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Serena Williams

Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981)[1] is an American inactive professional tennis player. Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time,[a] she was ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 consecutive weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time.

Serena Williams
Williams at the 2020 US Open
Full nameSerena Jameka Williams
Country (sports) United States
ResidencePalm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.[1]
Born (1981-09-26) September 26, 1981 (age 41)
Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[1]
Turned proOctober 1995
RetiredSeptember 2022 (inactive)
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Coach
Prize moneyUS$94,816,730[3]
Official websitewww.serenawilliams.com
Singles
Career record858–156 (84.6%)
Career titles73 (5th in overall rankings)
Highest rankingNo. 1 (July 8, 2002)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017)
French OpenW (2002, 2013, 2015)
WimbledonW (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016)
US OpenW (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam CupW (1999)
Tour FinalsW (2001, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014)
Olympic GamesW (2012)
Doubles
Career record192–35 (84.6%)
Career titles23
Highest rankingNo. 1 (June 21, 2010)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010)
French OpenW (1999, 2010)
WimbledonW (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016)
US OpenW (1999, 2009)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2009)
Olympic GamesW (2000, 2008, 2012)
Mixed doubles
Career record27–4 (87.1%)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenF (1999)
French OpenF (1998)
WimbledonW (1998)
US OpenW (1998)
Team competitions
Fed CupW (1999), record 17–3
Hopman CupW (2003, 2008)
Signature

Along with her older 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 a non-calendar year Grand Slam and the career Grand Slam, known as the 'Serena Slam'. The next few years saw her claim two more singles majors, but suffer from injury and decline in form. Beginning in 2007, however, she gradually returned to form despite continued injuries, retaking the world No. 1 singles ranking. Beginning at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, Williams returned to dominance, claiming Olympic gold and becoming the first tennis player to achieve a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.[19] She won eight out of thirteen singles majors, including all four in a row from 2014–15 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. She then took a break from professional tennis after becoming pregnant and reached four major finals since returning to play. In August 2022, Williams announced her impending evolution away from professional tennis and played what was expected to be her final match at the 2022 US Open.[20]

Williams also won 14 major women's doubles titles, all with her sister Venus, and the pair was unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals.[21] This includes a non-calendar year Grand Slam between the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and the 2010 French Open, which granted the sisters the doubles world No. 1 ranking. She won four Olympic gold medals, three in women's doubles—an all-time joint record shared with her sister.[22] She has also won two major mixed doubles titles, both in 1998.

The arrival of the Williams sisters has been credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour.[23][24][25][26] Serena holds the most combined major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles among active players, with 39: 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. She is 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 (2002–03 and 2014–15), and the most recent woman to win the Surface Slam (major titles on hard, clay and grass courts in the same calendar year), doing so in 2015. She is also, with Venus, the most recent player to have simultaneously held all four major women's doubles titles (2009–10).

Williams was the world's highest paid woman athlete in 2016, earning almost $29 million.[27] She repeated this feat in 2017 when she was the only woman on Forbes' list of the 100 highest-paid athletes, with $27 million in prize money and endorsements. She has won the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year award four times (2003, 2010, 2016, 2018), and in December 2015 was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.[28] In 2021, she was ranked 28th on Forbes' World's Highest-Paid Athletes list. She is the highest-earning woman athlete of all time.[29]

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: half-sisters Yetunde, Lyndrea, and Isha Price, and full older sister Venus.[1] She also has at least seven paternal half-siblings.[30][31] When the children were young, the family moved to Compton, California, where she started playing tennis at age four.[32][33] Her father home-schooled her and her sister, Venus.[34][35] While he and subsequently her mother have been their 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.[36]

 
Williams sisters at a Pam Shriver event in Baltimore, 1993

When Williams was nine, she and her family moved from Compton to West Palm Beach, Florida[32] 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".[37] Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments when Williams was 10, as he wanted them to "go slowly" and focus on school work. Experiences of racism also influenced this decision, as he had heard white parents talk about the Williams sisters in a derogatory manner during tournaments.[38] At that time, Williams had a 46–3 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked number one among under-10 players in Florida.[39] 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. 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, Williams responded, "Everyone does different things. I think for Venus and I, we just attempted a different road, and it worked for us."[39]



Professional career

1995–1998: Professional debut

Williams' parents wanted their daughter to wait until she was 16 to participate in professional tournaments.[40] 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 by the WTA owing to their age-eligibility restrictions.[41] She subsequently filed an antitrust lawsuit against the women's tour, but withdrew it at her parents' request.[41] Her first professional event was in October 1995 at the Bell Challenge in Quebec,[40][42] where she used a wild-card entry to circumvent age-eligibility rules.[40] She lost in the first qualifying round to then 18-year-old American Annie Miller, winning just two games.[43]

Williams did not play a tournament in 1996.[citation needed] The next year, she lost in the qualifying rounds of three tournaments,[citation needed] before winning her first main-draw match in November at the Ameritech Cup Chicago.[44] Ranked No. 304, she upset No. 7 Mary Pierce, and No. 4 Monica Seles,[45][46] recording her first career wins over top 10 players and becoming the lowest-ranked player in the Open Era to defeat two top-10 opponents in one tournament.[1] She ultimately lost in the semifinals to No. 5 Lindsay Davenport.[47] She finished 1997 ranked No. 99.[48]

Williams began 1998 at the Medibank International Sydney.[49] As a qualifier ranked No. 96,[50] she defeated No. 3 Davenport in the quarterfinals,[50] before losing to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the semifinals.[51] Williams made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open,[52] where she defeated sixth-seeded Irina Spîrlea in the first round,[53] before losing to her sister, Venus, in the second round in the sisters' first professional match.[53][49] She reached six other quarterfinals during the year, but lost all of them,[54] including her first match against No. 1-ranked Martina Hingis at the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne,[55] and her second match against Venus at the Italian Open in Rome.[54] She failed to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam tournament the remainder of the year,[citation needed] losing in the fourth round of the French Open to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario,[56] and the third round of the US Open to Spîrlea.[57] She withdrew from Wimbledon two games into a match with Virginia Ruano Pascual, after straining a calf muscle during the first set.[58] She did win the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open with Max Mirnyi, completing the Williams family's sweep of the 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slam tournaments. She won her first professional title in doubles at the U.S. National Indoor Championships in Oklahoma City with Venus, becoming the third pair of sisters to win a WTA title.[1] They won two more doubles titles that year. Williams finished the year ranked No. 20 in singles.[citation needed]

Battle of the sexes: Karsten Braasch vs. the Williams sisters

A 16-year-old Serena and her sister Venus competed in a tennis "Battle of the Sexes" against Karsten Braasch at the 1998 Australian Open.[59] At the time Braasch was 203rd in the ATP rankings. The sisters had claimed they could beat any man outside the top 200, and accepted his challenge. Braasch beat both of them, playing one set against each. The score versus Serena was 6–1 and 6–2 against Venus.[60] Braasch said afterward, "500 and above, no chance." The sisters later tweaked the number to beating men outside the top 350.[61]

1999–2001: Becoming a top-10 player

Williams lost in the third round of the 1999 Australian Open to Sandrine Testud. A month later, Williams won her first professional singles title when she defeated Amélie Mauresmo in the final of the Open Gaz de France in Paris. With Venus also winning the IGA Superthrift Classic in Memphis, Tennessee, that day, the pair became the first sisters to win professional tournaments in the same week.[62] In March of that year, at the Evert Cup in California, Williams won her first Tier I title, defeating Steffi Graf in the final. Soon afterward 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,[49] and she then made her top-10 debut, at No. 9. She then lost in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open[63] and the German Open,[64] and the third round of the French Open,[65] where she and Venus won the women's doubles title.[49] Williams then missed Wimbledon because of injury. When she returned to the tour, Williams won a Fed Cup singles match and then won the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles, beating Julie Halard-Decugis in the final. She then defeated in succession Grand Slam champions Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martínez, Monica Seles, and defending champion Lindsay Davenport to reach the US Open final, where she defeated No. 1, Hingis, to become the second African-American woman, after Althea Gibson in 1958, to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.[1] The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at this tournament. To complete her 1999 season, Williams won a doubles match in the Fed Cup final against Russia. Williams ended the year ranked No. 4 in just her second full year on the main tour.[66]

Williams started 2000 by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Elena Likhovtseva. She failed to defend her titles in Paris and Indian Wells, although she did win the Faber Grand Prix in Germany. Soon afterwards, Williams missed the French Open because of injury. She returned from injury at the Wimbledon Championships, where she lost to Venus in the semifinals, but the pair won the doubles title at the event. Williams successfully defended her title in Los Angeles, defeating Davenport in the final. She reached the final of the Du Maurier Open where an injury forced her to retire from her match with Hingis. Her defense of the US Open title ended when she lost in the quarterfinals to Davenport. Williams teamed with Venus to win the gold medal in doubles at the Sydney Olympics that September. She ended the year winning the Toyota Princess Cup in Japan and she finished the year ranked No. 6.[citation needed]

Williams began 2001 losing to Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals of the Medibank International in Sydney and the Australian Open in Melbourne. Williams and her sister won the doubles title 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". Her next event was the Pacific Life Open in California, where she defeated Kim Clijsters in the final. The final was marred by the behavior of the crowd toward Williams and her family. Crowd members were incensed at the perceived match-fixing of games involving the family after Venus withdrew before their semifinal. Neither Williams nor her sister entered the tournament for fourteen years until Williams entered in 2015 as a wildcard (and the top seed).[67] The following week at the Ericsson Open in Miami, Williams lost to Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals. She then lost in the quarterfinals to Capriati at both the French Open and Wimbledon Championships. That was the fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament at which Williams had exited in the quarterfinals. During the North American hard-court season, she lost in the quarterfinals of Los Angeles against Monica Seles, then captured her second title of the year at the Rogers Cup, defeating Capriati in the final. Williams reached the final of the 2001 US Open, losing to sister Venus. That was the first Grand Slam tournament final contested by two sisters during the Open Era. At the 2001 season-ending Tour Championships, Williams won the championship by walkover when Davenport withdrew before the start of the final because of a knee injury. Williams finished 2001 at No. 6 for the second straight year.[citation needed]

2002–2003: "Serena Slam"

Early 2002, injury saw Williams retire from the semifinal at the Medibank International Sydney and later withdraw from the Australian Open.[68]

 
Playing Amélie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Sydney in 2002

Returning from injury, Williams won her first title of the year in Scottsdale, Arizona, defeating No. 2 Jennifer Capriati, in the final. She then won the Miami Masters for the first time, becoming one of three players in the Open Era to defeat the world's top 3 ranked players at one tournament,[1] after beating No. 3, Martina Hingis, in the quarterfinals, No. 2 Venus in the semifinals, and the top-ranked player, Capriati, in the final. Serena's straight set win over Venus was her second career win over her sister.[citation needed]

Williams played three clay-court tournaments before the 2002 French Open. Her first tournament was at Charleston, where she was the third seed. Williams reached the quarterfinals before losing to Patty Schnyder. She reached her first clay-court final in May, at the Eurocard German Open losing to Justine Henin in a third set tiebreak. Williams went on to win her first clay court title at the Italian Open, defeating Capriati in the semifinals and Henin in the final.[69] This raised her ranking to a new high of No. 3. Williams was the third seed at the French Open at Roland Garros, where she claimed her first title thereby defeating defending champion Capriati in the semifinals and sister Venus in the final to win her second Grand Slam tournament title (and her first in two-and-a-half years). As a result of raising the trophy at Court Philippe Chatrier, Williams rose to a career-high of No. 2, second only to Venus.[citation needed]

At the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, Williams won tennis's oldest championship for the first time in her life, defeating Venus to win a Grand Slam singles title without dropping a set for the first time in her career. This victory earned Williams the world No. 1 ranking for the first time, dethroning her sister and becoming only the third African American woman to hold that ranking.[1] The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at the tournament, the fifth Grand Slam doubles title for the pair. Williams played just one tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open, losing in the quarterfinals of the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles to American Chanda Rubin and ending a 21-match winning streak. The top-seeded player 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, the second US Open crown of her career. Williams won two consecutive singles titles in the fall, defeating Kim Clijsters to win the Toyota Princess Cup in Tokyo, and Anastasia Myskina to win the Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig, Germany. She reached the final at the year-end Home Depot Championships at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where she lost to fifth-seeded Clijsters in straight sets, ending an 18-match winning streak.[citation needed]

Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 W/L record, eight singles titles, and the No. 1 ranking. She was the first African-American to end a year with that ranking since Althea Gibson in 1958[citation needed] and was the first woman to win three Grand Slam tournament titles in one year since Hingis in 1997.[1] Her three consecutive Grand Slam titles to close 2002 also made Williams only the third player in tennis history to win the "Surface Slam",[70] three Slam titles on three surfaces in the same calendar year, after Navratilova (1984) and Graf (1993, 1995, 1996).[citation needed]

At the 2003 Australian Open, Williams reached the tournament's semifinals for the first time, where she recovered from 5–1 down in the third set and saved two match points before defeating Clijsters. In the final, Serena faced Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament final, defeating her older sister to become the sixth woman in the Open Era to complete a career Grand Slam, alongside Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Steffi Graf. She also became the fifth woman to hold all Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously, joining Maureen Connolly Brinker, Court, Graf, and Navratilova. This feat was dubbed the "Serena Slam" by the press.[71][72] The Williams sisters won their sixth Grand Slam doubles title together at this event.[73]

During the spring of 2003, Williams captured the singles titles at the Open Gaz de France and the Sony Ericsson Open. Williams's winning streak came to an end when she lost the final of the Family Circle Cup to Henin, her first loss of the year after 21 wins. She also lost to Mauresmo in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Despite these losses, Williams was the top seed at the French Open, where she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Henin, marking Williams's first loss in a Grand Slam tournament since 2001. The match was controversial, as Williams questioned Henin's sportsmanship, and spectators applauded Williams's errors.[74] Williams rebounded from the French Open loss a couple weeks later at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Henin in the semifinals and Venus in the final. This was Williams's second consecutive Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam singles title overall. Wimbledon was Williams's last tournament of 2003; she pulled out of three events in the US and then underwent surgery on the quadriceps tendon in her knee in early August. Williams was initially expected to be out for six to eight weeks.[75]

2004–2007: Injuries and the comeback

After eight months away from the tour, during which time her desire was questioned,[76] Williams began her comeback at the 2004 NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami in March, where she made a triumphant return as she won the title for the third consecutive year.

 
Delivering a serve at an exhibition in November 2004

Although ranked No. 7, Williams was seeded second at the French Open, where, after winning four matches, she lost to Capriati in the quarterfinals. That was the first time that Williams had lost before the semifinals at a Grand Slam singles tournament since Wimbledon in 2001. A few weeks later, even though her ranking had dropped to No. 10, Williams was seeded first at Wimbledon. She won six matches en route to the final, where 13th-seeded Maria Sharapova defeated her in straight sets. This loss caused her ranking 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 which was her first loss to the American since the 2000 US Open. After missing her national championship in 2003, Williams returned for the 2004 US Open, where she was seeded third despite her No. 11 ranking. She lost in the U.S. Open quarterfinals to Capriati in three sets in controversial fashion.[77] That fall, Williams won her second title of the year, at the China Open, 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. In the round-robin phase of the tournament, Williams defeated Dementieva and Anastasia Myskina and lost to Davenport, but still advanced to the elimination stage. After winning her semifinal, she lost to Sharapova in the final, where she suffered an abdominal injury.[78] Williams finished 2004 ranked No. 7, but did not win a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first season since 2001.[citation needed]

At the 2005 Australian Open, Williams rejected suggestions that she and sister Venus were a declining force in tennis, following Venus's early exit.[79] Williams saved three match points to defeat Sharapova 8–6 in the third of their semifinal. In the final, Williams defeated top seed Davenport to win her second Australian Open and seventh Grand Slam singles title, winning 12 of the last 15 games.[80] The win moved Williams back to No. 2 but stated she was targeting the top spot.[81]

Williams completed just two tournaments between the Australian Open and Wimbledon, losing to Venus in Miami and at Internazionali BNL d'Italia to Francesca Schiavone as Williams suffered a series of retirements and withdraws.[82][83] A reoccurring ankle injury causing her to miss the French Open.[84] She returned for Wimbledon as the 4th-seeded player, but was defeated in the third round by No. 85, Jill Craybas. At the US Open, Williams lost to her sister Venus in the fourth round. This was the earliest the sisters had met in a Grand Slam tournament since their first meeting, at the 1998 Australian Open. Williams played just one more match that fall, a loss to No. 127 Sun Tiantian at the tournament in Beijing. She failed to qualify for the year-end championship for the first time since 1998 and she finished the year 2005 ranked No. 11, her first time finishing the season outside the top 10 since 1998.[citation needed]

Williams made her 2006 debut at the Australian Open. Defending the title, Williams lost to Daniela Hantuchová in the third round.[85] After the tournament, she told the press that she was injured, blaming a lack of fitness and a knee injury for keeping her off the court.[86] In her biography, Williams claims that she was actually suffering from depression. She stayed away from pro tennis for six months during the 2006 season. After she had shut herself off from the world for a period, Williams saw a therapist daily.[87] After a chance meeting with a young girl who idolized Williams and believed that she could still win, Williams signed up to play in Cincinnati,[88] her first tournament since Melbourne. Williams had slipped to No. 139, the lowest ranking she had held since 1997. On her return, Williams defeated Myskina and Bethanie Mattek,[89][90] before losing in the semifinals to Vera Zvonareva.[91] She also reached the semifinals in Los Angeles, losing to Janković in straight sets. At the US Open, Williams needed a wildcard to enter the tournament, as her ranking at the cut-off time was No. 139, outside the automatic 102. Her ranking had improved to 79th by the time the tournament came around.[92] She lost to top-seeded Mauresmo in the fourth round.[93] Following the US Open, she did not play again in 2006, ending the year ranked No. 95, her lowest year-end ranking since 1997.[citation needed]

Williams began 2007 with renewed confidence, stating her intention to return to the top of the rankings,[94] a comment 1987 Wimbledon men's singles champion and commentator Pat Cash branded "deluded".[95]

Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the Hobart International, a warm-up for the Australian Open where Williams was unseeded because of her No. 81 ranking and was widely regarded as "out of shape".[96] She experienced a huge amount of pressure on herself before the tournament, coming from her fans and the press as well as Williams herself about her weight, focus and needing a good showing.[citation needed]

Shortly before her first match, a representative from Nike paid her a visit in the players' lounge, informing her that if she did not perform to her accustomed level, the company might drop her. Williams claimed that Nike's ultimatum meant that she would have to reach the quarterfinals at least.[97]

The distraction from Nike did not distract Williams, as she lost just three games to Mara Santangelo and defeated Anne Kremer in straight sets.[98] By this point, a blister had developed on Williams's foot and she had contracted a cold. In the third round, Williams found herself two points away from going home against Nadia Petrova, but fought back to win in three sets, which was her first win over a top-10 player since defeating Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open final. Williams then made it to the final, defeating Janković, Pe'er and Vaidišová. Williams described them as "good players. Strong players. Players who certainly didn't expect an overweight, out-of-shape, has been champion like me to give them a game."[99] Williams also found herself two points from going out against Peer before turning it around.[100] By the time Williams had reached the final, the cold and blister had both left. Previewing the finals, Tracy Austin stated that, although Williams had a great tournament, she believed that the ride was over and that Sharapova would have no trouble with Williams. Williams thought it was mean and unnecessary and used it as motivation along with other criticism.[101] In the final, Williams lost just three games against Maria Sharapova, winning her first title at any tournament since winning the 2005 Australian Open 24 months prior.[100] Williams became the first player since Chris O'Neil to win the title while not being seeded, and claimed her third Australian Open and eighth Grand Slam singles title overall. The win elevated Williams to 14th in the rankings. Williams dedicated the title to her deceased half-sister Yetunde.[102] 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".[96][103] In her post-match interview, Williams took a swipe at her critics, stating that she had proved them wrong.[104] Williams won the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami for the fourth time by defeating Justine Henin. Williams had to record a come-from-behind win after being whitewashed in the first set and saving two match points in the second.[105] She played for her country in the Fed Cup for the first time since 2003 in a tie against Belgium, and won her opening match[106] but withdrew from her second, because of a knee injury.[107]

At the French Open, Williams lost in the quarterfinals to Henin.[108] During her fourth round match against Hantuchová at Wimbledon, Williams collapsed from an acute muscle spasm at 5–5 in the second set. After a medical timeout and holding serve to force a tiebreak, rain forced play to be suspended for nearly two hours. When the players returned, Williams won the match in three sets.[109] Williams then lost her quarterfinal match with Henin, whilst suffering from the injuries sustained in the previous round.[110] At the US Open, Williams lost her third consecutive Grand Slam singles quarterfinal to Henin.[111] Williams reached the final of Kremlin Cup, losing to Elena Dementieva. Williams qualified for the WTA Championships, but retired from her first match with Anna Chakvetadze with a knee injury and subsequently withdrew from the event.[112][113] Williams finished 2007 as No. 7 and the top-ranked American for the first time since 2003.[108]

2008–2010: Back to No. 1 and injuries

Williams started 2008 by participating on the U.S. team that won the Hopman Cup with Mardy Fish.[114] At the Australian Open she lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Janković,[108] her fourth straight loss in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament. 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.[115] Williams then won three consecutive singles titles at Bangalore and her fifth Miami title, tying Steffi Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament.

