, 5–7

Women's doubles: 14 (14–0)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1999	French Open	Clay	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Martina Hingis Template:Flagicon Anna Kournikova	6–3, 6–7(2–7), 8–6
Win	1999	US Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Chanda Rubin Template:Flagicon Sandrine Testud	4–6, 6–1, 6–4
Win	2000	Wimbledon	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Julie Halard-Decugis Template:Flagicon Ai Sugiyama	6–3, 6–2
Win	2001	Australian Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Lindsay Davenport Template:Flagicon Corina Morariu	6–2, 2–6, 6–4
Win	2002	Wimbledon (2)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Virginia Ruano Pascual Template:Flagicon Paola Suárez	6–2, 7–5
Win	2003	Australian Open (2)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Virginia Ruano Pascual Template:Flagicon Paola Suárez	4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Win	2008	Wimbledon (3)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Lisa Raymond Template:Flagicon Samantha Stosur	6–2, 6–2
Win	2009	Australian Open (3)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Daniela Hantuchová Template:Flagicon Ai Sugiyama	6–3, 6–3
Win	2009	Wimbledon (4)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Samantha Stosur Template:Flagicon Rennae Stubbs	7–6(7–4), 6–4
Win	2009	US Open (2)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Cara Black Template:Flagicon Liezel Huber	6–2, 6–2
Win	2010	Australian Open (4)	Hard	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Cara Black Template:Flagicon Liezel Huber	6–4, 6–3
Win	2010	French Open (2)	Clay	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Květa Peschke Template:Flagicon Katarina Srebotnik	6–2, 6–3
Win	2012	Wimbledon (5)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Andrea Hlaváčková Template:Flagicon Lucie Hradecká	7–5, 6–4
Win	2016	Wimbledon (6)	Grass	Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	Template:Flagicon Tímea Babos Template:Flagicon Yaroslava Shvedova	6–3, 6–4

Mixed doubles: 4 (2–2)

Result	Year	Tournament	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1998	French Open	Clay	Template:Flagicon Luis Lobo	Template:Flagicon Justin Gimelstob Template:Flagicon Venus Williams	4–6, 4–6
Win	1998	Wimbledon	Grass	Template:Flagicon Max Mirnyi	Template:Flagicon Mahesh Bhupathi Template:Flagicon Mirjana Lučić	6–4, 6–4
Win	1998	US Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Max Mirnyi	Template:Flagicon Patrick Galbraith Template:Flagicon Lisa Raymond	6–2, 6–2
Loss	1999	Australian Open	Hard	Template:Flagicon Max Mirnyi	Template:Flagicon David Adams Template:Flagicon Mariaan de Swardt	4–6, 6–4, 6–7(5–7)

Records

• Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.

