Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, and raised in Compton, California, where she and her sister Venus learned tennis under their father Richard Williams and mother Oracene Price on public courts before training more formally as juniors. The Williams family’s focused coaching program and early tournament play set both sisters on rapid professional tracks in the 1990s. Serena turned professional in 1995 and steadily rose through the WTA rankings during the late 1990s, claiming her first Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 US Open. Known for powerful serving, aggressive baseline play, athleticism and mental resilience, she helped revolutionize the women’s game toward greater power and athleticism while accumulating numerous records across surfaces. Across a career spanning more than two decades, Williams won 73 WTA singles titles including 23 major singles titles (the most in the Open Era) and completed multiple “Serena Slams” (holding all four major titles simultaneously) in her career. She also won multiple Grand Slam doubles titles (mainly partnering her sister Venus) and Olympic gold medals, and reclaimed world No. 1 ranking at various points as injuries and comebacks punctuated her longevity at the top of the sport. Beyond tennis, Williams founded Serena Ventures, which invests in startups with emphasis on technology, women’s health, and education, launched fashion lines, co-owns a women’s soccer team, and participates in philanthropic work focused on education and community development. She has used her platform to advocate for gender and racial equality and has been widely recognized for both athletic and off-court influence.