 
At the 2009 Australian Open

Williams won at the Family Circle Cup, her first clay-court title since the 2002 French Open. Her 17-match winning streak was ended by Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals of Berlin.[108] Williams withdrew in Rome in the quarterfinals against Alizé Cornet owing to a back injury. Williams was the only former winner of the French Open in the draw, but lost in the third round to Katarina Srebotnik.[citation needed]

At Wimbledon, Williams reached the finals for the first time in four years but lost to her older sister Venus in straight sets, in their first Slam final since 2003. Serena and Venus teamed to win the women's doubles title in their first Grand Slam women's doubles title since 2003. Williams played at Stanford, but retired 6–2, 3–1 down with a left knee injury from her semifinal match against qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak. The injury forced her to withdraw from Los Angeles. At the Olympics in Beijing, Williams lost to Dementieva in the quarterfinals. Serena and Venus won the gold medal in doubles, beating Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final. At the US Open, Williams defeated sister Venus, Safina and Jelena Janković in the final. That was her third US Open and ninth Grand Slam singles title. The victory returned her to the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2003.[116] At the year-end championships she defeated Safina and lost to Venus in her round-robin matches, but withdrew from her 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.[citation needed]

Williams began 2009 at the Medibank International, losing in the semifinals to Elena Dementieva. At the Australian Open, she claimed her tenth Grand Slam singles title by defeating Dinara Safina in the final in 59 minutes. This win returned her to the No. 1 ranking and resulted in her becoming the all-time career prize money leader in women's sports, overtaking golfer Annika Sörenstam. In women's doubles, with Venus, they captured the title for the third time.[citation needed]

At the Open GdF Suez, Williams withdrew before her semifinal match against Dementieva because of a knee injury.[citation needed] Serena then played at Dubai, losing to Venus in the semifinals.[citation needed]

At the Sony Ericsson Open Williams, hampered with ankle and quad injuries, was upset in the final by Victoria Azarenka. This was the first of four consecutive losses for her, the longest losing streak of her career.[117] She was defeated in her opening matches at Barcelona, Rome, and Madrid. Despite not having won a match on clay in 2009 before the French Open, she lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. This ended her 18-match Grand Slam tournament winning streak. She rebounded at Wimbledon, saving a match point in defeating fourth seeded Dementieva in the semifinals. In the final, Serena defeated her sister Venus to win her third Wimbledon title and her 11th Grand Slam singles title.[118] Serena and Venus teamed to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, their ninth Grand Slam title in women's doubles.[citation needed]

As a US Open preparation, Williams played at Cincinnati losing in the third round, followed by a semifinal defeat at the Rogers Cup. At the US Open, she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kim Clijsters amid controversy involving shouting at a line judge when defending match point, an offense which cost Williams the point and consequently the match. She continued in the doubles competition, teaming up with Venus to win their third Grand Slam doubles title of the year and tenth of their career.[119] Williams won all three of her round-robin matches at the year-end WTA Tour Championships, defeating Venus, Dementieva, and Kuznetsova, saving a match point against Venus. She then advanced to the final, when Wozniacki retired from their semifinal match. In the final, Williams defeated Venus for her second singles title at this event.[120]

 
Williams on her way to the singles and doubles title at the 2010 Australian Open

Williams finished the year ranked No. 1 for the second time in her career, having played in 16 tournaments, more than any other year. She also broke the record previously set by Justine Henin for the most prize money earned by a female tennis player in one year, with Williams earning $6,545,586. For doubles that year, the Williams sisters finished the year ranked No. 2, despite playing only six tournaments together as a pair. Williams had won five Grand Slam tournament titles, putting her total of Grand Slam titles won thus far at 23, and she was consequently named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for 2009.[121] Williams was also the ITF World Champion in both the singles and doubles events.[122]

In 2010, Williams's first scheduled tournament was in Sydney, losing in the final to Elena 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 just recently come out of retirement, for her twelfth Grand Slam singles title. In doubles, Williams and her sister, Venus, successfully defended their title by defeating Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final.[citation needed]

Williams withdrew with a leg injury from her next few events,[citation needed] and returned at the Rome Masters, losing to Jelena Janković in the semifinals. At Madrid, she fell to Nadia Petrova in the third round but partnered Venus to win the doubles title.[citation needed]

At the French Open, Williams was defeated by Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals. She and Venus were the top seeds in the doubles event and won the title, defeating Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam doubles title and improving their doubles ranking to No. 1.[citation needed]

Williams's next tournament was Wimbledon, where she defeated Russian Vera Zvonareva in the final without facing a break point and breaking the serve of Zvonareva three times.[123][124] She did not lose a set in the tournament.[125]

After the match, Martina Navratilova said that Williams is in the top five of all the women's tennis players in all of history, which she said that "it's not just about how many Slams you win or how many tournaments you win—it's just your game overall. And she's got all the goods."[124] Serena was the defending champion in doubles with her sister Venus, winning the last two years. They lost in the 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.[citation needed]

Williams ended the year ranked No. 4 in singles after six tournaments,[citation needed] and No. 11 in doubles after four tournaments.[citation needed]

On March 2, 2011, she confirmed that she had suffered a hematoma and a pulmonary embolism.[126][127][128]

2011–2013: Return to dominance, career golden slam

 
Williams won the singles gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.
 
Williams at the 2013 US Open

Williams finally made a return to the practice court in March 2011.[129] She made her first appearance on the WTA tour in almost a year in Eastbourne.[130] Williams lost in round two to Vera Zvonareva in a match that lasted over three hours.[131] Her next tournament was Wimbledon, where she was the defending champion. She reached the round of 16, where she lost to Marion Bartoli. After the loss, her ranking dropped to 169. Williams won her first titles since her return to tennis triumphing in Stanford and Toronto. At the Western & Southern Open, Williams defeated Lucie Hradecká, only to withdraw the next day, citing a right toe injury. She then played at the US Open going all the way to the final and losing to Samantha Stosur during a match which featured her verbally abusing the chair umpire. The US Open final turned out to be Williams's last match in 2011, and she ended the year ranked No. 12 with two titles and with a 22–3 record for the season. She only participated in six tournaments throughout the season.

Williams started the 2012 season at the Brisbane International, however, during her match against Bojana Jovanovski, she injured her left ankle when serving for the match. As a result, Williams was forced to withdraw from the tournament.[132] Next she participated at 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 to Caroline Wozniacki. Williams then won consecutive titles at Charleston and Madrid beating Lucie Šafářová and Victoria Azarenka, but withdrew from her semifinal match against Li Na in Rome citing a lower back injury. Williams suffered her first ever loss in the opening round of a Grand Slam tournament at the French Open against Virginie Razzano. Williams notched up a 33–1 record for the second half of the season winning five titles in the process.[133] Williams won her fifth Wimbledon singles title, her fourteenth Grand Slam title;[134][135] setting a serving record of 24 aces by a woman in a match as well as having the most aces, male or female, during the tournament (102).[136] Williams returned to America to successfully defend her title in Stanford beating CoCo Vandeweghe in the final.[137][138] Williams then returned to Wimbledon to represent her country at the Olympic Games where she won gold, defeating Maria Sharapova in a dominating performance. Williams failed to drop more than three games per set en route to winning the medal.[138] Williams undefeated streak ended with a loss in Cincinnati to Angelique Kerber. In New York City, Williams went on to win her fourth US Open singles title and her 15th career Grand Slam title overall beating Azarenka in the final.[133][139] Williams ended the season by competing at the WTA Championships and went undefeated throughout the tournament to win the event for her third title.[133] Williams was voted WTA Player of the Year for the fourth time.[140] Based on her brilliant show in 2012, Williams was also named International Tennis Federation World Champion.[141] Williams also returned to doubles competitions with Venus; in the pair's first tournament since 2010 Wimbledon, they claimed their fifth Wimbledon doubles title and the 13th grand slam doubles title.[142] The pair successfully defended their Olympic doubles title which meant that they became the only tennis players to win four gold medals.[143]

Williams's first tournament of the 2013 season was in Brisbane, where she won the title without dropping a set. Williams was upset in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open by fellow American player Sloane Stephens. By virtue of defeating Petra Kvitová in Doha, Williams returned to the No. 1 position for the sixth time in her career and became the oldest woman in the Open Era to hold the ranking.[144] Williams went on to lose to Victoria Azarenka in the final. In the Miami final, Williams lost a set to Maria Sharapova for the first time since 2008. This setback did not stop Williams who recorded her 70th come-from-behind win. The win made Williams a six-time champion in Miami breaking the record she held with Steffi Graf and became only the fourth woman in the Open Era to have won a tournament at least six times.[145] Williams successfully defended her Charleston title, winning it for the third time overall.[146] Williams won her fiftieth career singles title in Madrid, defeating Sharapova in the final. Williams then played Rome, where she won the title without dropping a set, defeating Victoria Azarenka in the final to take her second title. Williams only dropped ten games in reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. There, she played Svetlana Kuznetsova and lost her first set of the tournament. In the semifinal, Williams only lost one game when she defeated Sara Errani, something seven-time French Open champion Chris Evert described as the finest woman performance on clay she had ever seen.[147] Williams defeated Sharapova to claim her second Roland Garros title, her sixteenth grand slam tournament title overall. She became the fourth woman in the Open Era after Navratilova, Evert and Graf to win each Grand Slam tournament title on at least two occasions. At Wimbledon, she advanced easily to the fourth round before being upset by eventual finalist Sabine Lisicki in three sets. After Wimbledon, Williams won the Swedish Open by defeating Johanna Larsson in the final, the tournament win marked the first occasion that she had won an International level title. By winning the tournament this meant that Williams had managed to be undefeated on clay during the season.[148]

 
Williams winning her fifth US Open title

Williams won her 3rd Rogers Cup title in Toronto beating Sorana Cîrstea in the final.[149] Williams reached the final of the Western & Southern Open for the first time but lost to Azarenka.[150] At the US Open, Williams began as top seed and defending champion. She reached the final—a rematch of the 2012 final against Azarenka—and won in three sets, capturing her 17th Grand Slam singles title.[151] Williams became the oldest US Open champion in the Open Era and pushed her career prize money past $50 million.[151] After the US Open, Williams beat Jelena Janković to win the China Open in Beijing for her 10th title of 2013.[152][153] Williams went through the WTA Championships undefeated winning the final against Li Na, to become the first person to defend the title since Justine Henin in 2007. Williams won her 11th title of 2013 becoming the 8th player to win 11 titles or more in a year and the first since Martina Hingis in 1997.[154] Also, she became the oldest person to win the WTA Championships and 4th player to win it 4 times or more. By winning the championship, Williams became the first woman to win more than $10 million in a season and with her total of $12,385,572, only Rafael Nadal, in 2013, and Novak Djokovic, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, have earned more money in one season.[155]

Williams finished as the year end No. 1 for the third time, becoming the oldest No. 1 player in WTA history.[156] She was also named the 2013 ITF World Champion, the fourth time that she has been given the World Champion's crown.[157] Williams received two prizes at the 2013 ESPY Awards. Williams won Best Female Athlete and Best Female Tennis Player. Williams is just the fourth person to win Best Female Athlete on two occasions and she won Best Female Tennis player for a record sixth time.[158] In late December 2013, Williams capped off her year by receiving the Associated Press 2013 Female Athlete of the Year award, her third AP award after 2002 and 2009. Only two women, Chris Evert and Babe Didrikson, have been chosen more often as AP Athlete of the Year since the annual awards were first handed out in 1931.[159]

2014–2015: Second 'Serena Slam'

Williams defended her title at the Brisbane International by defeating No. 2, Victoria Azarenka, in the final.[160] At the Australian Open she ended up losing to former No. 1, Ana Ivanovic, in the fourth round. At Dubai, Williams lost her semifinal match to Alizé Cornet in straight sets. Williams next headed to the Miami Open where she won her record seventh title with a straight-sets victory over No. 2 Li Na.[161] Williams lost to Jana Čepelová in the second round of the Family Circle Cup. She made it to the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open before withdrawing with a left thigh injury. Williams won her third title of the season at the Rome. She was then handed the worst loss of her Grand Slam tournament career by Garbiñe Muguruza at the second round of the French Open, who defeated Serena losing just four games in two sets.[162] Alizé Cornet defeated Williams for the second time in the year in the third round of Wimbledon, thus handing Williams her earliest Wimbledon exit since 2005. Serena was then forced to withdraw from the doubles event alongside sister Venus while trailing 0–3 in the second round. A disoriented Serena hit 4 consecutive doubles faults and was having trouble with both her ball toss and movement before being removed from what has been described as one of the most unusual scenes ever seen in tennis.[163][164]

Williams rebounded by winning 19 out of her next 20 matches (losing only to sister Venus in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup). This streak include titles at the Bank of the West Classic as well as her first Western & Southern Open title and her third consecutive and sixth overall US Open singles title which she won without having dropped a set.[165][166] With this victory Williams tied Chris Evert for most singles titles won by a woman at the US Open in the Open Era. Williams also tied Evert and Navratilova's 18 Grand Slam singles titles won in the Open Era. By virtue of having won both the US Open and the US Open Series, Williams collected $4,000,000 – the biggest payday in tennis history. At the Wuhan Open a viral illness forced her to retire while up a break in the first set against Alizé Cornet. Cornet thus became the first woman since Justine Henin in 2007 to record three victories over Williams in one year. At the China Open Williams retired prior to her quarterfinal match versus Samantha Stosur. 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 versus Simona Halep.[167] Williams won her fifth WTA Finals title by avenging her loss to Halep in the championship match for her seventh title of the year.[168] Williams finished the year ranked No. 1 for the fourth time in her career. She held the No. 1 ranking for the entire calendar year, a feat not accomplished since Steffi Graf in 1996. She was also voted WTA Player of the Year and ITF World Champion for a third consecutive year (sixth overall).[citation needed]

Williams began the 2015 season by representing the United States alongside John Isner at the Hopman Cup. The American pair lost the final to the Poland.[169] At the Australian Open Williams defeated Maria Sharapova for the 16th consecutive time to claim her 6th Australian Open singles title and 19th career Grand Slam singles title, winning the title on her third match point in the second set.[170][171][172][173][174] With this victory Williams surpassed both, Evert and Navratilova, for second most Grand Slam singles titles won in the Open Era. The title was also her sixth Grand Slam singles title since turning 30 years of age, three more than the next closest to do so (Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova with three each). She is the only player in history to win all four Grand Slams at least once after having turned 30. The following weekend, Serena and sister Venus traveled to Buenos Aires to face Argentina in a World Group II tie for Fed Cup. She played and won her only match against María Irigoyen to help Team USA to a 4–1 win over Argentina.[175] Williams announced that she would be competing at the Indian Wells Masters ending her 14-year boycott of the event.[176][177] Upon her return Williams received a standing ovation from the crowd and won her first match in straight sets.[178] She reached the semifinals, where she was due to face No. 3, Simona Halep, for a place in the final, but was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury. By virtue of having defeated Sabine Lisicki in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, Williams became only the eighth woman in the Open Era to record 700 match wins in her career.[179] This also made her one of only three active players to have won 700 or more matches in singles, others being Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.[180] In the semifinals she won against Halep to advance to her tenth final at the event[181] where she won a record eighth title and extended her winning streak to 21 by beating Carla Suárez Navarro.[182][183][184]

 
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, to face Italy's team for a place in the Fed Cup's World Group. Williams lost the decisive doubles match alongside Alison Riske to Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta, and as a result the United States team were relegated to World Group II. It was Williams's first loss in the Fed Cup.[185] She maintained her perfect record in singles by defeating Camila Giorgi and Errani. The week of April 20 marked Williams's 114th consecutive week ranked No. 1, the third-longest run in WTA history, behind Steffi Graf's 186 weeks and Navratilova's 156.[citation needed] Williams suffered her first defeat of the season in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open to No. 4, Petra Kvitová.[186][187] This loss ended a 27-match winning streak for Williams as well as a 50-match winning streak at Premier-Mandatory events, and also a 19-match winning streak at the particular event.[188] Williams played one match at the 2015 Internazionali BNL d'Italia before withdrawing from the tournament with an elbow injury.[189]

By virtue of having defeated Victoria Azarenka in the third round of the French Open, Williams became the first woman in the Open Era to win 50 matches at all four of the Grand Slams.[190] Williams then defeated Sloane Stephens to reach her 40th Grand Slam singles quarterfinal.[191] Williams won her next match easily, but had to come back from a set down in the semifinals versus Timea Bacsinszky for the fourth time in five matches to reach the final.[192][193] She would go on to defeat Lucie Šafářová from the Czech Republic in three sets to win her third French Open and 20th Grand Slam singles title.[194][195][196]

The win made Williams only the third person in history to win each Grand Slam at least three times, joining Margaret Court and Steffi Graf. She is the first player to win three straight Grand Slams since she did it herself during the Serena Slam. She also became the first player to win the Australian-French Open double since Jennifer Capriati in 2001.[197]

Williams completed her second "Serena Slam" (winning all four Grand Slams in a row) by winning the 2015 Wimbledon Championships – her 6th Wimbledon and 21st Grand Slam singles title overall.[198][199] Her path to victory at Wimbledon was particularly challenging. She was down a double break in the third round versus Heather Watson and two points from defeat twice before rallying for the win[200] and becoming the first player to qualify for the WTA Finals[201] (the earliest that a player had qualified since the event switched to the round-robin format in 2003). Williams then defeated three former No. 1 players–Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova—in succession to advance to the final.[202] Awaiting her there was 21-year-old Garbiñe Muguruza, who had previously handed Williams the worst Grand Slam tournament defeat of her career at the 2014 French Open.[203] Williams defeated Muguruza in a tight two-setter.[citation needed]

The victory made Williams the oldest woman in the Open Era to win a grand slam singles title, in addition to having the distinction of being the oldest ladies' grand slam singles champion of all time.[204] It also was her eighth consecutive victory in Grand Slam singles finals appearances, breaking Steffi Graf's Open Era record of seven from 1995 through 1999 and, on the men's side, tying Pete Sampras's Open Era record of eight from 1995 through 2000. Her 21st Grand Slam singles titles equaled the tally of the rest of the women's tour, combined.[205] 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 No. 2.[206] Following her win at Wimbledon, Williams was awarded her 7th ESPY for Best Female Tennis Player.[207]

Williams played one match at the Swedish Open in Båstad before withdrawing with an elbow injury.[208] She was the defending champion at the Bank of the West Classic but withdrew from the tournament in order for her elbow to get better.[209] Williams had her 19 match winning streak ended by 18-year-old Swiss Belinda Bencic, the No. 20, in three tight sets in the semifinals of the Canadian Open.[210][211] It was her second defeat of the year and first on hard courts since the 2014 WTA Finals. The next week Williams defended her title at the Western & Southern Open with a straight sets victory over No. 3 Simona Halep for her 69th WTA title, breaking a tie with Evonne Goolagong for standalone fifth-most WTA titles won.[212][213] Williams's attempt at capturing the "Grand Slam" (winning all four Grand Slams in a calendar year) came to an end in the semifinals of the US Open, where she lost to Roberta Vinci in three sets.[214][215][216] The loss has been described by some as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.[217][218][219] Nonetheless, Williams secured the year-end No. 1 ranking with her results at the tournament.[220] On October 1, Williams called an end to her season, stating that she had been injured for most of the year and wanted to address her fitness issues.[221] Prior to the announcement, coach Patrick Mouratoglou hinted that Williams might not play again in 2015 owing to a lack of motivation and disappointment following her loss at the Open.[222] On October 5, Williams surpassed Chris Evert for third-most weeks ranked world No. 1.[223] Williams held the No. 1 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 in her career.[224] On December 14, Sports Illustrated announced Williams as their Sportsperson of the Year.[225] She thus became the third solo woman, and first since 1983, to receive the award.[226] Williams was also named ITF World Champion for the sixth time in her career.[227] Soon after, it was announced that she was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for the fourth time.[228]

2016: Open Era Grand Slam record

Williams withdrew from the Hopman Cup after retiring from her singles match against Australia Gold with inflammation of her left knee.[229] Her next tournament was the Australian Open, where she was the No. 1 seed and defending champion. She reached the final without dropping a set, including wins over No. 5, Maria Sharapova, and No. 4, Agnieszka Radwańska, and faced first time Grand Slam finalist Angelique Kerber. She was considered the heavy favorite to win the title, as she had never lost an Australian Open final or semifinal. She also dominated the head-to-head against Kerber, having lost only once in six meetings and having not lost a set to her in four years. Williams lost the final in three sets and Kerber won her first Grand Slam title.[230] This marked Williams's first-ever loss in the final of the Australian Open, as well as her first three-set loss in the final of a Grand Slam.[231] She had previously been 6–0 and 8–0 respectively.