Time span	Selected Grand Slam tournament records	Players matched
1998 Australian Open – 2022 US Open	Won 367 matches at all four majors	Stands alone
1999 US Open – 2003 Australian Open	Career Grand Slam in singles	Doris Hart Maureen Connolly Shirley Fry Margaret Court Billie Jean King Chris Evert Martina Navratilova Steffi Graf Maria Sharapova
1999 US Open – 2012 Olympics	Career Golden Slam in singles	Steffi Graf
1999 French Open – 2003 Australian Open	Career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles	Doris Hart Shirley Fry Margaret Court Martina Navratilova
1999 French Open – 2012 Olympics	Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles	Stands alone
1999 US Open – 2017 Australian Open	Thirteen hardcourt major singles titles	Stands alone
2012 Olympics – 2015 Wimbledon	Simultaneous holder of Olympic singles gold and all four majors in singles	Steffi Graf
2008 Olympics – 2010 French Open	Simultaneous holder of Olympic doubles gold and all four majors in doubles (with Venus Williams)	Pam Shriver Gigi Fernández Venus Williams Barbora Krejčíková Kateřina Siniaková
2008 Olympics – 2015 Wimbledon	Simultaneous holder of Olympic gold and all four majors in both singles and doubles	Stands alone
1999 French Open – 2012 Olympics	Double Career Golden Slam (2+ titles at all four majors & Olympic golds) in doubles (with Venus Williams)	Gigi Fernández Venus Williams
2002 French Open – 2003 Australian Open	Winner of non-calendar year Grand Slam	Maureen Connolly Margaret Court Martina Navratilova Steffi Graf
2002 French Open – 2015 Wimbledon	Winner of two non-calendar year Grand Slams	Steffi Graf
2002 French Open – 2010 French Open	Winner of non-calendar year Grand Slams in both singles and doubles	Martina Navratilova
2002 French Open – 2016 Wimbledon	Winner of 10+ major singles titles in two separate decades (10 from 2000 to 2009 and 12 from 2010 to 2017)	Stands alone
2002 French Open – 2013 French Open	Winner of all four major singles titles in two separate decades	Margaret Court Steffi Graf
1999 US Open – 2013 French Open	Winner of major singles titles in three decades	Blanche Bingley Martina Navratilova
1999 French Open – 2016 Wimbledon	First 14 major doubles finals won (with Venus Williams)	Venus Williams
1999 US Open – 2015 French Open	Triple Career Grand Slam (3+ titles at all four Grand Slams) in singles	Margaret Court Steffi Graf
1999 US Open – 2013 French Open	Double Career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles	Margaret Court Martina Navratilova
1999 US Open – 2015 Wimbledon	6+ titles at three different majors (Australian Open, Wimbledon, and US Open)	Stands alone
2002 Wimbledon – 2017 Australian Open	7+ titles at two different majors (Australian Open and Wimbledon)	Helen Wills
2012 Wimbledon – 2015 Australian Open	Career Grand Slam in singles after age 30	Stands alone
2012 Wimbledon – 2015 Australian Open	Career Golden Slam in singles after age 30	Stands alone
2012 Wimbledon – 2017 Australian Open	Double Career Grand Slam in singles after age 30	Stands alone
2012 Wimbledon – 2017 Australian Open	Ten major singles titles after age 30	Stands alone
2012 Australian Open – 2017 Australian Open	3 finals at each of the four majors since turning 30	Stands alone

Grand Slam tournaments	Time span	Records at each Grand Slam tournament	Players matched
Australian Open	2007	Unseeded winner of singles title	Chris O'Neil
Australian Open	2003–2017	7 women's singles titles (Open Era record)	Stands alone
Australian Open	2003–2017	8 finals overall	Stands alone
Australian Open	2003–2017	14 years between first and last title	Stands alone
Australian Open	2003–2017	14 years between first and last final	Chris Evert Venus Williams
Australian Open	1998–2021	92 match wins	Stands alone
French Open	2002–2015	13 years between first and last title	Stands alone
French Open	2002–2016	14 years between first and last final	Stands alone
French Open – Wimbledon	2002, 2015	Accomplished a "Channel Slam": Winning both tournaments in the same year	Margaret Court Billie Jean King Chris Evert Martina Navratilova Steffi Graf
Wimbledon	2012–2016	3 women's singles titles after age 30	Stands alone
Wimbledon	2002–2016	14 years between first and last title	Stands alone
Wimbledon	2002–2019	17 years between first and last final	Venus Williams
US Open	1999–2012	Winner of singles titles in three decades	Stands alone
US Open	1999–2014	6 women's singles titles (Open Era record)	Chris Evert
US Open	2002, 2008, 2014	3 titles won without losing a set	Chris Evert
US Open	1998–2022	108 match wins	Stands alone
US Open	1999–2014	15 years between first and last title	Stands alone
US Open	1999–2019	20 years between first and last final	Stands alone
US Open	2011, 2013–2014	Won as US Open Series Champion multiple times	Stands alone
US Open	2012–2014	3 women's singles titles after age 30	Stands alone