The week of February 15 marked Williams's 157th consecutive week ranked No. 1, passing Navratilova's mark of 156 to have the second-longest run in WTA history behind Steffi Graf's 186. She competed in Indian Wells as the No. 1 seed. She reached her first final here since winning in 2001 and before boycotting the event, by defeating Simona Halep in the quarterfinals and Agnieszka Radwańska in the semifinals. She did not drop a set en route to the final. Williams was upset by No. 13 seed Victoria Azarenka, whom she had defeated the last five times the pair had met, in straight sets. This marked the first time since 2004 where Williams lost two consecutive finals. She next played the Miami Open as the defending champion. She lost in the fourth round to Svetlana Kuznetsova. This marked her first loss here since 2012 and ended her 20 match winning streak in Miami. This was also her earliest exit here since 2000, where she lost in the same round. During the clay court swing, Williams withdrew from Madrid but entered Rome. She beat Anna-Lena Friedsam and Christina McHale to progress to the quarterfinals where she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova to avenge her loss in Miami. She then went on to beat Irina-Camelia Begu and Madison Keys to win her 70th career WTA title and to win her first title of the year. This was her third Rome title in four years and fourth overall.[citation needed]

At the French Open, Williams dropped only one set en route to the final. She defeated Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals despite being five points away from losing. She then beat surprise semifinalist Kiki Bertens to reach her fourth French Open final where she faced Garbiñe Muguruza in a repeat of last year's Wimbledon final where Williams was victorious. The result was not the same as that Wimbledon final as Williams lost to Muguruza in straight sets. With this loss, Williams had lost two consecutive Grand Slam finals for the first time in her career. On top of failing to equal Steffi Graf's Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles, Williams also completed the Career Grand Slam runner-up set with this loss.[citation needed]

At Wimbledon, Williams only lost one set en route to the final where she faced Angelique Kerber in a rematch of their Australian Open final earlier in the year. This time, Williams defeated Kerber in straight sets to finally equal Steffi Graf's record of 22 Grand Slams in the Open Era. That was Williams's first Grand Slam title of the year, as well as her 71st career WTA title overall. In what was a brilliant serving performance, Williams only faced one break point in the whole match against Kerber which she saved with an ace. Later that day, Williams partnered with sister Venus to win their sixth Wimbledon doubles title and 14th doubles Grand Slam title overall, keeping their perfect record at Grand Slam doubles finals intact. On July 24, 2016, Williams withdrew from Rogers Cup citing a shoulder inflammation injury.[232] 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 favourite to retain those titles. Partnering with her sister Venus in the doubles, they suffered a shock exit in the first round, losing to the Czech duo of Lucie Šafářová and Barbora Strýcová, which ended their career record of 15–0 dating back to the 2000 Olympics.[233] In singles, after defeating Daria Gavrilova and Alizé Cornet in the first two rounds, Williams faced Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the third round in what was a rematch of this year's French Open fourth round, but lost to the Ukrainian, bringing an end to her Olympics campaign.[234] Days after the Olympics, Williams took a late wildcard for the Western & Southern Open, where she was the defending champion, but then decided to withdraw owing to concerns from the same shoulder injury/inflammation from earlier in the summer.[235]

The week of September 5, 2016, marked Williams's 186th consecutive week ranked No. 1, equalling Steffi Graf's record for longest run in WTA history. In the semifinals of the US Open, Williams lost to Karolína Plíšková.[236] Having won the US Open, Angelique Kerber became the No. 1, ending Williams's No. 1 streak. Williams also pulled out of the WTA Finals because of a shoulder injury.[237]

2017: Australian Open victory and pregnancy

Williams started her 2017 season by participating in the WTA Auckland Open for the first time in her career. She defeated Pauline Parmentier to win her first match since the US Open. In the second round, she lost to Madison Brengle. At the Australian Open, she beat former and present top 10 players Belinda Bencic, Lucie Šafářová, Johanna Konta among others to reach her 8th Australian Open final. On January 28, 2017, she won the Australian Open for an Open Era record seventh time, defeating her sister, Venus.[238] It was her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, surpassing Steffi Graf's Open Era 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 her return to the No. 1 ranking.[239][240] Williams subsequently withdrew from the Indian Wells and Miami Opens, citing a knee injury.[241]

On April 19, 2017, Williams revealed that she was 20 weeks pregnant and would miss the remainder of the season.[242] The timing of her announcement led to the conclusion that she would have been roughly eight to nine weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open.[243] In interviews, she said that she intended to return to tennis after her pregnancy,[244] saying that she had an "outrageous plan" of competing in the 2018 Australian Open.[244]

On September 1, 2017, Williams gave birth to a daughter named Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr., though she is not a true junior as her father's middle name is Kerry.[245] She is commonly called Olympia.[246] She had a cesarean-section delivery due to a pulmonary embolism during labor.[247] She suffered another pulmonary embolism after giving birth, leaving her bedridden for six weeks and delaying her return to training.[248]

On December 30, 2017, Williams played her first match since giving birth, an exhibition match at the World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, losing to reigning French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko.

 
Williams at the 2018 French Open, her first grand slam since returning to the tour

2018: Return to tennis, Wimbledon and US Open runner up

On January 5, 2018, Williams withdrew from the upcoming Australian Open, citing a lack of sufficient preparation in the wake of her pregnancy.[249] In February, after overcoming her pregnancy-induced health problems, she returned to the tennis court with her sister. The pair lost to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs (Netherlands) in the Fed Cup's first round on February 11.[250] Despite saying she was 100% ready to come back to tennis, Williams suffered back to back early exits at Indian Wells and Miami, losing in the third round at Indian Wells to her sister Venus and the first round at Miami to 2018 Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka.[citation needed]

Williams made her return to Grand Slam tennis at the 2018 French Open, playing singles and doubles with her sister Venus. In the first round, she defeated Kristýna Plíšková in two tight sets and later 17th seed Ashleigh Barty in the second round. Then, she defeated 11th seed Julia Görges to set up a fourth-round match against 28th seed Maria Sharapova, whom she had beaten 18 consecutive times since 2004. Williams withdrew owing to an injury to her pectoral muscle sustained in a third-round match in doubles where she and Venus were defeated by Andreja Klepač and María José Martínez Sánchez.[251][252]

In July, Williams entered the Wimbledon Championships and was controversially seeded #25. With a world ranking at the time of 181,[253] many felt that the decision showed bias and favored Williams unduly.[254] Others argued that the All England Club, who do not base their seedings on players' current world rankings – as other grand slam tournaments do – had sensibly considered Williams's excellent historic record there. Williams herself said: "I was pleasantly surprised. I came in here expecting that maybe I wouldn't get a seed."[254] Her seeding resulted in Dominika Cibulková losing her place to be seeded.[citation needed]

By the second week of the tournament, for the first time in grand slam history, none of the top ten seeded women players had made it to the quarterfinals.[255] En route to the quarterfinals, Williams had beaten Arantxa Rus of Holland in round one, Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria in round 2, Kristina Mladenovic of France in round 3 and Evgeniya Rodina of Russia in round 4.[256] She had not lost a set in any of her matches till then. Williams then beat Italian Camila Giorgi in the quarterfinals after losing one set, and became the lowest ranked player to ever reach the Wimbledon semifinals.[257] She met 13th seed Julia Görges of Germany in the semifinal and beat her comfortably in two sets to reach her tenth Wimbledon final, the first since giving birth. She lost in the final in straight sets to Angelique Kerber of Germany in a rematch of the 2016 Wimbledon final.

Following her Wimbledon finals run, Williams entered the 2018 Silicon Valley Classic, her first appearance in a US Open series tournament since 2015. She recorded her most lopsided loss in her career to Johanna Konta in the first round, winning just a single game.[258] Williams later revealed in an interview with Time that she checked Instagram ten minutes prior to the match starting, and found out that the man who had fatally shot her half-sister, Yetunde, in 2003 was released on parole earlier in the year. She said in the interview, "I couldn't shake it out of my mind."[259]

Williams's next tournament was the Cincinnati Masters. She beat Daria Gavrilova of Australia in straight sets in the first round, but lost to Petra Kvitová in the second round in a three-set match that lasted over two hours.[citation needed] Her next tournament was the 2018 US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, where she was seeded 17th, although ranked 26th in the WTA ranking at the time seeds were determined. She defeated Magda Linette in the first round, Carina Witthöft in the second round, her sister and 16th seed Venus in the third round, Kaia Kanepi in the fourth round, and 8th seed Karolína Plíšková in the quarterfinals. The match against Plíšková was a rematch of the 2016 US Open semifinal, which Plíšková had won. This was Williams's first win against a player in the top 10 (at the time of the match) since her return from pregnancy. Williams won her semifinal match against 19th seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia, winning a spot in the women's singles final against Naomi Osaka of Japan which she lost in straight sets. Williams was warned for illegal coaching, penalized a point for breaking her racket, and then penalized a game for verbal abuse of the chair umpire.

2019: Return to the top 10, injuries, Wimbledon and US Open runner-up

Williams started her 2019 season at the Australian Open, having not made an appearance at the tournament since winning the 2017 edition. Seeded 16th, she defeated Tatjana Maria, Eugenie Bouchard, and Dayana Yastremska in the first three rounds, before defeating top seed and world number one Simona Halep in the fourth. In the quarterfinals, she met 7th seed Karolína Plíšková. Plíšková won the first set and lead in the second, but Williams took control of the match, winning the second and rapidly taking a huge lead in the third. However, after Williams twisted her ankle while up match point, Plíšková won six consecutive games, saving four match points throughout the set to win the match. This was Williams's earliest defeat at the Australian Open since her fourth-round loss in 2014, and broke a streak of fourteen consecutive match wins in Grand Slam quarterfinals (having last lost a Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2013 Australian Open). Despite this loss, her ranking climbed up to number 11.[citation needed]

Williams went on to defeat Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters in her 2019 campaign for a third Indian Wells crown. In the third round, viral illness caused her to retire against Spain's Garbiñe Muguruza. This was the second consecutive year she had exited at this stage. She then sustained a recurrence of a long-term knee injury which caused her to pull out of Miami and Rome after playing one match. She could not train properly until after the French Open, where she lost in the third round.[260] At Wimbledon, Williams reached a major final for the 13th consecutive year. She also became the oldest grand slam finalist in the open era.[261] She lost the final to Simona Halep in two straight sets in under an hour.[262]

At the Canadian Open, Williams defeated Naomi Osaka in straight sets in the quarterfinals and Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova in three sets in the semi finals. Against Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu, she retired in the first set after 19 minutes. She told the chair umpire of her decision to retire because of back spasms.[263] Her back problems continued at the Cincinnati Open, where she withdrew shortly before her first-round match, stating, "Unfortunately my back is still not right."[264]

Williams was seeded eighth at the US Open. In the first round she met Maria Sharapova for the first time since the 2016 Australian Open, defeating her in straight sets, yielding just one game in each set. She defeated Caty McNally in three sets in the second round, and Karolína Muchová and Petra Martić in straight games in the third and fourth. In the quarterfinals she faced 18th seed Wang Qiang, who she overcame in just 45 minutes, yielding a single game. In the semifinals she defeated fifth seed Elina Svitolina, proceeding to the final where she faced 15th seed Bianca Andreescu for the second time in under a month. With Andreescu up a set and five games to one in the second set, Williams launched a spirited comeback to level the set at 5-games-all. However, Andreescu was able to hold serve and break Williams to win the title in straight sets.[265] This was Williams's last match of the year which she ended ranked No. 10.

2020: First title since maternity leave

Top-seeded Williams won her first singles title as a mother at the 2020 ASB Classic, defeating Jessica Pegula in the final.[266] She also reached the finals in the doubles tournament with Caroline Wozniacki; the pair were defeated by Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend.[267] Hence, she became the first woman in the professional era with at least one title in four decades: the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.[268]

Williams's next tournament was the 2020 Australian Open where she was seeded 8th. She defeated Anastasia Potapova and Tamara Zidanšek in the first and second rounds respectively in straight sets, before falling to Wang Qiang in three tight sets in the third round.

On the resumption of the WTA Tour following a pause caused by COVID-19, Williams entered the Top Seed Open as the top seed. Following a tough three-set win over Bernarda Pera in the first round, Williams faced her sister Venus for their 31st WTA match in the second round and came through after dropping the first set. Williams went on to suffer a shock defeat in the quarter finals to fellow American Shelby Rogers. At the Cincinnati Open, played in New York, Williams received a bye in the first round, beat Arantxa Rus in the second, and lost to Maria Sakkari in three sets in the third round.

Williams was seeded 3rd at the second major of the year, the 2020 US Open. After two straight sets victories to begin with, Williams faced former grand slam champion Sloane Stephens in the third round, winning in three sets. In the fourth round, Williams avenged her loss to Sakkari in the previous tournament. In the quarter-finals, she defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria who was playing in her first tournament in three years after giving birth. She thus advanced into the semifinals, where she faced Victoria Azarenka, losing in three sets.[269][270] Her match with Azarenka marked the first time two mothers met in a Grand Slam semi-final.[271] She also became the first player in history to reach the semifinals of Grand slam and US Open in four decades: the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.

Williams was seeded 6th at the delayed 2020 French Open held in cold and heavy conditions in October. After defeating Kristie Ahn in straight sets in the first round, Williams withdrew before her second round match against wildcard Tsvetana Pironkova, citing an achilles injury she had sustained during her semi-final defeat to Azarenka at the US Open. This meant for the first time since 2006, Serena failed to reach a Grand Slam final.

2021: Australian Open semifinal, out of top 40

Williams started the year by playing the Yarra Valley Classic, where she withdrew prior to her semifinal match against the top seed, Ashleigh Barty citing a right shoulder injury.[272]

In the Australian Open Williams was seeded 10th and lost to the 4th seed, Naomi Osaka, in the semifinal after defeating 2nd seed, Simona Halep, and 7th seed, Aryna Sabalenka, along the way. Williams's match with Osaka was the first time the two had met in a major since the infamous 2018 US Open final. When leaving the court after losing to Osaka in the Australian Open, Williams paused to acknowledge the crowd longer than she usually would. In the press conference following the match, she faced questions about whether she was bidding farewell to tennis and retiring. She said "I don't know, if I ever say farewell, I wouldn't tell anyone."[273]

In May, at the Italian Open, Serena Williams played her 1000th match of her career.[274] She was defeated by Nadia Podoroska in the second round in straight sets.[275]

On June 29, Williams would suffer an injury during the first set in the first round at Wimbledon against Belarusian player Aliaksandra Sasnovich, forcing her to withdraw from the competition.[276][277]

In August 2021, a leg injury forced Williams to withdraw from 2021 US Open.[278] Her withdrawal saw Williams plummet nineteen places to 41st in the world, her lowest year-end ranking in 15 years.

2022: King Richard promotion, Eastbourne and Wimbledon, retirement

 
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.[279] As of March 2022, she was ranked 241st.

She spent much of early 2022 promoting King Richard about her father with her sisters. She appeared at several award ceremonies including the 94th Academy Awards.[280]

Williams returned to professional play in June 2022 when she partnered up with Ons Jabeur in the Eastbourne International.[281] The pairing beat Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzková in the first round, and Shuko Aoyama and Chan Hao-ching in the second.[282][283] The pairing retired from the tournament afterwards owing to an injury sustained by Jabeur.[284] Williams also entered the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in singles, having accepted a wildcard after dropping to 1204th in the singles rankings.[285] She lost to Harmony Tan in the first round in an over 3 hour match, the longest thus far at the tournament.[286][287]

In August, Williams wrote an article for Vogue, in which she announced her plans to 'evolve away' from tennis after the US Open, indicating retirement.[288][289] Williams began her farwell tour by entering the 2022 Canadian Open 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.[290][291] Williams subsequently entered the 2022 Cincinnati Masters, in which she lost to reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the first round.[292]

Before the US Open, Williams announced she would play doubles with Venus for the first time since 2018. Their opening-round match marked the first time a first-round doubles match was held in the Arthur Ashe Stadium during television primetime. The sisters lost to the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecká and Linda Nosková.[293]

In singles, Williams won her opening-round match against Danka Kovinić. In the second round, she upset world No. 2 Anett Kontaveit to become the oldest woman ever to defeat a top-three ranked player. She then played what is expected to be her final match against Ajla Tomljanović, losing in three hard-fought sets.