Time span	Other selected records	Players matched
1999–2016	23 Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 singles titles overall	Stands alone
1999–2019	33 Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 singles finals overall	Stands alone
1998–2022	266 Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 singles match wins overall	Stands alone
1999–2015	16 hardcourt Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 singles titles	Stands alone
1999–2019	24 hardcourt Tier I / Premier Mandatory & Premier 5 singles finals	Stands alone
2001	Won WTA Tour Championships on debut	Maria Sharapova Petra Kvitová Dominika Cibulková Ashleigh Barty
2010	Ranked No.1 in singles and doubles simultaneously	Martina Navratilova Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Martina Hingis Lindsay Davenport Kim Clijsters
2013–2016	186 consecutive weeks at No.1	Steffi Graf
2002–2015	8 Miami Masters singles titles overall	Stands alone
1999–2015	10 Miami Masters singles finals overall	Stands alone
2000–2012	4 Olympic Gold Medals overall	Venus Williams
2000–2012	3 Olympic gold medals in Doubles (with Venus Williams)	Venus Williams
2000–2016	93.75% (15–1) Olympic match winning record in doubles (with Venus Williams)	Venus Williams
2001, 2012	Two Year-End Championships won without losing a set	Martina Navratilova
2001–2015	Winning percentage of 82.86% at Year-End Championships	Stands alone
1999–2004, 2008–2017, 2019	17 years with winning percentage 80%+	Martina Navratilova
1999–2020	47 career hardcourt titles	Stands alone
1998–2022	538 career hardcourt match wins	Stands alone
1990s, 2000s, 2010s & 2020s	The first player in the Open Era to win singles titles across four decades	Stands alone
2013	Most prize money won in a single season ($12,385,572)	Stands alone
1995–2022	$94,618,080 prize money overall	Stands alone

Personal life

File:Web Summit 2018 - Centre Stage, Day 1 -November 6 SD5 6360 (44835575425).jpg

Alexis Ohanian in 2018

Williams is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. He proposed to her on December 10, 2016, and they married on November 16, 2017, in New Orleans.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="mobfacts" /> Their wedding ceremony was attended by prominent personalities such as Beyoncé, Anna Wintour, Kelly Rowland and Kim Kardashian.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="voguesept17" />

On April 19, 2017, Williams posted a picture of herself on Snapchat that focused on her midsection. It had the caption, "20 weeks", prompting speculation that she was pregnant.<ref>(April 19, 2017), "Serena Williams photo sparks pregnancy speculation". ESPN. Retrieved April 19, 2017.</ref> Later that evening, her spokesperson confirmed the pregnancy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The fact that she was 20 weeks pregnant when announcing her pregnancy meant that she was roughly eight to nine weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open earlier that year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams later said that posting the picture was an accident.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On September 1, 2017, Williams gave birth to a daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The child, who goes by "Olympia," was delivered through emergency caesarean-section after her heart rate dropped during labor.<ref name="Rubenstein">Template:Cite web</ref> Williams gave Olympia a doll, Qai Qai, that has become famous on social media.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By February 2021, Williams had hired a tennis coach for Olympia, then three years old.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In August 2023, Williams gave birth to a second daughter, Adira River Ohanian.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Williams was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, but was not baptized until 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2017, she said she "never really practiced [the faith]".<ref name="voguesept17" /> However, she would often thank Jehovah after winning a match.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She does not celebrate birthdays, which is a practice of the faith.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Williams made an appearance on stage during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show, doing a crip walk amongst other background dancers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams is alleged to have been romantically involved with Drake, with whom Lamar is involved in an ongoing feud, in 2011 and 2015.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Other activities

Philanthropy

Williams runs the Serena Williams Foundation, which has partnered with major organizations to advance community development.<ref name="Love" /> In 2008, as part of the foundation's work, Williams helped to fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The foundation also provides university scholarships for underprivileged students in the United States. In 2016, the Serena Williams Fund partnered with Helping Hands Jamaica to build the Salt Marsh Primary School for Jamaican youth in Trelawny Parish.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Williams received a Celebrity Role Model Award from the Avon Foundation in 2003 for her work fighting breast cancer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year, she won the "Young Heroes Award" from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and Inland. In 2004, she won the "Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award".<ref name="Love" /> She has been an International Goodwill Ambassador with UNICEF since 2011, and helped launch UNICEF's Schools for Asia campaign.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004 and 2005, Serena and Venus visited hospitals and played several tennis matches in predominantly Black cities to raise funds for the local Ronald McDonald House charities. An ESPN episode was dedicated to the charity tour.<ref name="ReferenceC">Template:Cite journal</ref>