Evolving away from tennis

In the September 2022 issue of Vogue, written in August, Williams announced that she was "evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me." In her announcement she said that she disliked the word "retirement" and preferred the term "evolution".[294]

She went on to cite growing her family, focusing on her venture capital firm, and spending more time with family as reasons she would be leaving the sport. While she did not set an exact time for her goodbye, she stated that she wasn't ready to win Wimbledon (where she lost in the first round), but would try to win in New York. She also said that she consulted Tiger Woods in her decision.[294]

At her first match since the publication of the Vogue article, where she lost to Belinda Bencic in Toronto, tournament organizers interviewed Williams on-court after her match and gave her gifts to remember the city.[295]

At her matches at the 2022 US Open, which many believed would be her last tournament, tournament directors played a video following her opponents' introduction but before Williams' walk-out. Some saw this as disrespectful to her opponents.[296]

Following her first round match, where Woods, Mike Tyson, Bill Clinton, Ruth Westheimer, Spike Lee, Vera Wang, and Eric Adams were in attendance, the tournament played a video narrated by Oprah Winfrey and had Gayle King facilitate the post-match on-court interview.[297][298][299]

Following her announcement, many fellow players, including Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff, praised Williams and said they would not be playing tennis if not for her.[300]

Playing style

Williams is an aggressive baseliner, whose game is centered around her powerful serve and forceful groundstrokes. Owing to her high-risk playing style, she typically hits a large number of both winners and unforced errors. Williams' greatest asset is her serve, which is considered the greatest in the history of women's tennis. Her serve is known for its fast pace and accurate placement, allowing her to serve numerous aces: at the 2013 Australian Open, she served a 128.6 mph (207 km/h) ace in her third round match against Ayumi Morita, which is the third fastest serve recorded in WTA history.[301] Williams possesses 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 makes 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.[302] Williams also possesses effective and accurate kick and slice serves, which she deploys as second serves, minimising double faults, and preventing opponents from scoring free points.[303]

Williams is also known for her forceful groundstrokes, which are considered two of the most powerful shots in the history of women's tennis.[304] She hits both her forehand and her backhand in an open stance, allowing her to generate consistently powerful, heavy, and dominating groundstrokes, and to generate sharp, acute angles, which allow her to hit winners from any position on the court.[305] Williams is known for her forehand, which has been described as "devastating".[306] Her forehand is hit with heavy topspin; this allows her to dominate rallies, and she is capable of hitting her forehand both crosscourt and down the line to produce winners.[307] Her two-handed backhand is equally dominant, and has been described as one of the greatest backhands of all time.[308] Williams tends to hit her backhand flatter than her forehand, allowing her to hit her backhand with speed, power, and depth both crosscourt and down the line. Despite playing primarily from the baseline, Williams is an adept net player thanks to her extensive doubles experience, and will frequently choose to finish points at the net, either with deft touch, aggressive drive volleys, or a solid, powerful, and reliable overhead smash.[309] Williams possesses an aggressive return of serve – she neutralises powerful first serves, and attacks weak second serves. She is widely considered one of the greatest return players of all time.[310]

Despite predominantly employing an aggressive game style, she is also an excellent defender, and is capable of counterpunching against aggressive opponents until she creates an opportunity to hit a winner. She is an exceptional athlete, known for her movement, speed, court coverage, agility, flexibility, balance, and footwork. Her on-court intelligence, shot selection, and point construction allow her to execute her gamestyle effectively.[311] She has been praised for her mental strength and competitive spirit, with her being described as one of the toughest opponents to beat on the court; Martina Navratilova declared her mental strength "unbelievable",[312] whilst tennis journalist Jon Wertheim claimed that Williams is the toughest player of all time.[313] American tennis player Christina McHale praised her composure in high pressure moments, stating that, for Williams, "being clutch is like breathing", and that she "seems to come through every single time in the most pressure-packed situations".[314] She has been noted for her ability to produce extraordinary comebacks, particularly on the Grand Slam level, winning three Slams after saving match points, a feat achieved more often than by any other player in tennis history.[315] Williams has 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 John McEnroe as "a gift", and McEnroe declared that she was "the greatest" competitor in the history of women's tennis.[316] 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".[317]

Owing to her exceptional serve, powerful groundstrokes, technical mastery, aggressive return of serve, athleticism, and mental strength, Williams has been described as one of the most complete players on tour, and one of the greatest players of all time, irrespective of gender.[318] Williams has stated that her favourite surface is clay, as the slow pace and high bounce afforded aids point construction, although she also excels on faster hard and grass courts.[319]

Rivalries

Serena vs. Venus

Williams has played older sister Venus in 31 professional matches since 1998.[49] Overall, Serena is 19–12 against her sister.[49] Serena has played Venus 15 times in Grand Slam singles and 13 times in other tournaments (including 11 finals).[320] They have met in nine Grand Slam tournament finals, with Serena winning seven times.[49] 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 contested four consecutive finals in Grand Slam singles.[321]

Williams vs. Hingis

Williams leads the series 7–6.[322] 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 1999, which Hingis won in straight sets. Their last match took place at the 2002 Miami Open with Williams winning in a loss of just four games.[323] Hingis was forced to briefly retire citing ankle injuries.[324]

Williams vs. Capriati

Williams leads the series against Jennifer Capriati 10–7.[325] Once considered one of the best rivalries in women's tennis,[326] the competition between Williams and Capriati was stiff with 12 out of 17 meetings going three sets. The rivalry, starting in 1999, began one sided with Capriati winning four of their first five matches. Williams would then go on to win the next eight.[325] Williams and Capriati played with similar styles, both known for using their power and athleticism to gain quick advantages in points.[327][328]

Williams vs. Henin

Williams leads the series 8–6. Justine Henin and Williams met 14 times, five of which were in tournament finals. In majors they have faced each other seven times with Henin leading 4–3.[329] Opposite personalities and styles of play are often cited as what made their rivalry entertaining.[330][331]

In the semifinals of the 2003 French Open, when at 4–2, 30–0 on Williams's serve in the third set, Henin raised her hand to indicate she was not ready to receive; Williams then put her serve into the net. The umpire did not see Henin raise her hand, and thus did not allow Williams a first serve. Williams lost the game and would go on to lose the match. Their last match took place in the final of the 2010 Australian Open where Williams won in three sets to take her 12th major title.[329]

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 person to ever win four WTA tour level finals against Williams.[332] While their rivalry is heavily favored towards Williams, their matches are known for their fierce competitiveness, and Azarenka is considered the only player to truly challenge Williams following the retirement of Capriati, Henin, and Hingis, with 9 of their matches extending to three sets.[333]

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 6–4, 6–3. Their rivalry truly began at the 2004 Wimbledon final, where Williams was the two-time defending champion; Sharapova upset her 6–1, 6–4. Williams next lost to Sharapova in the finals of the 2004 WTA Tour Championships, 6–4, 2–6, 4–6. Since then, however, Williams 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 led 9–1, and they further met in 9 finals, with Williams leading 7–2. Sharapova retired in February 2020, with their final match being in the first round of the 2019 US Open; Williams defeated Sharapova 6–1, 6–1 in one hour exactly. Despite the one-sided nature of their rivalry, it is considered one of the most prominent rivalries on the WTA Tour of the 21st century, due to alleged personality clashes, similarly aggressive playing styles, and significant media interest.[334]

Match controversies

Accusations of match fixing

When both of the Williams sisters entered the top ten and started meeting 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."[335] After losing to Venus at the Indian Wells quarterfinals in 2001, Elena Dementieva asserted during a post-match interview that Richard Williams decided the results of matches between the two sisters.[336] Shortly after that, Venus Williams pulled out of her Indian Wells semifinal match against Serena Williams at the last minute, claiming tendinitis; this occurrence garnered much speculation in the press, and some fans demanded their money back.[337][338][339]

Indian Wells boycott

At the 2001 Ericsson Open the following week, Richard Williams stated that racist comments were made to him in the stands,[340] and the tournament director refused to offer Williams an apology for how he was treated.[citation needed] As a result, neither sister played the tournament even though it had become a mandatory stop on the WTA tour since 2009. In 2015, Williams decided to end her 14-year boycott and played.[341]

2004 US Open

In her US Open quarterfinal match against Jennifer Capriati, an incorrect overrule was made by chair umpire Mariana Alves; the video review showed that Williams's shot landed in bounds. In the same match, new technology being tested made incorrect line calls late in the third set. Williams argued with the chair over a couple of calls during the match, but was not successful. Capriati won the match, with Serena herself acknowledging that this was primarily due to her 57 unforced errors; nevertheless, she accused Alves of temporary insanity[342] and said that she "felt cheated."[343] In a post-match interview Capriati sharply observed that bad calls had gone against her in the past as well. Alves did not officiate for the remainder of the tournament; this was not punitive, as commonly thought, as she was not scheduled to officiate.[344] The controversy renewed calls for, and was widely given credit for, the adoption of technology such as the MacCAM and Hawk-Eye systems.[345]

2009 US Open

In the US Open semifinal round against Kim Clijsters, Williams slammed her racket on the court after losing the first set. She was given a warning, with a potential second violation carrying a one-point penalty. While trailing 4–6, 5–6, 15–30, Williams's second serve was called a foot fault, resulting in two match points for Clijsters. Williams gestured with her racket to the lineswoman who had made the call and yelled at her, with profanities and a threat to shove a tennis ball down the lineswoman's throat.[346] During the subsequent on-court conference between the chair umpire, the lineswoman, US Open officials, and Williams, a television microphone picked up Williams saying to the lineswoman, "I didn't say I would kill you! Are you serious?"[347] The incident resulted in Williams being penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct‍—‌necessitated by the earlier warning for racket abuse‍—‌meaning Clijsters won the match 6–4, 7–5. The following day, Williams was issued the maximum permissible on-site fine of $10,000 (plus $500 for racket abuse). After further investigation, the Grand Slam Committee in November 2009 fined her $175,000 in place of suspending her from the 2010 US Open or other Grand Slam events.[348] They also placed her on a two-year probation which provided that if Williams committed another offense at a Grand Slam event in the next two years, she would be suspended from participating in the following US Open. If, however, she committed no offenses within the next two years, her fine would be reduced to $82,500.[348] Williams initially refused to apologize for her outburst, both in her post-match press conference[349] and in an official statement released the following day.[119] She eventually did apologize, stating "I just really wanted to apologize sincerely because I'm a very prideful person, and I'm a very intense person and a very emotional person", and "I wanted to offer my sincere apologies to anyone that I may have offended." She said she was humbled by the experience.[350]

2011 US Open

In the final of the 2011 US Open against Samantha Stosur, Williams shouted "Come on!" as the Australian attempted to return a forehand Williams believed to be a winner. The chair umpire Eva Asderaki awarded the point to Stosur based on the ITF's deliberate hindrance rule, which states, "If a player commits any act which hinders his opponent in making a stroke, then, if this is deliberate, he shall lose the point or if involuntary, the point shall be replayed."[351] As the point was 30–40 on Williams's serve, the penalty gave the break of serve to Stosur. Williams became angry with the chair umpire and made several gestures and unflattering comments toward her during the next changeover, including telling Asderaki that if the umpire ever saw Serena coming toward her, she should "look the other way".[352] Williams initially gained momentum in the set following the penalty, breaking back in the next game, but eventually flagged and lost the match, 2–6, 3–6. At the end of the match, she declined to offer the customary handshake to Asderaki.[353][354] Williams mentioned the incident in her post-match speech as the tournament runner-up, asserting, "I hit a winner, but I guess it didn't count", but added, "It wouldn't have mattered in the end. Sam played well."[355] A writer for ESPN suggested that Williams could avoid being found to have violated the terms of the "probation" on which she was placed following her 2009 outburst, as she did not appear to have used profanity in addressing Asderaki during the match.[356] In the end, Williams was fined $2,000 and was not barred from competing in the 2012 US Open because "Williams's conduct, while verbally abusive, [did] not rise to the level of a major offence under the Grand Slam code of conduct."[357]

2018 US Open

Williams's 2018 US Open ended in controversy with Williams falling to Naomi Osaka in straight sets following a game penalty in the second set of the final. During that second set, she was given a code violation because her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, gave her coaching hand signals. Williams was upset by the violation, claiming that her coach was simply giving her a thumbs up, and demanded an apology from chair umpire Carlos Ramos. Mouratoglou later admitted that he was coaching.[358] She received a second violation for smashing her racket on the court, which resulted in a point penalty. After her third code violation for verbal abuse against the umpire, Williams was assessed a game penalty.[359][360] Williams said that she believed she was treated unfairly by the umpire because she is a woman.[361] Williams was fined a total of $17,000 including $4,000 for a coaching violation, $3,000 for racket abuse and $10,000 for verbal abuse towards the umpire.[362]

Other issues

In the beginning years of Williams's professional career, hair beads donned by the Williams sisters were the focus of discussion by commentators such as Chris Evert and John McEnroe, with Mary Carillo characterizing their hair as "noisy and disruptive."[363] The beads often broke and scattered across the court. Scholar Nancy E. Spencer said that commentary that dismissed the Williams' cultural hairstyles served to "other" the sisters, particularly in the context of a white dominated sport where their appearance and specifically their physicality is a popular topic for discussion.[363]

Following the match controversy at the 2018 US Open final between Williams and Naomi Osaka, the Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun published a cartoon by Mark Knight depicting Williams having a tantrum and breaking her racket while the umpire asks her opponent to "just let her win."[364] The cartoon was widely criticized as racist and sexist, including by Williams's husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and author J. K. Rowling.[365][366] Complaints centered around the portrayal of Williams as an angry black woman with exaggerated large lips, a broad flat nose, and positioned in an ape-like pose, and the portrayal of Williams's opponent, Osaka, who is half-Japanese, half-Haitian, with blonde hair.[367] At least some of these criticisms were inaccurate; video and photos from the 2018 US Open women's final show that Osaka's naturally dark hair was in fact dyed blonde at that time.[368] The editor of the Herald Sun argued the cartoon was unfairly criticized on social media.[369] Knight defended his work, saying that his satire was never about race or gender, but was about putting a spotlight on bad behaviour by sporting superstars. In the immediate aftermath of the controversy he suspended his Twitter account to "protect his family and friends."[369]

In September 2019, Romanian television host Radu Banciu made the following comments during a live broadcast: "Serena Williams looks exactly like one of those monkeys at the zoo with the red asses."[370] Romania's National Council for Combating Discrimination fined Banciu approximately $1,875 for his comments.

Legacy

Williams is considered one of the best female tennis players of all time. In 2017, BBC Sport users picked Williams as the greatest female tennis player of the Open Era. BBC presenter and former French Open Champion, Sue Barker, said "Serena is the greatest because this era is so much more competitive than previous eras. The pace she generates – her serve is without question the greatest ever – combined with her movement and her power, she pushes her opponents constantly on the back foot".[371] In 2018, a Tennis.com panel selected Serena as the greatest female tennis player in the Open Era.[372] Many commentators, players and sports writers regard Williams as the greatest woman tennis player of all time.[b] In 2018, Federer said the player who probably had the best case for tennis "Greatest Of All Time", man or woman, was Serena Williams.[374] In 2020, the Tennis Channel ranked Williams as the greatest woman tennis player of all time.[375] In 2022, John McEnroe described Williams as an "icon" and the "GOAT of GOATs".[376][377]

Alongside her sister Venus, Williams has been widely credited with increasing diversity within the sport:[378][379][380]

It all starts with Venus and Serena. The demonstration effect. The power of seeing two African-American girls with braids in the finals of the biggest tournaments in the world in a predominantly white sport. Just a huge impact that really can't be overstated. That attracted thousands of girls into the sport, not just African-American but all backgrounds and races. — Martin Blackman, General Manager of Player Development, United States Tennis Association[381]

Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens, French Open finalist Coco Gauff and four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka, have thanked Williams, saying that they never would've picked up a racket, if it was not for her. Osaka said "If you look at everyone that's our skin colour, clearly we followed her. I think I'm a product of what she's done. I wouldn't be here without Serena, Venus, her whole family".[382]

For their first match of March 2019, the women of the United States women's national soccer team each wore a jersey with the name of a woman they were honoring on the back; Crystal Dunn chose the name of Serena Williams.[383]

In December 2019, The Associated Press named Williams Female Athlete of the Decade for the 2010s.[384]

In September 2022, Twitter said that Williams was the most tweeted about female athlete ever.[385]

Personal life

 
Williams's husband Alexis Ohanian in 2018

Williams is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. He proposed to her on December 10, 2016, in Rome.[386] On December 30, 2016, Williams announced their engagement in a Reddit post.[387] They married on November 16, 2017, in New Orleans. Guests at the wedding included Beyoncé, Anna Wintour, Kelly Rowland and Kim Kardashian.[388] She planned to move to San Francisco with Ohanian after the wedding.[244]

On April 19, 2017, Williams posted a sideways picture of herself on Snapchat that focused on her midsection; it had the caption, "20 weeks", prompting speculation that she was pregnant.[389] Later that evening, her spokesperson confirmed the pregnancy.[390] The fact that she was 20 weeks pregnant when announcing her pregnancy meant that she was eight weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open earlier that year.[391] Williams later said that posting the picture on Snapchat was an accident, and that she had intended to save the photo for her records.[392]

In September 2017, Williams gave birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr, who is often referred to as "Olympia".[393][394] She had an emergency caesarean-section delivery due to the baby's heart rate dropping during labor and was at first devastated about it.[247] She suffered a pulmonary embolism after giving birth, leaving her bedridden for six weeks and delaying her return to training.[248] (This encounter was not her first with the disease venous thromboembolism; she had been hospitalized in 2011 for pulmonary embolism thought to have originated from a deep vein thrombosis.)[395] In August 2018, she revealed she was suffering from postpartum depression.[396] Williams gave her daughter a doll, Qai Qai, that has become famous on social media.[397] She has also faced many questions whether she would raise her daughter to play tennis to which she answered saying she has already hired a coach for her daughter. She also posts many pictures of her and her daughter on the tennis court with rackets.[398]

Williams was raised a Jehovah's Witness, but states she has "never really practiced it".[244] She often thanks Jehovah after winning matches.[399] Williams confirmed that she follows some practices: "Olympia doesn't celebrate birthdays. We're Jehovah's Witnesses, so we don't do that."[400] In January 2023, about half a year after her retirement, she got baptised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in Florida.[401]

Williams' current agent is former player Jill Smoller.[402]

Off-court activities

Equipment and endorsements

In the early 2000s, Williams wore Puma apparel and footwear on court.[403] Williams signed a five-year endorsement deal with Nike in 2004 for $40 million, and has been endorsed by the company for clothing, apparel, and footwear ever since.[404] Nike designs custom clothing for Williams, which she wears on the court along with custom footwear. She used the Wilson Hammer Stretch range of racquets when she won her first Grand Slam title in 1999, before switching to the Hyper Hammer range.[405] She switched to the Wilson nCode briefly in 2005, and has used various iterations of the Wilson Blade racquet since 2008. Her racquet is typically oversized, with a head size of 104 square inches. Since 2017, Wilson has manufactured a signature racquet, the Wilson Blade SW104, which is designed to Williams's specifications. Since 2020, Williams has used a smaller variant of this racquet, the Wilson Blade SW102 Autograph.[406]

Williams also has endorsement deals with Gatorade, Delta Air Lines, Audemars Piguet, Aston Martin, Pepsi, Beats by Dre headphones, Mission Athletecare, Berlei bras, OPI Products, OnePiece, IBM, Mini, Intel, Tempur and Chase Bank.[citation needed]

Williams is the current[when?] CSO (Chief Sporting Officer) for British luxury automobile manufacturer Aston Martin. She accepted the contract in June 2015. Williams then posted her first experience on social media service Twitter, and said: "I'm loving my first day on the job as Chief Sporting Officer and Director of Fun!", stating her optimism on the job as the CSO.[407][408]

Williams is also on the board of directors at SurveyMonkey.[409]

Fashion

Williams has been noted for her unusual and colorful outfits on court. In 2002, there was much talk when she wore a black lycra catsuit at the US Open.[410] At the 2004 US Open, Williams wore denim skirts and knee-high boots—tournament officials did not allow her to wear the boots during matches.[411] At the 2008 Wimbledon, the white trench coat she wore during warm-up for her opening match was the subject of much discussion since it was worn despite sunny weather.[412] Some social scientists have argued that the most negative reactions to Williams's on-court fashion statements, especially in newspaper coverage of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, combines with writers' fixation upon her muscular body to distract from her on-court accomplishments and fit this commentary within centuries-old narratives of the "pornographic eroticism" and "sexual grotesquerie" of African and African-American women.[413]

Williams formerly had a special line with Puma.[414] In April 2004, she signed a deal worth US$40 million for a line with Nike.[415] Since 2004, she has also run her own line of designer apparel, "Aneres"—her first name spelled backward. In 2009, she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry.[416] The collection, Signature Statement, is sold mainly on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).[417]

In early 2010, Williams became a certified nail technician in preparation for her upcoming nail collection with a company called HairTech.[418] In 2015, she became the first black female athlete to have a picture by herself on the cover of Vogue, which she did for the April 2015 issue.[419] In 2015, she also presented her HSN Signature Statement collection for the second time at the New York Fashion Week Show‍—‌a clothing line exclusively made for the retailer HSN.[417]

In May 2018, she wore a skin-tight catsuit at the 2018 French Open that likened a superhero outfit and helped promote her new clothing line, Serena.[420][421][422] The outfit was subsequently banned by the French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli, with the explanation: "It will no longer be accepted. One must respect the game and the place." Williams then wore a black tutu to her first match at the 2018 US Open on August 27, 2018, against Magda Linette which she dominated in straight sets.[423][424] In February 2019, Serena Williams was appointed to the board of directors of online fashion marketplace Poshmark.[425]

In Fall 2019, Williams launched the first collection of her sustainable clothing line, S by Serena.[426] Inspired by 1990s street wear, S by Serena collections are shown on a range of body types and sizes (ranging from XS to 3X), highlighting the line's focus on inclusivity.[427]

Activism

Williams has become more involved in social change as her career has progressed, primarily using social media as a medium of expressing her views. In 2016 she posted her support of Black Lives Matter on her Facebook page, voicing her concern about her young nephew being in danger from police officers owing to his skin color.[428] 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 by tweeting her displeasure, saying, "@TennysSandgren I don't need or want one. But there is an entire group of people that deserves an apology. I can't look at my daughter and tell her I sat back and was quiet. No! She will know how to stand up for herself and others – through my example." Additionally, she attached an image that read, "Maturity is being able to apologize and admit when you're wrong because you know that your mistakes don't define you".[429]

Also in 2016, Serena Williams wrote an open letter in Porter Magazine's "Incredible Women of 2016" to speak out about gender equality and her personal struggles as a woman in tennis.[430] She noted that women's contributions to the sport of tennis are not recognized in the way men's contributions are recognized; she also called out issues of equal pay in tennis. She ended the letter stating that she hoped that her letter would inspire a new generation of women to "push for greatness and follow their dreams with steadfast resilience."[431]

Williams received several awards for her activism, namely those directed towards Black communities. She was listed among the 35 "most remarkable and beautiful black women" in the world by Essence magazine.[432] The NAACP honored Williams with the President's Award at the annual NAACP Image Awards.[citation needed][433]

Williams, in 2014, founded the equity company "Serena Ventures."[434] The firm's goal is to help start-up companies whose perspectives and innovations level the playing field for women and people of color.

Entertainment

Williams has appeared on television and also provided voice work on animated shows: in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons Serena joined the animation along with sister Venus, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.[435] She has also provided guest voice work in a 2005 episode of Playhouse Disney's animated kids show Higglytown Heroes and a 2007 episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender,[436] which she has described as her "favorite show".[437]

Williams has posed for the 2003 and 2004 editions of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[438] In April 2005, MTV announced plans to broadcast a reality show around the lives of Serena and Venus, which was eventually aired on ABC Family. Williams has appeared twice on MTV's Punk'd and in 2007, appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race. In 2002, she played Miss Wiggins in the season 3 episode "Crouching Mother, Hidden Father" of My Wife and Kids;[439] she has also guest-starred in episodes of The Bernie Mac Show, ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[440] In 2007, Williams appeared in the music video of "I Want You" by the American rapper Common, alongside performers Alicia Keys and Kanye West.[441]

In late 2009, Williams became the first active female professional athlete to appear in a feminine hygiene product advertising campaign. A series of online videos and print advertisements for Tampax Pearl tampons showed her hitting balls at Mother Nature, played by Catherine Lloyd Burns, to prevent Mother Nature giving her a red-wrapped gift, representing her menstrual period. In the online videos, the two have dueling press conferences over the "bad blood" between them. "A lot of celebrities are not open to working with our brand, and we're thrilled that Serena is", said a brand manager for Tampax at Procter & Gamble.[442]

In July 2012, she appeared on ABC's comedic improv TV series Trust Us with Your Life and as a lawyer on Lifetime's television series Drop Dead Diva.[citation needed]

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Pac-Man, Williams made a cameo appearance in the film Pixels, which starred Adam Sandler and Kevin James, and premiered on July 24, 2015.[443]

Williams is known to be close to Beyoncé and made a cameo appearance dancing in Beyoncé's music video for the song Sorry in the hit album Lemonade. Williams said the director told her, "We would love for you to be in this particular song. It's about strength and it's about courage and that's what we see you as."[444]

In 2021, Williams signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios.[445] She makes a cameo appearance as himself in the 2022 Netflix film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.[446]

Language fluency

In addition to English as her native language, Williams also speaks conversational French and knows some Spanish and Italian. At the 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018 French Open she gave her on-court interviews in French much to the crowd's delight.[447][448]

Miami Dolphins venture

In August 2009, Williams and her sister Venus became minority owners of the Miami Dolphins after purchasing a small stake in the team. They live near each other in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida,[244] which is about an hour's drive from the Dolphins' stadium. They are the first black women to hold any amount of ownership in an NFL franchise.[449]

Charity work

In 2004 and 2005, Serena and her sister, Venus, visited hospitals and played several tennis matches in predominantly black cities to raise money for the local Ronald McDonald House charities. An ESPN episode was dedicated to the Williams sisters' charity tour.[432] In 2008, as part of the Serena Williams Foundation's work, Williams helped to fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya.[450][451][452] The Serena Williams 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.[453][454] She received a Celebrity Role Model Award from Avon Foundation in 2003 for work in breast cancer.[455] Williams has also been involved in a number of clinics at schools and community centers, particularly those which have programs focusing on at-risk youth.[1] She has also won the "Young Heroes Award" from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and Inland (2003) and the "Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award" (2004).[1] 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 2010 Australian Open to form a charity event in which all proceeds would go to the Haiti earthquake victims.[456] Serena, along with her sister Venus, is a supporter and contributor of First Serve Miami, a foundation for youth who want to learn tennis but are socially and economically challenged.[457][458][459][460] She has been an International Goodwill Ambassador with UNICEF since 2011 and has helped launch UNICEF's Schools for Asia campaign.[461][462][463][464]

In addition to the Serena Williams Fund in 2016, Serena and Venus collaborated on the Williams Sisters Fund to work on philanthropic projects together.[465] Also in 2016, in their childhood home of Compton, California Serena and Venus teamed up to found the Yetunde Price Resource Center, in honor of their late sister. The Resource Center provides services to families affected by community violence.[465]

Williams's return to Indian Wells in 2015 was done in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation to those who might have been denied a fair trial.[466] EJI executive director Bryan Stevenson lauded her courage in supporting his organization. "It's so rare when athletes at the top of their game are willing to embrace a set of issues that, for a lot of people, are edgier", he said. "This is not aid to orphans. ... She was standing when a lot of her contemporaries remain seated, speaking up when others are being quiet."[467]

In 2014, Williams began hosting an annual charity run named "The Serena Williams Ultimate Fun Run". The event is in support of the Serena Williams Fund, which helps underprivileged individuals and communities that are affected by senseless violence and to ensure equal access to education of youth.[468][465][469]

In 2017, Williams became Ambassador for the Allstate Foundation's Purple Purse project, an initiative to provide financial empowerment to domestic abuse victims.[470][471] In a press release, Vicky Dinges, Allstate's senior vice president of corporate responsibility, said, "we are thrilled to welcome Serena, a longtime advocate and role model for so many, to the Purple Purse family. Her voice will bring new audiences into this critical conversation."[471]

Other charitable 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.[472][473]

Writing

The Williams sisters, with author Hilary Beard, wrote a book titled Venus & Serena: Serving From The Hip: 10 Rules For Living, Loving and Winning, which was published in 2005.[474][475] During the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, Williams said that she was in the process of writing a TV show storyline, which would be converted into script form by her agency. She stated that the show would represent subject matter from a mix of popular American television shows such as Desperate Housewives and Family Guy.[476] Williams released her first solo autobiography, entitled On the Line, following the 2009 US Open.[citation needed]

Soccer

On July 21, 2020, Williams was announced as part of a nearly all-women investors' group that was awarded a new franchise in the National Women's Soccer League, the top level of the women's sport in the U.S. The new team is set to start play in 2022. Her husband Alexis Ohanian is classified as the "lead investor", but he holds a minority interest, and is the only male in the ownership group. Other announced owners include several prominent actresses and media figures, two businesswomen, 14 former members of the U.S. women's national team, and her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian.[477]

Career statistics

Grand Slam tournament performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player's participation has ended.

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 SR W–L 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 88%
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 83%
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 88%
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 88%
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 2–2 23 / 81 367–56 87%

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

Women's doubles: 14 (14–0)

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

Mixed doubles: 4 (2–2)

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

Records

Williams has won a record 13 Grand Slam singles titles on hard court. She holds the Open Era record for most women's singles titles at the Australian Open (7) and shares with Chris Evert the Open Era record for most titles won at the US Open (6). She also holds the records for the most women's singles matches won at majors (367) and most singles majors won since turning 30 years old (10). She is the only tennis player, male or female, to win three of the four Grand Slams at least 6 times. She is also a five-time winner of the WTA Tour Championships in the singles division.[478]

In doubles, the Williams sisters have the third most women's doubles Grand Slam titles, behind the 18 titles of Natasha Zvereva (14 with Gigi Fernández) and the record 20 titles won by Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver. Serena and Venus are the only tennis players in history with four Olympic gold medals (three in women's doubles together and one each in singles), and to win Olympic gold in the same event on three occasions. They are the only Open Era women tennis players to win Olympic Gold in both the singles and doubles categories.[143] At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Serena Williams became only the third player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at one Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody at the 1924 Summer Olympics and Venus at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Williams is the only player, male or female, to accomplish a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.[479][480]

  • Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
  • Records in italics are currently active streaks.[when?]

Filmography

Williams as a child, her early training, and relationship to her sister Venus and family are depicted in the 2021 feature movie King Richard, which focuses especially on Venus's teenage transition into a professional tennis player.[481]

Film and television
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"
2003 Street Time Meeka Hayes Episode: "Fly Girl"
2004 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Chloe Spiers Episode: "Brotherhood"
2004 The Division Jennifer Davis Episode: "Lost and Found"
2004 Hair Show Agent Ross
2005 Higglytown Heroes Snowplow Driver Hero (voice) Episode: "Higgly Hoedown/Eubie's Turbo Sled"
2005 ER Alice Watson Episode: "Two Ships "
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"
2007 Avatar: The Last Airbender Ming (voice) Episode: "The Day of Black Sun: Part 1 – The Invasion"
2006 The Bernie Mac Show Herself Episode: "Spinning Wheels"
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 Drop Dead Diva Kelly Stevens Episode: "Rigged"
2012 Venus and Serena Herself
2013 The Legend of Korra Female Sage (voice) Episode: "Beginnings, Part 1"
2015 7 Days in Hell Herself
2015 Pixels Herself Cameo[443]
2016 Lemonade music video Herself Cameo in "Sorry"
2016 Serena: The Other Side of Greatness Herself Documentary
2018 Ocean's 8 Herself Cameo
2018 Being Serena Herself Documentary
2022 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Herself Cameo