In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Williams, along with other ATP and WTA stars, decided to forgo their final day of preparation for the Australian Open to assist earthquake victims.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Serena and Venus are contributors to First Serve Miami, a foundation for youth who want to learn tennis but face social and economic obstacles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The sisters have collaborated on philanthropic projects through the Williams Sisters Fund, which assists individuals and communities affected by violence, and aims to ensure that youth have access to education. In 2014, Williams began hosting an annual charity run named "The Serena Williams Ultimate Fun Run" to support the Fund.<ref name="Serena">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Serena Williams Live Ultimate Run Template:Webarchive, South Beach 12.13.15.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2016, in her childhood home of Compton, she and Venus founded the Yetunde Price Resource Center, in honor of their late half-sister Yetunde.<ref name="Serena" />

Williams's return to Indian Wells in 2015 (after a 14-year boycott) occurred in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to people who may have been denied a fair trial.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="SPOTY15">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2017, Williams became Ambassador for the Allstate Foundation's Purple Purse project, an initiative to provide financial empowerment to domestic abuse victims.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="mediapost1">Template:Cite web</ref> Other organizations Williams supports include the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Hearts of Gold, the Common Ground Foundation, the Small Steps Project, the HollyRod Foundation, Beyond the Boroughs National Scholarship Fund, World Education, the Eva Longoria Foundation, the Caliber Foundation and the Cure for MND Foundation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Business ventures

In August 2009, Serena and Venus became minority owners of the Miami Dolphins after purchasing a small stake in the team. According to the Dolphins, they are the first African-American women to hold any amount of ownership in an NFL franchise.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, Williams founded the venture capital firm Serena Ventures, which invests in start-up companies whose "perspectives and innovations level the playing field for women and people of color." As of 2022, Serena Ventures had raised more than $110 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In July 2020, it was announced that Williams was part of a nearly all-women investors' group that was awarded a new franchise in the National Women's Soccer League, the highest level of the women's sport in the United States. Williams's husband Alexis Ohanian is classified as the "lead investor", but he holds a minority interest, and is the only man in the ownership group. Other owners in the group include prominent actresses, media figures, businesswomen, former members of the US women's national team, and Williams's eldest daughter.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> The new team began playing in 2022 as Angel City FC.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Activism

Williams became more involved in social change as her career progressed, primarily using social media to express her views. In 2016 she voiced her support for Black Lives Matter on her Facebook page. She expressed concern that her young nephew could be in danger from police due to his skin color.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During American tennis player Tennys Sandgren's breakthrough run to the quarterfinals of the 2018 Australian Open, it was revealed that he tweeted insensitive words about the LGBT community, followed members of the alt-right, and referred to an article describing Williams's on-court behavior as "disgusting". Williams responded to him by saying, "I don't need or want [an apology]. But there is an entire group of people that deserves an apology."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Also in 2016, Williams wrote an open letter in Porter Magazine's feature "Incredible Women of 2016" in support of gender equality and to share her personal struggles as a woman in tennis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She claimed that women's contributions to the sport are not recognized in the same way as men's contributions, and she also commented on the issue of unequal pay.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Williams has received several awards for her activism, particularly her endeavors involving Black communities.<ref name="ReferenceC" /> The NAACP has honored Williams with its President's Award (2003) and the Jackie Robinson Sports Award (2023).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fashion

Williams was noted for her unusual and colorful outfits on court. She arrived at the 2004 US Open in a denim skirt and knee-high leg wraps that looked like boots, which she was not allowed to wear during matches.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2018 French Open, she promoted her clothing line Serena by wearing a catsuit, which was subsequently banned by the French Tennis Federation.<ref name="Racked2018">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Vox2018">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ESPN2018">Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2018 US Open, Williams wore a black tutu during her first match.<ref name="Time2018">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 2009, she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry, Signature Statement, which is sold mainly on the Home Shopping Network.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="HSN">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2010, she became a certified nail technician in preparation for her upcoming nail collection with HairTech.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In February 2019, Williams was appointed to the board of directors of the online fashion marketplace Poshmark.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the fall of that year, she launched the first collection of her clothing line S by Serena.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Inspired by 1990s street wear, the apparel is designed for a range of body types and body sizes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media and publishing