See also

References

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serena, williams, serena, jameka, williams, born, september, 1981, american, inactive, professional, tennis, player, considered, among, greatest, tennis, players, time, ranked, world, singles, women, tennis, association, weeks, including, joint, record, consec. Serena Jameka Williams born September 26 1981 1 is an American inactive professional tennis player Considered among the greatest tennis players of all time a she was ranked world No 1 in singles by the Women s Tennis Association WTA for 319 weeks including a joint record 186 consecutive weeks and finished as the year end No 1 five times She won 23 Grand Slam singles titles the most by any player in the Open Era and the second most of all time Serena WilliamsWilliams at the 2020 US OpenFull nameSerena Jameka WilliamsCountry sports United StatesResidencePalm Beach Gardens Florida U S 1 Born 1981 09 26 September 26 1981 age 41 Saginaw Michigan U S Height5 ft 9 in 175 cm 1 Turned proOctober 1995RetiredSeptember 2022 inactive PlaysRight handed two handed backhand CoachRichard Williams 1994 2022 Oracene Price 1994 2003 Patrick Mouratoglou 2012 2022 Eric Hechtman 2022 2 Rennae Stubbs 2022 Prize moneyUS 94 816 730 3 1st in all time rankingsOfficial websitewww wbr serenawilliams wbr comSinglesCareer record858 156 84 6 Career titles73 5th in overall rankings Highest rankingNo 1 July 8 2002 Grand Slam singles resultsAustralian OpenW 2003 2005 2007 2009 2010 2015 2017 French OpenW 2002 2013 2015 WimbledonW 2002 2003 2009 2010 2012 2015 2016 US OpenW 1999 2002 2008 2012 2013 2014 Other tournamentsGrand Slam CupW 1999 Tour FinalsW 2001 2009 2012 2013 2014 Olympic GamesW 2012 DoublesCareer record192 35 84 6 Career titles23Highest rankingNo 1 June 21 2010 Grand Slam doubles resultsAustralian OpenW 2001 2003 2009 2010 French OpenW 1999 2010 WimbledonW 2000 2002 2008 2009 2012 2016 US OpenW 1999 2009 Other doubles tournamentsTour FinalsSF 2009 Olympic GamesW 2000 2008 2012 Mixed doublesCareer record27 4 87 1 Grand Slam mixed doubles resultsAustralian OpenF 1999 French OpenF 1998 WimbledonW 1998 US OpenW 1998 Team competitionsFed CupW 1999 record 17 3Hopman CupW 2003 2008 SignatureMedal record Representing United StatesOlympic Games2000 Sydney Doubles2008 Beijing Doubles2012 London Singles2012 London DoublesAlong with her older 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 a non calendar year Grand Slam and the career Grand Slam known as the Serena Slam The next few years saw her claim two more singles majors but suffer from injury and decline in form Beginning in 2007 however she gradually returned to form despite continued injuries retaking the world No 1 singles ranking Beginning at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships Williams returned to dominance claiming Olympic gold and becoming the first tennis player to achieve a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles 19 She won eight out of thirteen singles majors including all four in a row from 2014 15 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 She then took a break from professional tennis after becoming pregnant and reached four major finals since returning to play In August 2022 Williams announced her impending evolution away from professional tennis and played what was expected to be her final match at the 2022 US Open 20 Williams also won 14 major women s doubles titles all with her sister Venus and the pair was unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals 21 This includes a non calendar year Grand Slam between the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and the 2010 French Open which granted the sisters the doubles world No 1 ranking She won four Olympic gold medals three in women s doubles an all time joint record shared with her sister 22 She has also won two major mixed doubles titles both in 1998 The arrival of the Williams sisters has been credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women s professional tennis tour 23 24 25 26 Serena holds the most combined major titles in singles doubles and mixed doubles among active players with 39 23 in singles 14 in women s doubles and two in mixed doubles She is 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 03 and 2014 15 and the most recent woman to win the Surface Slam major titles on hard clay and grass courts in the same calendar year doing so in 2015 She is also with Venus the most recent player to have simultaneously held all four major women s doubles titles 2009 10 Williams was the world s highest paid woman athlete in 2016 earning almost 29 million 27 She repeated this feat in 2017 when she was the only woman on Forbes list of the 100 highest paid athletes with 27 million in prize money and endorsements She has won the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year award four times 2003 2010 2016 2018 and in December 2015 was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine 28 In 2021 she was ranked 28th on Forbes World s Highest Paid Athletes list She is the highest earning woman athlete of all time 29 Contents 1 Early life 2 Professional career 2 1 1995 1998 Professional debut 2 1 1 Battle of the sexes Karsten Braasch vs the Williams sisters 2 2 1999 2001 Becoming a top 10 player 2 3 2002 2003 Serena Slam 2 4 2004 2007 Injuries and the comeback 2 5 2008 2010 Back to No 1 and injuries 2 6 2011 2013 Return to dominance career golden slam 2 7 2014 2015 Second Serena Slam 2 8 2016 Open Era Grand Slam record 2 9 2017 Australian Open victory and pregnancy 2 10 2018 Return to tennis Wimbledon and US Open runner up 2 11 2019 Return to the top 10 injuries Wimbledon and US Open runner up 2 12 2020 First title since maternity leave 2 13 2021 Australian Open semifinal out of top 40 2 14 2022 King Richard promotion Eastbourne and Wimbledon retirement 3 Evolving away from tennis 4 Playing style 5 Rivalries 5 1 Serena vs Venus 5 2 Williams vs Hingis 5 3 Williams vs Capriati 5 4 Williams vs Henin 5 5 Williams vs Azarenka 5 6 Williams vs Sharapova 6 Match controversies 6 1 Accusations of match fixing 6 2 Indian Wells boycott 6 3 2004 US Open 6 4 2009 US Open 6 5 2011 US Open 6 6 2018 US Open 6 7 Other issues 7 Legacy 8 Personal life 9 Off court activities 9 1 Equipment and endorsements 9 2 Fashion 9 3 Activism 9 4 Entertainment 9 5 Language fluency 9 6 Miami Dolphins venture 9 7 Charity work 9 8 Writing 9 9 Soccer 10 Career statistics 10 1 Grand Slam tournament performance timeline 10 2 Grand Slam tournament finals 10 2 1 Singles 33 23 10 10 2 2 Women s doubles 14 14 0 10 2 3 Mixed doubles 4 2 2 11 Records 12 Filmography 13 See also 14 References 15 Bibliography 16 External linksEarly lifeWilliams was born on September 26 1981 in Saginaw Michigan to Oracene Price and Richard Williams She is the youngest of Price s five daughters half sisters Yetunde Lyndrea and Isha Price and full older sister Venus 1 She also has at least seven paternal half siblings 30 31 When the children were young the family moved to Compton California where she started playing tennis at age four 32 33 Her father home schooled her and her sister Venus 34 35 While he and subsequently her mother have been their 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 36 Williams sisters at a Pam Shriver event in Baltimore 1993 When Williams was nine she and her family moved from Compton to West Palm Beach Florida 32 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 37 Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments when Williams was 10 as he wanted them to go slowly and focus on school work Experiences of racism also influenced this decision as he had heard white parents talk about the Williams sisters in a derogatory manner during tournaments 38 At that time Williams had a 46 3 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked number one among under 10 players in Florida 39 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 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 Williams responded Everyone does different things I think for Venus and I we just attempted a different road and it worked for us 39 Professional career1995 1998 Professional debut Williams parents wanted their daughter to wait until she was 16 to participate in professional tournaments 40 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 by the WTA owing to their age eligibility restrictions 41 She subsequently filed an antitrust lawsuit against the women s tour but withdrew it at her parents request 41 Her first professional event was in October 1995 at the Bell Challenge in Quebec 40 42 where she used a wild card entry to circumvent age eligibility rules 40 She lost in the first qualifying round to then 18 year old American Annie Miller winning just two games 43 Williams did not play a tournament in 1996 citation needed The next year she lost in the qualifying rounds of three tournaments citation needed before winning her first main draw match in November at the Ameritech Cup Chicago 44 Ranked No 304 she upset No 7 Mary Pierce and No 4 Monica Seles 45 46 recording her first career wins over top 10 players and becoming the lowest ranked player in the Open Era to defeat two top 10 opponents in one tournament 1 She ultimately lost in the semifinals to No 5 Lindsay Davenport 47 She finished 1997 ranked No 99 48 Williams began 1998 at the Medibank International Sydney 49 As a qualifier ranked No 96 50 she defeated No 3 Davenport in the quarterfinals 50 before losing to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the semifinals 51 Williams made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open 52 where she defeated sixth seeded Irina Spirlea in the first round 53 before losing to her sister Venus in the second round in the sisters first professional match 53 49 She reached six other quarterfinals during the year but lost all of them 54 including her first match against No 1 ranked Martina Hingis at the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne 55 and her second match against Venus at the Italian Open in Rome 54 She failed to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam tournament the remainder of the year citation needed losing in the fourth round of the French Open to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 56 and the third round of the US Open to Spirlea 57 She withdrew from Wimbledon two games into a match with Virginia Ruano Pascual after straining a calf muscle during the first set 58 She did win the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open with Max Mirnyi completing the Williams family s sweep of the 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slam tournaments She won her first professional title in doubles at the U S National Indoor Championships in Oklahoma City with Venus becoming the third pair of sisters to win a WTA title 1 They won two more doubles titles that year Williams finished the year ranked No 20 in singles citation needed Battle of the sexes Karsten Braasch vs the Williams sisters Main article Battle of the Sexes tennis A 16 year old Serena and her sister Venus competed in a tennis Battle of the Sexes against Karsten Braasch at the 1998 Australian Open 59 At the time Braasch was 203rd in the ATP rankings The sisters had claimed they could beat any man outside the top 200 and accepted his challenge Braasch beat both of them playing one set against each The score versus Serena was 6 1 and 6 2 against Venus 60 Braasch said afterward 500 and above no chance The sisters later tweaked the number to beating men outside the top 350 61 1999 2001 Becoming a top 10 player Williams lost in the third round of the 1999 Australian Open to Sandrine Testud A month later Williams won her first professional singles title when she defeated Amelie Mauresmo in the final of the Open Gaz de France in Paris With Venus also winning the IGA Superthrift Classic in Memphis Tennessee that day the pair became the first sisters to win professional tournaments in the same week 62 In March of that year at the Evert Cup in California Williams won her first Tier I title defeating Steffi Graf in the final Soon afterward 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 49 and she then made her top 10 debut at No 9 She then lost in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open 63 and the German Open 64 and the third round of the French Open 65 where she and Venus won the women s doubles title 49 Williams then missed Wimbledon because of injury When she returned to the tour Williams won a Fed Cup singles match and then won the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles beating Julie Halard Decugis in the final She then defeated in succession Grand Slam champions Kim Clijsters Conchita Martinez Monica Seles and defending champion Lindsay Davenport to reach the US Open final where she defeated No 1 Hingis to become the second African American woman after Althea Gibson in 1958 to win a Grand Slam singles tournament 1 The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at this tournament To complete her 1999 season Williams won a doubles match in the Fed Cup final against Russia Williams ended the year ranked No 4 in just her second full year on the main tour 66 Williams started 2000 by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Elena Likhovtseva She failed to defend her titles in Paris and Indian Wells although she did win the Faber Grand Prix in Germany Soon afterwards Williams missed the French Open because of injury She returned from injury at the Wimbledon Championships where she lost to Venus in the semifinals but the pair won the doubles title at the event Williams successfully defended her title in Los Angeles defeating Davenport in the final She reached the final of the Du Maurier Open where an injury forced her to retire from her match with Hingis Her defense of the US Open title ended when she lost in the quarterfinals to Davenport Williams teamed with Venus to win the gold medal in doubles at the Sydney Olympics that September She ended the year winning the Toyota Princess Cup in Japan and she finished the year ranked No 6 citation needed Williams began 2001 losing to Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals of the Medibank International in Sydney and the Australian Open in Melbourne Williams and her sister won the doubles title 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 Her next event was the Pacific Life Open in California where she defeated Kim Clijsters in the final The final was marred by the behavior of the crowd toward Williams and her family Crowd members were incensed at the perceived match fixing of games involving the family after Venus withdrew before their semifinal Neither Williams nor her sister entered the tournament for fourteen years until Williams entered in 2015 as a wildcard and the top seed 67 The following week at the Ericsson Open in Miami Williams lost to Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals She then lost in the quarterfinals to Capriati at both the French Open and Wimbledon Championships That was the fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament at which Williams had exited in the quarterfinals During the North American hard court season she lost in the quarterfinals of Los Angeles against Monica Seles then captured her second title of the year at the Rogers Cup defeating Capriati in the final Williams reached the final of the 2001 US Open losing to sister Venus That was the first Grand Slam tournament final contested by two sisters during the Open Era At the 2001 season ending Tour Championships Williams won the championship by walkover when Davenport withdrew before the start of the final because of a knee injury Williams finished 2001 at No 6 for the second straight year citation needed 2002 2003 Serena Slam Early 2002 injury saw Williams retire from the semifinal at the Medibank International Sydney and later withdraw from the Australian Open 68 Playing Amelie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Sydney in 2002 Returning from injury Williams won her first title of the year in Scottsdale Arizona defeating No 2 Jennifer Capriati in the final She then won the Miami Masters for the first time becoming one of three players in the Open Era to defeat the world s top 3 ranked players at one tournament 1 after beating No 3 Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals No 2 Venus in the semifinals and the top ranked player Capriati in the final Serena s straight set win over Venus was her second career win over her sister citation needed Williams played three clay court tournaments before the 2002 French Open Her first tournament was at Charleston where she was the third seed Williams reached the quarterfinals before losing to Patty Schnyder She reached her first clay court final in May at the Eurocard German Open losing to Justine Henin in a third set tiebreak Williams went on to win her first clay court title at the Italian Open defeating Capriati in the semifinals and Henin in the final 69 This raised her ranking to a new high of No 3 Williams was the third seed at the French Open at Roland Garros where she claimed her first title thereby defeating defending champion Capriati in the semifinals and sister Venus in the final to win her second Grand Slam tournament title and her first in two and a half years As a result of raising the trophy at Court Philippe Chatrier Williams rose to a career high of No 2 second only to Venus citation needed At the 2002 Wimbledon Championships Williams won tennis s oldest championship for the first time in her life defeating Venus to win a Grand Slam singles title without dropping a set for the first time in her career This victory earned Williams the world No 1 ranking for the first time dethroning her sister and becoming only the third African American woman to hold that ranking 1 The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at the tournament the fifth Grand Slam doubles title for the pair Williams played just one tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open losing in the quarterfinals of the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles to American Chanda Rubin and ending a 21 match winning streak The top seeded player 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 the second US Open crown of her career Williams won two consecutive singles titles in the fall defeating Kim Clijsters to win the Toyota Princess Cup in Tokyo and Anastasia Myskina to win the Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig Germany She reached the final at the year end Home Depot Championships at the Staples Center in Los Angeles where she lost to fifth seeded Clijsters in straight sets ending an 18 match winning streak citation needed Williams finished 2002 with a 56 5 W L record eight singles titles and the No 1 ranking She was the first African American to end a year with that ranking since Althea Gibson in 1958 citation needed and was the first woman to win three Grand Slam tournament titles in one year since Hingis in 1997 1 Her three consecutive Grand Slam titles to close 2002 also made Williams only the third player in tennis history to win the Surface Slam 70 three Slam titles on three surfaces in the same calendar year after Navratilova 1984 and Graf 1993 1995 1996 citation needed At the 2003 Australian Open Williams reached the tournament s semifinals for the first time where she recovered from 5 1 down in the third set and saved two match points before defeating Clijsters In the final Serena faced Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament final defeating her older sister to become the sixth woman in the Open Era to complete a career Grand Slam alongside Margaret Court Billie Jean King Chris Evert Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf She also became the fifth woman to hold all Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously joining Maureen Connolly Brinker Court Graf and Navratilova This feat was dubbed the Serena Slam by the press 71 72 The Williams sisters won their sixth Grand Slam doubles title together at this event 73 During the spring of 2003 Williams captured the singles titles at the Open Gaz de France and the Sony Ericsson Open Williams s winning streak came to an end when she lost the final of the Family Circle Cup to Henin her first loss of the year after 21 wins She also lost to Mauresmo in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d Italia in Rome Despite these losses Williams was the top seed at the French Open where she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Henin marking Williams s first loss in a Grand Slam tournament since 2001 The match was controversial as Williams questioned Henin s sportsmanship and spectators applauded Williams s errors 74 Williams rebounded from the French Open loss a couple weeks later at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships defeating Henin in the semifinals and Venus in the final This was Williams s second consecutive Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam singles title overall Wimbledon was Williams s last tournament of 2003 she pulled out of three events in the US and then underwent surgery on the quadriceps tendon in her knee in early August Williams was initially expected to be out for six to eight weeks 75 2004 2007 Injuries and the comeback Main articles 2004 2005 2006 and 2007 Serena Williams tennis seasonAfter eight months away from the tour during which time her desire was questioned 76 Williams began her comeback at the 2004 NASDAQ 100 Open in Miami in March where she made a triumphant return as she won the title for the third consecutive year Delivering a serve at an exhibition in November 2004 Although ranked No 7 Williams was seeded second at the French Open where after winning four matches she lost to Capriati in the quarterfinals That was the first time that Williams had lost before the semifinals at a Grand Slam singles tournament since Wimbledon in 2001 A few weeks later even though her ranking had dropped to No 10 Williams was seeded first at Wimbledon She won six matches en route to the final where 13th seeded Maria Sharapova defeated her in straight sets This loss caused her ranking 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 which was her first loss to the American since the 2000 US Open After missing her national championship in 2003 Williams returned for the 2004 US Open where she was seeded third despite her No 11 ranking She lost in the U S Open quarterfinals to Capriati in three sets in controversial fashion 77 That fall Williams won her second title of the year at the China Open 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 In the round robin phase of the tournament Williams defeated Dementieva and Anastasia Myskina and lost to Davenport but still advanced to the elimination stage After winning her semifinal she lost to Sharapova in the final where she suffered an abdominal injury 78 Williams finished 2004 ranked No 7 but did not win a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first season since 2001 citation needed At the 2005 Australian Open Williams rejected suggestions that she and sister Venus were a declining force in tennis following Venus s early exit 79 Williams saved three match points to defeat Sharapova 8 6 in the third of their semifinal In the final Williams defeated top seed Davenport to win her second Australian Open and seventh Grand Slam singles title winning 12 of the last 15 games 80 The win moved Williams back to No 2 but stated she was targeting the top spot 81 Williams completed just two tournaments between the Australian Open and Wimbledon losing to Venus in Miami and at Internazionali BNL d Italia to Francesca Schiavone as Williams suffered a series of retirements and withdraws 82 83 A reoccurring ankle injury causing her to miss the French Open 84 She returned for Wimbledon as the 4th seeded player but was defeated in the third round by No 85 Jill Craybas At the US Open Williams lost to her sister Venus in the fourth round This was the earliest the sisters had met in a Grand Slam tournament since their first meeting at the 1998 Australian Open Williams played just one more match that fall a loss to No 127 Sun Tiantian at the tournament in Beijing She failed to qualify for the year end championship for the first time since 1998 and she finished the year 2005 ranked No 11 her first time finishing the season outside the top 10 since 1998 citation needed Williams made her 2006 debut at the Australian Open Defending the title Williams lost to Daniela Hantuchova in the third round 85 After the tournament she told the press that she was injured blaming a lack of fitness and a knee injury for keeping her off the court 86 In her biography Williams claims that she was actually suffering from depression She stayed away from pro tennis for six months during the 2006 season After she had shut herself off from the world for a period Williams saw a therapist daily 87 After a chance meeting with a young girl who idolized Williams and believed that she could still win Williams signed up to play in Cincinnati 88 her first tournament since Melbourne Williams had slipped to No 139 the lowest ranking she had held since 1997 On her return Williams defeated Myskina and Bethanie Mattek 89 90 before losing in the semifinals to Vera Zvonareva 91 She also reached the semifinals in Los Angeles losing to Jankovic in straight sets At the US Open Williams needed a wildcard to enter the tournament as her ranking at the cut off time was No 139 outside the automatic 102 Her ranking had improved to 79th by the time the tournament came around 92 She lost to top seeded Mauresmo in the fourth round 93 Following the US Open she did not play again in 2006 ending the year ranked No 95 her lowest year end ranking since 1997 citation needed Williams began 2007 with renewed confidence stating her intention to return to the top of the rankings 94 a comment 1987 Wimbledon men s singles champion and commentator Pat Cash branded deluded 95 Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the Hobart International a warm up for the Australian Open where Williams was unseeded because of her No 81 ranking and was widely regarded as out of shape 96 She experienced a huge amount of pressure on herself before the tournament coming from her fans and the press as well as Williams herself about her weight focus and needing a good showing citation needed Shortly before her first match a representative from Nike paid her a visit in the players lounge informing her that if she did not perform to her accustomed level the company might drop her Williams claimed that Nike s ultimatum meant that she would have to reach the quarterfinals at least 97 The distraction from Nike did not distract Williams as she lost just three games to Mara Santangelo and defeated Anne Kremer in straight sets 98 By this point a blister had developed on Williams s foot and she had contracted a cold In the third round Williams found herself two points away from going home against Nadia Petrova but fought back to win in three sets which was her first win over a top 10 player since defeating Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open final Williams then made it to the final defeating Jankovic Pe er and Vaidisova Williams described them as good players Strong players Players who certainly didn t expect an overweight out of shape has been champion like me to give them a game 99 Williams also found herself two points from going out against Peer before turning it around 100 By the time Williams had reached the final the cold and blister had both left Previewing the finals Tracy Austin stated that although Williams had a great tournament she believed that the ride was over and that Sharapova would have no trouble with Williams Williams thought it was mean and unnecessary and used it as motivation along with other criticism 101 In the final Williams lost just three games against Maria Sharapova winning her first title at any tournament since winning the 2005 Australian Open 24 months prior 100 Williams became the first player since Chris O Neil to win the title while not being seeded and claimed her third Australian Open and eighth Grand Slam singles title overall The win elevated Williams to 14th in the rankings Williams dedicated the title to her deceased half sister Yetunde 102 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 96 103 In her post match interview Williams took a swipe at her critics stating that she had proved them wrong 104 Williams won the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami for the fourth time by defeating Justine Henin Williams had to record a come from behind win after being whitewashed in the first set and saving two match points in the second 105 She played for her country in the Fed Cup for the first time since 2003 in a tie against Belgium and won her opening match 106 but withdrew from her second because of a knee injury 107 At the French Open Williams lost in the quarterfinals to Henin 108 During her fourth round match against Hantuchova at Wimbledon Williams collapsed from an acute muscle spasm at 5 5 in the second set After a medical timeout and holding serve to force a tiebreak rain forced play to be suspended for nearly two hours When the players returned Williams won the match in three sets 109 Williams then lost her quarterfinal match with Henin whilst suffering from the injuries sustained in the previous round 110 At the US Open Williams lost her third consecutive Grand Slam singles quarterfinal to Henin 111 Williams reached the final of Kremlin Cup losing to Elena Dementieva Williams qualified for the WTA Championships but retired from her first match with Anna Chakvetadze with a knee injury and subsequently withdrew from the event 112 113 Williams finished 2007 as No 7 and the top ranked American for the first time since 2003 108 2008 2010 Back to No 1 and injuries Main articles 2008 2009 and 2010 Serena Williams tennis seasonWilliams started 2008 by participating on the U S team that won the Hopman Cup with Mardy Fish 114 At the Australian Open she lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Jankovic 108 her fourth straight loss in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament 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 115 Williams then won three consecutive singles titles at Bangalore and her fifth Miami title tying Steffi Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament At the 2009 Australian Open Williams won at the Family Circle Cup her first clay court title since the 2002 French Open Her 17 match winning streak was ended by Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals of Berlin 108 Williams withdrew in Rome in the quarterfinals against Alize Cornet owing to a back injury Williams was the only former winner of the French Open in the draw but lost in the third round to Katarina Srebotnik citation needed At Wimbledon Williams reached the finals for the first time in four years but lost to her older sister Venus in straight sets in their first Slam final since 2003 Serena and Venus teamed to win the women s doubles title in their first Grand Slam women s doubles title since 2003 Williams played at Stanford but retired 6 2 3 1 down with a left knee injury from her semifinal match against qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak The injury forced her to withdraw from Los Angeles At the Olympics in Beijing Williams lost to Dementieva in the quarterfinals Serena and Venus won the gold medal in doubles beating Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final At the US Open Williams defeated sister Venus Safina and Jelena Jankovic in the final That was her third US Open and ninth Grand Slam singles title The victory returned her to the No 1 ranking for the first time since 2003 116 At the year end championships she defeated Safina and lost to Venus in her round robin matches but withdrew from her 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 citation needed Williams began 2009 at the Medibank International losing in the semifinals to Elena Dementieva At the Australian Open she claimed her tenth Grand Slam singles title by defeating Dinara Safina in the final in 59 minutes This win returned her to the No 1 ranking and resulted in her becoming the all time career prize money leader in women s sports overtaking golfer Annika Sorenstam In women s doubles with Venus they captured the title for the third time citation needed At the Open GdF Suez Williams withdrew before her semifinal match against Dementieva because of a knee injury citation needed Serena then played at Dubai losing to Venus in the semifinals citation needed At the Sony Ericsson Open Williams hampered with ankle and quad injuries was upset in the final by Victoria Azarenka This was the first of four consecutive losses for her the longest losing streak of her career 117 She was defeated in her opening matches at Barcelona Rome and Madrid Despite not having won a match on clay in 2009 before the French Open she lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova This ended her 18 match Grand Slam tournament winning streak She rebounded at Wimbledon saving a match point in defeating fourth seeded Dementieva in the semifinals In the final Serena defeated her sister Venus to win her third Wimbledon title and her 11th Grand Slam singles title 118 Serena and Venus teamed to win the women s doubles title at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year their ninth Grand Slam title in women s doubles citation needed As a US Open preparation Williams played at Cincinnati losing in the third round followed by a semifinal defeat at the Rogers Cup At the US Open she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kim Clijsters amid controversy involving shouting at a line judge when defending match point an offense which cost Williams the point and consequently the match She continued in the doubles competition teaming up with Venus to win their third Grand Slam doubles title of the year and tenth of their career 119 Williams won all three of her round robin matches at the year end WTA Tour Championships defeating Venus Dementieva and Kuznetsova saving a match point against Venus She then advanced to the final when Wozniacki retired from their semifinal match In the final Williams defeated Venus for her second singles title at this event 120 Williams on her way to the singles and doubles title at the 2010 Australian OpenWilliams finished the year ranked No 1 for the second time in her career having played in 16 tournaments more than any other year She also broke the record previously set by Justine Henin for the most prize money earned by a female tennis player in one year with Williams earning 6 545 586 For doubles that year the Williams sisters finished the year ranked No 2 despite playing only six tournaments together as a pair Williams had won five Grand Slam tournament titles putting her total of Grand Slam titles won thus far at 23 and she was consequently named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for 2009 121 Williams was also the ITF World Champion in both the singles and doubles events 122 In 2010 Williams s first scheduled tournament was in Sydney losing in the final to Elena 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 just recently come out of retirement for her twelfth Grand Slam singles title In doubles Williams and her sister Venus successfully defended their title by defeating Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final citation needed Williams withdrew with a leg injury from her next few events citation needed and returned at the Rome Masters losing to Jelena Jankovic in the semifinals At Madrid she fell to Nadia Petrova in the third round but partnered Venus to win the doubles title citation needed At the French Open Williams was defeated by Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals She and Venus were the top seeds in the doubles event and won the title defeating Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam doubles title and improving their doubles ranking to No 1 citation needed Williams s next tournament was Wimbledon where she defeated Russian Vera Zvonareva in the final without facing a break point and breaking the serve of Zvonareva three times 123 124 She did not lose a set in the tournament 125 After the match Martina Navratilova said that Williams is in the top five of all the women s tennis players in all of history which she said that it s not just about how many Slams you win or how many tournaments you win it s just your game overall And she s got all the goods 124 Serena was the defending champion in doubles with her sister Venus winning the last two years They lost in the 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 citation needed Williams ended the year ranked No 4 in singles after six tournaments citation needed and No 11 in doubles after four tournaments citation needed On March 2 2011 she confirmed that she had suffered a hematoma and a pulmonary embolism 126 127 128 2011 2013 Return to dominance career golden slam Main articles 2011 2012 and 2013 Serena Williams tennis season Williams won the singles gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games Williams at the 2013 US Open Williams finally made a return to the practice court in March 2011 129 She made her first appearance on the WTA tour in almost a year in Eastbourne 130 Williams lost in round two to Vera Zvonareva in a match that lasted over three hours 131 Her next tournament was Wimbledon where she was the defending champion She reached the round of 16 where she lost to Marion Bartoli After the loss her ranking dropped to 169 Williams won her first titles since her return to tennis triumphing in Stanford and Toronto At the Western amp Southern Open Williams defeated Lucie Hradecka only to withdraw the next day citing a right toe injury She then played at the US Open going all the way to the final and losing to Samantha Stosur during a match which featured her verbally abusing the chair umpire The US Open final turned out to be Williams s last match in 2011 and she ended the year ranked No 12 with two titles and with a 22 3 record for the season She only participated in six tournaments throughout the season Williams started the 2012 season at the Brisbane International however during her match against Bojana Jovanovski she injured her left ankle when serving for the match As a result Williams was forced to withdraw from the tournament 132 Next she participated at 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 to Caroline Wozniacki Williams then won consecutive titles at Charleston and Madrid beating Lucie Safarova and Victoria Azarenka but withdrew from her semifinal match against Li Na in Rome citing a lower back injury Williams suffered her first ever loss in the opening round of a Grand Slam tournament at the French Open against Virginie Razzano Williams notched up a 33 1 record for the second half of the season winning five titles in the process 133 Williams won her fifth Wimbledon singles title her fourteenth Grand Slam title 134 135 setting a serving record of 24 aces by a woman in a match as well as having the most aces male or female during the tournament 102 136 Williams returned to America to successfully defend her title in Stanford beating CoCo Vandeweghe in the final 137 138 Williams then returned to Wimbledon to represent her country at the Olympic Games where she won gold defeating Maria Sharapova in a dominating performance Williams failed to drop more than three games per set en route to winning the medal 138 Williams undefeated streak ended with a loss in Cincinnati to Angelique Kerber In New York City Williams went on to win her fourth US Open singles title and her 15th career Grand Slam title overall beating Azarenka in the final 133 139 Williams ended the season by competing at the WTA Championships and went undefeated throughout the tournament to win the event for her third title 133 Williams was voted WTA Player of the Year for the fourth time 140 Based on her brilliant show in 2012 Williams was also named International Tennis Federation World Champion 141 Williams also returned to doubles competitions with Venus in the pair s first tournament since 2010 Wimbledon they claimed their fifth Wimbledon doubles title and the 13th grand slam doubles title 142 The pair successfully defended their Olympic doubles title which meant that they became the only tennis players to win four gold medals 143 Williams s first tournament of the 2013 season was in Brisbane where she won the title without dropping a set Williams was upset in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open by fellow American player Sloane Stephens By virtue of defeating Petra Kvitova in Doha Williams returned to the No 1 position for the sixth time in her career and became the oldest woman in the Open Era to hold the ranking 144 Williams went on to lose to Victoria Azarenka in the final In the Miami final Williams lost a set to Maria Sharapova for the first time since 2008 This setback did not stop Williams who recorded her 70th come from behind win The win made Williams a six time champion in Miami breaking the record she held with Steffi Graf and became only the fourth woman in the Open Era to have won a tournament at least six times 145 Williams successfully defended her Charleston title winning it for the third time overall 146 Williams won her fiftieth career singles title in Madrid defeating Sharapova in the final Williams then played Rome where she won the title without dropping a set defeating Victoria Azarenka in the final to take her second title Williams only dropped ten games in reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros There she played Svetlana Kuznetsova and lost her first set of the tournament In the semifinal Williams only lost one game when she defeated Sara Errani something seven time French Open champion Chris Evert described as the finest woman performance on clay she had ever seen 147 Williams defeated Sharapova to claim her second Roland Garros title her sixteenth grand slam tournament title overall She became the fourth woman in the Open Era after Navratilova Evert and Graf to win each Grand Slam tournament title on at least two occasions At Wimbledon she advanced easily to the fourth round before being upset by eventual finalist Sabine Lisicki in three sets After Wimbledon Williams won the Swedish Open by defeating Johanna Larsson in the final the tournament win marked the first occasion that she had won an International level title By winning the tournament this meant that Williams had managed to be undefeated on clay during the season 148 Williams winning her fifth US Open title Williams won her 3rd Rogers Cup title in Toronto beating Sorana Cirstea in the final 149 Williams reached the final of the Western amp Southern Open for the first time but lost to Azarenka 150 At the US Open Williams began as top seed and defending champion She reached the final a rematch of the 2012 final against Azarenka and won in three sets capturing her 17th Grand Slam singles title 151 Williams became the oldest US Open champion in the Open Era and pushed her career prize money past 50 million 151 After the US Open Williams beat Jelena Jankovic to win the China Open in Beijing for her 10th title of 2013 152 153 Williams went through the WTA Championships undefeated winning the final against Li Na to become the first person to defend the title since Justine Henin in 2007 Williams won her 11th title of 2013 becoming the 8th player to win 11 titles or more in a year and the first since Martina Hingis in 1997 154 Also she became the oldest person to win the WTA Championships and 4th player to win it 4 times or more By winning the championship Williams became the first woman to win more than 10 million in a season and with her total of 12 385 572 only Rafael Nadal in 2013 and Novak Djokovic in 2011 2012 and 2013 have earned more money in one season 155 Williams finished as the year end No 1 for the third time becoming the oldest No 1 player in WTA history 156 She was also named the 2013 ITF World Champion the fourth time that she has been given the World Champion s crown 157 Williams received two prizes at the 2013 ESPY Awards Williams won Best Female Athlete and Best Female Tennis Player Williams is just the fourth person to win Best Female Athlete on two occasions and she won Best Female Tennis player for a record sixth time 158 In late December 2013 Williams capped off her year by receiving the Associated Press 2013 Female Athlete of the Year award her third AP award after 2002 and 2009 Only two women Chris Evert and Babe Didrikson have been chosen more often as AP Athlete of the Year since the annual awards were first handed out in 1931 159 2014 2015 Second Serena Slam Main articles 2014 and 2015 Serena Williams tennis season Williams defended her title at the Brisbane International by defeating No 2 Victoria Azarenka in the final 160 At the Australian Open she ended up losing to former No 1 Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round At Dubai Williams lost her semifinal match to Alize Cornet in straight sets Williams next headed to the Miami Open where she won her record seventh title with a straight sets victory over No 2 Li Na 161 Williams lost to Jana Cepelova in the second round of the Family Circle Cup She made it to the quarterfinals at the Madrid Open before withdrawing with a left thigh injury Williams won her third title of the season at the Rome She was then handed the worst loss of her Grand Slam tournament career by Garbine Muguruza at the second round of the French Open who defeated Serena losing just four games in two sets 162 Alize Cornet defeated Williams for the second time in the year in the third round of Wimbledon thus handing Williams her earliest Wimbledon exit since 2005 Serena was then forced to withdraw from the doubles event alongside sister Venus while trailing 0 3 in the second round A disoriented Serena hit 4 consecutive doubles faults and was having trouble with both her ball toss and movement before being removed from what has been described as one of the most unusual scenes ever seen in tennis 163 164 Williams rebounded by winning 19 out of her next 20 matches losing only to sister Venus in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup This streak include titles at the Bank of the West Classic as well as her first Western amp Southern Open title and her third consecutive and sixth overall US Open singles title which she won without having dropped a set 165 166 With this victory Williams tied Chris Evert for most singles titles won by a woman at the US Open in the Open Era Williams also tied Evert and Navratilova s 18 Grand Slam singles titles won in the Open Era By virtue of having won both the US Open and the US Open Series Williams collected 4 000 000 the biggest payday in tennis history At the Wuhan Open a viral illness forced her to retire while up a break in the first set against Alize Cornet Cornet thus became the first woman since Justine Henin in 2007 to record three victories over Williams in one year At the China Open Williams retired prior to her quarterfinal match versus Samantha Stosur 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 versus Simona Halep 167 Williams won her fifth WTA Finals title by avenging her loss to Halep in the championship match for her seventh title of the year 168 Williams finished the year ranked No 1 for the fourth time in her career She held the No 1 ranking for the entire calendar year a feat not accomplished since Steffi Graf in 1996 She was also voted WTA Player of the Year and ITF World Champion for a third consecutive year sixth overall citation needed Williams began the 2015 season by representing the United States alongside John Isner at the Hopman Cup The American pair lost the final to the Poland 169 At the Australian Open Williams defeated Maria Sharapova for the 16th consecutive time to claim her 6th Australian Open singles title and 19th career Grand Slam singles title winning the title on her third match point in the second set 170 171 172 173 174 With this victory Williams surpassed both Evert and Navratilova for second most Grand Slam singles titles won in the Open Era The title was also her sixth Grand Slam singles title since turning 30 years of age three more than the next closest to do so Margaret Court Martina Navratilova with three each She is the only player in history to win all four Grand Slams at least once after having turned 30 The following weekend Serena and sister Venus traveled to Buenos Aires to face Argentina in a World Group II tie for Fed Cup She played and won her only match against Maria Irigoyen to help Team USA to a 4 1 win over Argentina 175 Williams announced that she would be competing at the Indian Wells Masters ending her 14 year boycott of the event 176 177 Upon her return Williams received a standing ovation from the crowd and won her first match in straight sets 178 She reached the semifinals where she was due to face No 3 Simona Halep for a place in the final but was forced to withdraw because of a knee injury By virtue of having defeated Sabine Lisicki in the quarterfinals of the Miami Open Williams became only the eighth woman in the Open Era to record 700 match wins in her career 179 This also made her one of only three active players to have won 700 or more matches in singles others being Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal 180 In the semifinals she won against Halep to advance to her tenth final at the event 181 where she won a record eighth title and extended her winning streak to 21 by beating Carla Suarez Navarro 182 183 184 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 to face Italy s team for a place in the Fed Cup s World Group Williams lost the decisive doubles match alongside Alison Riske to Sara Errani and Flavia Pennetta and as a result the United States team were relegated to World Group II It was Williams s first loss in the Fed Cup 185 She maintained her perfect record in singles by defeating Camila Giorgi and Errani The week of April 20 marked Williams s 114th consecutive week ranked No 1 the third longest run in WTA history behind Steffi Graf s 186 weeks and Navratilova s 156 citation needed Williams suffered her first defeat of the season in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open to No 4 Petra Kvitova 186 187 This loss ended a 27 match winning streak for Williams as well as a 50 match winning streak at Premier Mandatory events and also a 19 match winning streak at the particular event 188 Williams played one match at the 2015 Internazionali BNL d Italia before withdrawing from the tournament with an elbow injury 189 By virtue of having defeated Victoria Azarenka in the third round of the French Open Williams became the first woman in the Open Era to win 50 matches at all four of the Grand Slams 190 Williams then defeated Sloane Stephens to reach her 40th Grand Slam singles quarterfinal 191 Williams won her next match easily but had to come back from a set down in the semifinals versus Timea Bacsinszky for the fourth time in five matches to reach the final 192 193 She would go on to defeat Lucie Safarova from the Czech Republic in three sets to win her third French Open and 20th Grand Slam singles title 194 195 196 The win made Williams only the third person in history to win each Grand Slam at least three times joining Margaret Court and Steffi Graf She is the first player to win three straight Grand Slams since she did it herself during the Serena Slam She also became the first player to win the Australian French Open double since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 197 Williams completed her second Serena Slam winning all four Grand Slams in a row by winning the 2015 Wimbledon Championships her 6th Wimbledon and 21st Grand Slam singles title overall 198 199 Her path to victory at Wimbledon was particularly challenging She was down a double break in the third round versus Heather Watson and two points from defeat twice before rallying for the win 200 and becoming the first player to qualify for the WTA Finals 201 the earliest that a player had qualified since the event switched to the round robin format in 2003 Williams then defeated three former No 1 players Venus Williams Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova in succession to advance to the final 202 Awaiting her there was 21 year old Garbine Muguruza who had previously handed Williams the worst Grand Slam tournament defeat of her career at the 2014 French Open 203 Williams defeated Muguruza in a tight two setter citation needed The victory made Williams the oldest woman in the Open Era to win a grand slam singles title in addition to having the distinction of being the oldest ladies grand slam singles champion of all time 204 It also was her eighth consecutive victory in Grand Slam singles finals appearances breaking Steffi Graf s Open Era record of seven from 1995 through 1999 and on the men s side tying Pete Sampras s Open Era record of eight from 1995 through 2000 Her 21st Grand Slam singles titles equaled the tally of the rest of the women s tour combined 205 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 No 2 206 Following her win at Wimbledon Williams was awarded her 7th ESPY for Best Female Tennis Player 207 Williams played one match at the Swedish Open in Bastad before withdrawing with an elbow injury 208 She was the defending champion at the Bank of the West Classic but withdrew from the tournament in order for her elbow to get better 209 Williams had her 19 match winning streak ended by 18 year old Swiss Belinda Bencic the No 20 in three tight sets in the semifinals of the Canadian Open 210 211 It was her second defeat of the year and first on hard courts since the 2014 WTA Finals The next week Williams defended her title at the Western amp Southern Open with a straight sets victory over No 3 Simona Halep for her 69th WTA title breaking a tie with Evonne Goolagong for standalone fifth most WTA titles won 212 213 Williams s attempt at capturing the Grand Slam winning all four Grand Slams in a calendar year came to an end in the semifinals of the US Open where she lost to Roberta Vinci in three sets 214 215 216 The loss has been described by some as one of the biggest upsets in tennis history 217 218 219 Nonetheless Williams secured the year end No 1 ranking with her results at the tournament 220 On October 1 Williams called an end to her season stating that she had been injured for most of the year and wanted to address her fitness issues 221 Prior to the announcement coach Patrick Mouratoglou hinted that Williams might not play again in 2015 owing to a lack of motivation and disappointment following her loss at the Open 222 On October 5 Williams surpassed Chris Evert for third most weeks ranked world No 1 223 Williams held the No 1 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 in her career 224 On December 14 Sports Illustrated announced Williams as their Sportsperson of the Year 225 She thus became the third solo woman and first since 1983 to receive the award 226 Williams was also named ITF World Champion for the sixth time in her career 227 Soon after it was announced that she was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press for the fourth time 228 2016 Open Era Grand Slam record Main article 2016 Serena Williams tennis season Williams withdrew from the Hopman Cup after retiring from her singles match against Australia Gold with inflammation of her left knee 229 Her next tournament was the Australian Open where she was the No 1 seed and defending champion She reached the final without dropping a set including wins over No 5 Maria Sharapova and No 4 Agnieszka Radwanska and faced first time Grand Slam finalist Angelique Kerber She was considered the heavy favorite to win the title as she had never lost an Australian Open final or semifinal She also dominated the head to head against Kerber having lost only once in six meetings and having not lost a set to her in four years Williams lost the final in three sets and Kerber won her first Grand Slam title 230 This marked Williams s first ever loss in the final of the Australian Open as well as her first three set loss in the final of a Grand Slam 231 She had previously been 6 0 and 8 0 respectively The week of February 15 marked Williams s 157th consecutive week ranked No 1 passing Navratilova s mark of 156 to have the second longest run in WTA history behind Steffi Graf s 186 She competed in Indian Wells as the No 1 seed She reached her first final here since winning in 2001 and before boycotting the event by defeating Simona Halep in the quarterfinals and Agnieszka Radwanska in the semifinals She did not drop a set en route to the final Williams was upset by No 13 seed Victoria Azarenka whom she had defeated the last five times the pair had met in straight sets This marked the first time since 2004 where Williams lost two consecutive finals She next played the Miami Open as the defending champion She lost in the fourth round to Svetlana Kuznetsova This marked her first loss here since 2012 and ended her 20 match winning streak in Miami This was also her earliest exit here since 2000 where she lost in the same round During the clay court swing Williams withdrew from Madrid but entered Rome She beat Anna Lena Friedsam and Christina McHale to progress to the quarterfinals where she defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova to avenge her loss in Miami She then went on to beat Irina Camelia Begu and Madison Keys to win her 70th career WTA title and to win her first title of the year This was her third Rome title in four years and fourth overall citation needed At the French Open Williams dropped only one set en route to the final She defeated Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals despite being five points away from losing She then beat surprise semifinalist Kiki Bertens to reach her fourth French Open final where she faced Garbine Muguruza in a repeat of last year s Wimbledon final where Williams was victorious The result was not the same as that Wimbledon final as Williams lost to Muguruza in straight sets With this loss Williams had lost two consecutive Grand Slam finals for the first time in her career On top of failing to equal Steffi Graf s Open Era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles Williams also completed the Career Grand Slam runner up set with this loss citation needed At Wimbledon Williams only lost one set en route to the final where she faced Angelique Kerber in a rematch of their Australian Open final earlier in the year This time Williams defeated Kerber in straight sets to finally equal Steffi Graf s record of 22 Grand Slams in the Open Era That was Williams s first Grand Slam title of the year as well as her 71st career WTA title overall In what was a brilliant serving performance Williams only faced one break point in the whole match against Kerber which she saved with an ace Later that day Williams partnered with sister Venus to win their sixth Wimbledon doubles title and 14th doubles Grand Slam title overall keeping their perfect record at Grand Slam doubles finals intact On July 24 2016 Williams withdrew from Rogers Cup citing a shoulder inflammation injury 232 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 favourite to retain those titles Partnering with her sister Venus in the doubles they suffered a shock exit in the first round losing to the Czech duo of Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova which ended their career record of 15 0 dating back to the 2000 Olympics 233 In singles after defeating Daria Gavrilova and Alize Cornet in the first two rounds Williams faced Ukraine s Elina Svitolina in the third round in what was a rematch of this year s French Open fourth round but lost to the Ukrainian bringing an end to her Olympics campaign 234 Days after the Olympics Williams took a late wildcard for the Western amp Southern Open where she was the defending champion but then decided to withdraw owing to concerns from the same shoulder injury inflammation from earlier in the summer 235 The week of September 5 2016 marked Williams s 186th consecutive week ranked No 1 equalling Steffi Graf s record for longest run in WTA history In the semifinals of the US Open Williams lost to Karolina Pliskova 236 Having won the US Open Angelique Kerber became the No 1 ending Williams s No 1 streak Williams also pulled out of the WTA Finals because of a shoulder injury 237 2017 Australian Open victory and pregnancy Main article 2017 Serena Williams tennis season Williams started her 2017 season by participating in the WTA Auckland Open for the first time in her career She defeated Pauline Parmentier to win her first match since the US Open In the second round she lost to Madison Brengle At the Australian Open she beat former and present top 10 players Belinda Bencic Lucie Safarova Johanna Konta among others to reach her 8th Australian Open final On January 28 2017 she won the Australian Open for an Open Era record seventh time defeating her sister Venus 238 It was her 23rd Grand Slam singles title surpassing Steffi Graf s Open Era 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 her return to the No 1 ranking 239 240 Williams subsequently withdrew from the Indian Wells and Miami Opens citing a knee injury 241 On April 19 2017 Williams revealed that she was 20 weeks pregnant and would miss the remainder of the season 242 The timing of her announcement led to the conclusion that she would have been roughly eight to nine weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open 243 In interviews she said that she intended to return to tennis after her pregnancy 244 saying that she had an outrageous plan of competing in the 2018 Australian Open 244 On September 1 2017 Williams gave birth to a daughter named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr though she is not a true junior as her father s middle name is Kerry 245 She is commonly called Olympia 246 She had a cesarean section delivery due to a pulmonary embolism during labor 247 She suffered another pulmonary embolism after giving birth leaving her bedridden for six weeks and delaying her return to training 248 On December 30 2017 Williams played her first match since giving birth an exhibition match at the World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi losing to reigning French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko Williams at the 2018 French Open her first grand slam since returning to the tour 2018 Return to tennis Wimbledon and US Open runner up On January 5 2018 Williams withdrew from the upcoming Australian Open citing a lack of sufficient preparation