In 2005, the Williams sisters authored the book Venus & Serena: Serving From The Hip: 10 Rules For Living, Loving and Winning, which was written with Hilary Beard.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2009, Williams released the autobiography On the Line.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The same year, she appeared in online videos and print advertisements for Tampax Pearl tampons, becoming the first active female professional athlete to appear in advertising for a feminine hygiene product.<ref name="tampon ad NYT story">Template:Cite news</ref> Williams posed for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2003 and 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Filmography

Williams has appeared in films, television series, and music videos. She and Venus also served as executive producers on the 2021 film King Richard, a biopic about their father.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	The Simpsons	Herself (voice)	Episode: "Tennis the Menace"
2002	My Wife and Kids	Miss Wiggins	Episode: "Crouching Mother, Hidden Father"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2003	Street Time	Meeka Hayes	Episode: "Fly Girl"
2004	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Chloe Spiers	Episode: "Brotherhood"<ref name="Kennedy-2007">Template:Cite web</ref>
2004	The Division	Jennifer Davis	Episode: "Lost and Found"
2004	Hair Show	Agent Ross	Film
2005	Higglytown Heroes	Snowplow Driver Hero (voice)	Episode: "Higgly Hoedown/Eubie's Turbo Sled"
2005	ER	Alice Watson	Episode: "Two Ships "<ref name="Kennedy-2007" />
2005	All of Us	Herself	Episode: "Not So Wonderful News"
2005	America's Next Top Model	Herself	Episode: "The Girl with the Worst Photo in History"
2005–2007	Punk'd	Herself	3 episodes
2007	Loonatics Unleashed	Queen Athena (voice)	Episode: "Apocalypso"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2007	Finding Forever music video	Herself	Cameo in "I Want You"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2007	Avatar: The Last Airbender	Ming (voice)	Episode: "The Day of Black Sun: Part 1 – The Invasion"
2007	Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race	Herself	Episode: "Episode 1"
2006	The Bernie Mac Show	Herself	Episode: "Spinning Wheels"<ref name="Kennedy-2007" />
2008	The Game	Herself	Episode: "The List Episode"
2008	MADtv	Herself / Black Racket	Episode: "Episode 7"
2011	Keeping Up with the Kardashians	Herself	Episode: "Kim's Fairytale Wedding: A Kardashian Event – Part 2"
2012	Trust Us with Your Life	Herself
2012	Drop Dead Diva	Kelly Stevens	Episode: "Rigged"
2012	Venus and Serena	Herself	Documentary
2013	The Legend of Korra	Female Sage (voice)	Episode: "Beginnings, Part 1"
2015	7 Days in Hell	Herself	Film
2015	Pixels	Herself	Cameo<ref name=Pixels>Template:Cite web</ref>
2016	Lemonade music video	Herself	Cameo in "Sorry"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2016	Serena: The Other Side of Greatness	Herself	Documentary
2018	Ocean's 8	Herself	Cameo
2018	Being Serena	Herself	Documentary
2021	King Richard	Executive producer	Film
2022	Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery	Herself	Cameo<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2023	PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie	Yoga Yvette (voice)	Film

See also

• WTA Tour records
• Grand Slam (tennis)
• List of WTA number 1 ranked singles tennis players
• List of WTA number 1 ranked doubles tennis players
• List of highest ranked tennis players per country
• List of female tennis players
• List of tennis tournaments
• List of tennis rivalries
• Tennis records of the Open Era – Women's singles
• All-time tennis records – women's singles
• Williams sisters rivalry
• List of Grand Slam women's singles champions
• List of Grand Slam women's doubles champions
• List of Grand Slam mixed doubles champions
• Women's sports
• Vogue World 2024

References

General references

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Further reading

• Template:Cite journal

External links

• Template:Official website
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• Template:Fed Cup player
• Template:IMDb name
• Serena Williams Template:Webarchive video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America