in the wake of her pregnancy 249 In February after overcoming her pregnancy induced health problems she returned to the tennis court with her sister The pair lost to Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs Netherlands in the Fed Cup s first round on February 11 250 Despite saying she was 100 ready to come back to tennis Williams suffered back to back early exits at Indian Wells and Miami losing in the third round at Indian Wells to her sister Venus and the first round at Miami to 2018 Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka citation needed Williams made her return to Grand Slam tennis at the 2018 French Open playing singles and doubles with her sister Venus In the first round she defeated Kristyna Pliskova in two tight sets and later 17th seed Ashleigh Barty in the second round Then she defeated 11th seed Julia Gorges to set up a fourth round match against 28th seed Maria Sharapova whom she had beaten 18 consecutive times since 2004 Williams withdrew owing to an injury to her pectoral muscle sustained in a third round match in doubles where she and Venus were defeated by Andreja Klepac and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 251 252 In July Williams entered the Wimbledon Championships and was controversially seeded 25 With a world ranking at the time of 181 253 many felt that the decision showed bias and favored Williams unduly 254 Others argued that the All England Club who do not base their seedings on players current world rankings as other grand slam tournaments do had sensibly considered Williams s excellent historic record there Williams herself said I was pleasantly surprised I came in here expecting that maybe I wouldn t get a seed 254 Her seeding resulted in Dominika Cibulkova losing her place to be seeded citation needed By the second week of the tournament for the first time in grand slam history none of the top ten seeded women players had made it to the quarterfinals 255 En route to the quarterfinals Williams had beaten Arantxa Rus of Holland in round one Viktoriya Tomova of Bulgaria in round 2 Kristina Mladenovic of France in round 3 and Evgeniya Rodina of Russia in round 4 256 She had not lost a set in any of her matches till then Williams then beat Italian Camila Giorgi in the quarterfinals after losing one set and became the lowest ranked player to ever reach the Wimbledon semifinals 257 She met 13th seed Julia Gorges of Germany in the semifinal and beat her comfortably in two sets to reach her tenth Wimbledon final the first since giving birth She lost in the final in straight sets to Angelique Kerber of Germany in a rematch of the 2016 Wimbledon final Following her Wimbledon finals run Williams entered the 2018 Silicon Valley Classic her first appearance in a US Open series tournament since 2015 She recorded her most lopsided loss in her career to Johanna Konta in the first round winning just a single game 258 Williams later revealed in an interview with Time that she checked Instagram ten minutes prior to the match starting and found out that the man who had fatally shot her half sister Yetunde in 2003 was released on parole earlier in the year She said in the interview I couldn t shake it out of my mind 259 Williams s next tournament was the Cincinnati Masters She beat Daria Gavrilova of Australia in straight sets in the first round but lost to Petra Kvitova in the second round in a three set match that lasted over two hours citation needed Her next tournament was the 2018 US Open in Flushing Meadows New York where she was seeded 17th although ranked 26th in the WTA ranking at the time seeds were determined She defeated Magda Linette in the first round Carina Witthoft in the second round her sister and 16th seed Venus in the third round Kaia Kanepi in the fourth round and 8th seed Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinals The match against Pliskova was a rematch of the 2016 US Open semifinal which Pliskova had won This was Williams s first win against a player in the top 10 at the time of the match since her return from pregnancy Williams won her semifinal match against 19th seed Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia winning a spot in the women s singles final against Naomi Osaka of Japan which she lost in straight sets Williams was warned for illegal coaching penalized a point for breaking her racket and then penalized a game for verbal abuse of the chair umpire 2019 Return to the top 10 injuries Wimbledon and US Open runner up Williams started her 2019 season at the Australian Open having not made an appearance at the tournament since winning the 2017 edition Seeded 16th she defeated Tatjana Maria Eugenie Bouchard and Dayana Yastremska in the first three rounds before defeating top seed and world number one Simona Halep in the fourth In the quarterfinals she met 7th seed Karolina Pliskova Pliskova won the first set and lead in the second but Williams took control of the match winning the second and rapidly taking a huge lead in the third However after Williams twisted her ankle while up match point Pliskova won six consecutive games saving four match points throughout the set to win the match This was Williams s earliest defeat at the Australian Open since her fourth round loss in 2014 and broke a streak of fourteen consecutive match wins in Grand Slam quarterfinals having last lost a Grand Slam quarterfinal at the 2013 Australian Open Despite this loss her ranking climbed up to number 11 citation needed Williams went on to defeat Victoria Azarenka in the second round of the Indian Wells Masters in her 2019 campaign for a third Indian Wells crown In the third round viral illness caused her to retire against Spain s Garbine Muguruza This was the second consecutive year she had exited at this stage She then sustained a recurrence of a long term knee injury which caused her to pull out of Miami and Rome after playing one match She could not train properly until after the French Open where she lost in the third round 260 At Wimbledon Williams reached a major final for the 13th consecutive year She also became the oldest grand slam finalist in the open era 261 She lost the final to Simona Halep in two straight sets in under an hour 262 At the Canadian Open Williams defeated Naomi Osaka in straight sets in the quarterfinals and Czech qualifier Marie Bouzkova in three sets in the semi finals Against Canadian teenager Bianca Andreescu she retired in the first set after 19 minutes She told the chair umpire of her decision to retire because of back spasms 263 Her back problems continued at the Cincinnati Open where she withdrew shortly before her first round match stating Unfortunately my back is still not right 264 Williams was seeded eighth at the US Open In the first round she met Maria Sharapova for the first time since the 2016 Australian Open defeating her in straight sets yielding just one game in each set She defeated Caty McNally in three sets in the second round and Karolina Muchova and Petra Martic in straight games in the third and fourth In the quarterfinals she faced 18th seed Wang Qiang who she overcame in just 45 minutes yielding a single game In the semifinals she defeated fifth seed Elina Svitolina proceeding to the final where she faced 15th seed Bianca Andreescu for the second time in under a month With Andreescu up a set and five games to one in the second set Williams launched a spirited comeback to level the set at 5 games all However Andreescu was able to hold serve and break Williams to win the title in straight sets 265 This was Williams s last match of the year which she ended ranked No 10 2020 First title since maternity leave Top seeded Williams won her first singles title as a mother at the 2020 ASB Classic defeating Jessica Pegula in the final 266 She also reached the finals in the doubles tournament with Caroline Wozniacki the pair were defeated by Asia Muhammad and Taylor Townsend 267 Hence she became the first woman in the professional era with at least one title in four decades the 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s 268 Williams s next tournament was the 2020 Australian Open where she was seeded 8th She defeated Anastasia Potapova and Tamara Zidansek in the first and second rounds respectively in straight sets before falling to Wang Qiang in three tight sets in the third round On the resumption of the WTA Tour following a pause caused by COVID 19 Williams entered the Top Seed Open as the top seed Following a tough three set win over Bernarda Pera in the first round Williams faced her sister Venus for their 31st WTA match in the second round and came through after dropping the first set Williams went on to suffer a shock defeat in the quarter finals to fellow American Shelby Rogers At the Cincinnati Open played in New York Williams received a bye in the first round beat Arantxa Rus in the second and lost to Maria Sakkari in three sets in the third round Williams was seeded 3rd at the second major of the year the 2020 US Open After two straight sets victories to begin with Williams faced former grand slam champion Sloane Stephens in the third round winning in three sets In the fourth round Williams avenged her loss to Sakkari in the previous tournament In the quarter finals she defeated Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria who was playing in her first tournament in three years after giving birth She thus advanced into the semifinals where she faced Victoria Azarenka losing in three sets 269 270 Her match with Azarenka marked the first time two mothers met in a Grand Slam semi final 271 She also became the first player in history to reach the semifinals of Grand slam and US Open in four decades the 1990s 2000s 2010s and 2020s Williams was seeded 6th at the delayed 2020 French Open held in cold and heavy conditions in October After defeating Kristie Ahn in straight sets in the first round Williams withdrew before her second round match against wildcard Tsvetana Pironkova citing an achilles injury she had sustained during her semi final defeat to Azarenka at the US Open This meant for the first time since 2006 Serena failed to reach a Grand Slam final 2021 Australian Open semifinal out of top 40 Williams started the year by playing the Yarra Valley Classic where she withdrew prior to her semifinal match against the top seed Ashleigh Barty citing a right shoulder injury 272 In the Australian Open Williams was seeded 10th and lost to the 4th seed Naomi Osaka in the semifinal after defeating 2nd seed Simona Halep and 7th seed Aryna Sabalenka along the way Williams s match with Osaka was the first time the two had met in a major since the infamous 2018 US Open final When leaving the court after losing to Osaka in the Australian Open Williams paused to acknowledge the crowd longer than she usually would In the press conference following the match she faced questions about whether she was bidding farewell to tennis and retiring She said I don t know if I ever say farewell I wouldn t tell anyone 273 In May at the Italian Open Serena Williams played her 1000th match of her career 274 She was defeated by Nadia Podoroska in the second round in straight sets 275 On June 29 Williams would suffer an injury during the first set in the first round at Wimbledon against Belarusian player Aliaksandra Sasnovich forcing her to withdraw from the competition 276 277 In August 2021 a leg injury forced Williams to withdraw from 2021 US Open 278 Her withdrawal saw Williams plummet nineteen places to 41st in the world her lowest year end ranking in 15 years 2022 King Richard promotion Eastbourne and Wimbledon retirement 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 279 As of March 2022 she was ranked 241st She spent much of early 2022 promoting King Richard about her father with her sisters She appeared at several award ceremonies including the 94th Academy Awards 280 Williams returned to professional play in June 2022 when she partnered up with Ons Jabeur in the Eastbourne International 281 The pairing beat Sara Sorribes Tormo and Marie Bouzkova in the first round and Shuko Aoyama and Chan Hao ching in the second 282 283 The pairing retired from the tournament afterwards owing to an injury sustained by Jabeur 284 Williams also entered the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in singles having accepted a wildcard after dropping to 1204th in the singles rankings 285 She lost to Harmony Tan in the first round in an over 3 hour match the longest thus far at the tournament 286 287 In August Williams wrote an article for Vogue in which she announced her plans to evolve away from tennis after the US Open indicating retirement 288 289 Williams began her farwell tour by entering the 2022 Canadian Open using a protected ranking She beat Nuria Parrizas Diaz in straight sets for her first singles win in 14 months before losing to Belinda Bencic 290 291 Williams subsequently entered the 2022 Cincinnati Masters in which she lost to reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the first round 292 Before the US Open Williams announced she would play doubles with Venus for the first time since 2018 Their opening round match marked the first time a first round doubles match was held in the Arthur Ashe Stadium during television primetime The sisters lost to the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova 293 In singles Williams won her opening round match against Danka Kovinic In the second round she upset world No 2 Anett Kontaveit to become the oldest woman ever to defeat a top three ranked player She then played what is expected to be her final match against Ajla Tomljanovic losing in three hard fought sets Evolving away from tennisIn the September 2022 issue of Vogue written in August Williams announced that she was evolving away from tennis toward other things that are important to me In her announcement she said that she disliked the word retirement and preferred the term evolution 294 She went on to cite growing her family focusing on her venture capital firm and spending more time with family as reasons she would be leaving the sport While she did not set an exact time for her goodbye she stated that she wasn t ready to win Wimbledon where she lost in the first round but would try to win in New York She also said that she consulted Tiger Woods in her decision 294 At her first match since the publication of the Vogue article where she lost to Belinda Bencic in Toronto tournament organizers interviewed Williams on court after her match and gave her gifts to remember the city 295 At her matches at the 2022 US Open which many believed would be her last tournament tournament directors played a video following her opponents introduction but before Williams walk out Some saw this as disrespectful to her opponents 296 Following her first round match where Woods Mike Tyson Bill Clinton Ruth Westheimer Spike Lee Vera Wang and Eric Adams were in attendance the tournament played a video narrated by Oprah Winfrey and had Gayle King facilitate the post match on court interview 297 298 299 Following her announcement many fellow players including Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff praised Williams and said they would not be playing tennis if not for her 300 Playing styleWilliams is an aggressive baseliner whose game is centered around her powerful serve and forceful groundstrokes Owing to her high risk playing style she typically hits a large number of both winners and unforced errors Williams greatest asset is her serve which is considered the greatest in the history of women s tennis Her serve is known for its fast pace and accurate placement allowing her to serve numerous aces at the 2013 Australian Open she served a 128 6 mph 207 km h ace in her third round match against Ayumi Morita which is the third fastest serve recorded in WTA history 301 Williams possesses 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 makes 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 302 Williams also possesses effective and accurate kick and slice serves which she deploys as second serves minimising double faults and preventing opponents from scoring free points 303 Williams is also known for her forceful groundstrokes which are considered two of the most powerful shots in the history of women s tennis 304 She hits both her forehand and her backhand in an open stance allowing her to generate consistently powerful heavy and dominating groundstrokes and to generate sharp acute angles which allow her to hit winners from any position on the court 305 Williams is known for her forehand which has been described as devastating 306 Her forehand is hit with heavy topspin this allows her to dominate rallies and she is capable of hitting her forehand both crosscourt and down the line to produce winners 307 Her two handed backhand is equally dominant and has been described as one of the greatest backhands of all time 308 Williams tends to hit her backhand flatter than her forehand allowing her to hit her backhand with speed power and depth both crosscourt and down the line Despite playing primarily from the baseline Williams is an adept net player thanks to her extensive doubles experience and will frequently choose to finish points at the net either with deft touch aggressive drive volleys or a solid powerful and reliable overhead smash 309 Williams possesses an aggressive return of serve she neutralises powerful first serves and attacks weak second serves She is widely considered one of the greatest return players of all time 310 Despite predominantly employing an aggressive game style she is also an excellent defender and is capable of counterpunching against aggressive opponents until she creates an opportunity to hit a winner She is an exceptional athlete known for her movement speed court coverage agility flexibility balance and footwork Her on court intelligence shot selection and point construction allow her to execute her gamestyle effectively 311 She has been praised for her mental strength and competitive spirit with her being described as one of the toughest opponents to beat on the court Martina Navratilova declared her mental strength unbelievable 312 whilst tennis journalist Jon Wertheim claimed that Williams is the toughest player of all time 313 American tennis player Christina McHale praised her composure in high pressure moments stating that for Williams being clutch is like breathing and that she seems to come through every single time in the most pressure packed situations 314 She has been noted for her ability to produce extraordinary comebacks particularly on the Grand Slam level winning three Slams after saving match points a feat achieved more often than by any other player in tennis history 315 Williams has 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 John McEnroe as a gift and McEnroe declared that she was the greatest competitor in the history of women s tennis 316 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 317 Owing to her exceptional serve powerful groundstrokes technical mastery aggressive return of serve athleticism and mental strength Williams has been described as one of the most complete players on tour and one of the greatest players of all time irrespective of gender 318 Williams has stated that her favourite surface is clay as the slow pace and high bounce afforded aids point construction although she also excels on faster hard and grass courts 319 RivalriesSerena vs Venus Main article Williams sisters rivalry Williams has played older sister Venus in 31 professional matches since 1998 49 Overall Serena is 19 12 against her sister 49 Serena has played Venus 15 times in Grand Slam singles and 13 times in other tournaments including 11 finals 320 They have met in nine Grand Slam tournament finals with Serena winning seven times 49 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 contested four consecutive finals in Grand Slam singles 321 Williams vs Hingis Main article Hingis S Williams rivalry Williams leads the series 7 6 322 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 1999 which Hingis won in straight sets Their last match took place at the 2002 Miami Open with Williams winning in a loss of just four games 323 Hingis was forced to briefly retire citing ankle injuries 324 Williams vs Capriati Williams leads the series against Jennifer Capriati 10 7 325 Once considered one of the best rivalries in women s tennis 326 the competition between Williams and Capriati was stiff with 12 out of 17 meetings going three sets The rivalry starting in 1999 began one sided with Capriati winning four of their first five matches Williams would then go on to win the next eight 325 Williams and Capriati played with similar styles both known for using their power and athleticism to gain quick advantages in points 327 328 Williams vs Henin Main article Henin S Williams rivalry Williams leads the series 8 6 Justine Henin and Williams met 14 times five of which were in tournament finals In majors they have faced each other seven times with Henin leading 4 3 329 Opposite personalities and styles of play are often cited as what made their rivalry entertaining 330 331 In the semifinals of the 2003 French Open when at 4 2 30 0 on Williams s serve in the third set Henin raised her hand to indicate she was not ready to receive Williams then put her serve into the net The umpire did not see Henin raise her hand and thus did not allow Williams a first serve Williams lost the game and would go on to lose the match Their last match took place in the final of the 2010 Australian Open where Williams won in three sets to take her 12th major title 329 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 person to ever win four WTA tour level finals against Williams 332 While their rivalry is heavily favored towards Williams their matches are known for their fierce competitiveness and Azarenka is considered the only player to truly challenge Williams following the retirement of Capriati Henin and Hingis with 9 of their matches extending to three sets 333 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 6 4 6 3 Their rivalry truly began at the 2004 Wimbledon final where Williams was the two time defending champion Sharapova upset her 6 1 6 4 Williams next lost to Sharapova in the finals of the 2004 WTA Tour Championships 6 4 2 6 4 6 Since then however Williams 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 led 9 1 and they further met in 9 finals with Williams leading 7 2 Sharapova retired in February 2020 with their final match being in the first round of the 2019 US Open Williams defeated Sharapova 6 1 6 1 in one hour exactly Despite the one sided nature of their rivalry it is considered one of the most prominent rivalries on the WTA Tour of the 21st century due to alleged personality clashes similarly aggressive playing styles and significant media interest 334 Match controversiesAccusations of match fixing When both of the Williams sisters entered the top ten and started meeting 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 335 After losing to Venus at the Indian Wells quarterfinals in 2001 Elena Dementieva asserted during a post match interview that Richard Williams decided the results of matches between the two sisters 336 Shortly after that Venus Williams pulled out of her Indian Wells semifinal match against Serena Williams at the last minute claiming tendinitis this occurrence garnered much speculation in the press and some fans demanded their money back 337 338 339 Indian Wells boycott At the 2001 Ericsson Open the following week Richard Williams stated that racist comments were made to him in the stands 340 and the tournament director refused to offer Williams an apology for how he was treated citation needed As a result neither sister played the tournament even though it had become a mandatory stop on the WTA tour since 2009 In 2015 Williams decided to end her 14 year boycott and played 341 2004 US Open In her US Open quarterfinal match against Jennifer Capriati an incorrect overrule was made by chair umpire Mariana Alves the video review showed that Williams s shot landed in bounds In the same match new technology being tested made incorrect line calls late in the third set Williams argued with the chair over a couple of calls during the match but was not successful Capriati won the match with Serena herself acknowledging that this was primarily due to her 57 unforced errors nevertheless she accused Alves of temporary insanity 342 and said that she felt cheated 343 In a post match interview Capriati sharply observed that bad calls had gone against her in the past as well Alves did not officiate for the remainder of the tournament this was not punitive as commonly thought as she was not scheduled to officiate 344 The controversy renewed calls for and was widely given credit for the adoption of technology such as the MacCAM and Hawk Eye systems 345 2009 US Open In the US Open semifinal round against Kim Clijsters Williams slammed her racket on the court after losing the first set She was given a warning with a potential second violation carrying a one point penalty While trailing 4 6 5 6 15 30 Williams s second serve was called a foot fault resulting in two match points for Clijsters Williams gestured with her racket to the lineswoman who had made the call and yelled at her with profanities and a threat to shove a tennis ball down the lineswoman s throat 346 During the subsequent on court conference between the chair umpire the lineswoman US Open officials and Williams a television microphone picked up Williams saying to the lineswoman I didn t say I would kill you Are you serious 347 The incident resulted in Williams being penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct necessitated by the earlier warning for racket abuse meaning Clijsters won the match 6 4 7 5 The following day Williams was issued the maximum permissible on site fine of 10 000 plus 500 for racket abuse After further investigation the Grand Slam Committee in November 2009 fined her 175 000 in place of suspending her from the 2010 US Open or other Grand Slam events 348 They also placed her on a two year probation which provided that if Williams committed another offense at a Grand Slam event in the next two years she would be suspended from participating in the following US Open If however she committed no offenses within the next two years her fine would be reduced to 82 500 348 Williams initially refused to apologize for her outburst both in her post match press conference 349 and in an official statement released the following day 119 She eventually did apologize stating I just really wanted to apologize sincerely because I m a very prideful person and I m a very intense person and a very emotional person and I wanted to offer my sincere apologies to anyone that I may have offended She said she was humbled by the experience 350 2011 US Open In the final of the 2011 US Open against Samantha Stosur Williams shouted Come on as the Australian attempted to return a forehand Williams believed to be a winner The chair umpire Eva Asderaki awarded the point to Stosur based on the ITF s deliberate hindrance rule which states If a player commits any act which hinders his opponent in making a stroke then if this is deliberate he shall lose the point or if involuntary the point shall be replayed 351 As the point was 30 40 on Williams s serve the penalty gave the break of serve to Stosur Williams became angry with the chair umpire and made several gestures and unflattering comments toward her during the next changeover including telling Asderaki that if the umpire ever saw Serena coming toward her she should look the other way 352 Williams initially gained momentum in the set following the penalty breaking back in the next game but eventually flagged and lost the match 2 6 3 6 At the end of the match she declined to offer the customary handshake to Asderaki 353 354 Williams mentioned the incident in her post match speech as the tournament runner up asserting I hit a winner but I guess it didn t count but added It wouldn t have mattered in the end Sam played well 355 A writer for ESPN suggested that Williams could avoid being found to have violated the terms of the probation on which she was placed following her 2009 outburst as she did not appear to have used profanity in addressing Asderaki during the match 356 In the end Williams was fined 2 000 and was not barred from competing in the 2012 US Open because Williams s conduct while verbally abusive did not rise to the level of a major offence under the Grand Slam code of conduct 357 2018 US Open Williams s 2018 US Open ended in controversy with Williams falling to Naomi Osaka in straight sets following a game penalty in the second set of the final During that second set she was given a code violation because her coach Patrick Mouratoglou gave her coaching hand signals Williams was upset by the violation claiming that her coach was simply giving her a thumbs up and demanded an apology from chair umpire Carlos Ramos Mouratoglou later admitted that he was coaching 358 She received a second violation for smashing her racket on the court which resulted in a point penalty After her third code violation for verbal abuse against the umpire Williams was assessed a game penalty 359 360 Williams said that she believed she was treated unfairly by the umpire because she is a woman 361 Williams was fined a total of 17 000 including 4 000 for a coaching violation 3 000 for racket abuse and 10 000 for verbal abuse towards the umpire 362 Other issues In the beginning years of Williams s professional career hair beads donned by the Williams sisters were the focus of discussion by commentators such as Chris Evert and John McEnroe with Mary Carillo characterizing their hair as noisy and disruptive 363 The beads often broke and scattered across the court Scholar Nancy E Spencer said that commentary that dismissed the Williams cultural hairstyles served to other the sisters particularly in the context of a white dominated sport where their appearance and specifically their physicality is a popular topic for discussion 363 Following the match controversy at the 2018 US Open final between Williams and Naomi Osaka the Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun published a cartoon by Mark Knight depicting Williams having a tantrum and breaking her racket while the umpire asks her opponent to just let her win 364 The cartoon was widely criticized as racist and sexist including by Williams s husband Reddit co founder Alexis Ohanian and author J K Rowling 365 366 Complaints centered around the portrayal of Williams as an angry black woman with exaggerated large lips a broad flat nose and positioned in an ape like pose and the portrayal of Williams s opponent Osaka who is half Japanese half Haitian with blonde hair 367 At least some of these criticisms were inaccurate video and photos from the 2018 US Open women s final show that Osaka s naturally dark hair was in fact dyed blonde at that time 368 The editor of the Herald Sun argued the cartoon was unfairly criticized on social media 369 Knight defended his work saying that his satire was never about race or gender but was about putting a spotlight on bad behaviour by sporting superstars In the immediate aftermath of the controversy he suspended his Twitter account to protect his family and friends 369 In September 2019 Romanian television host Radu Banciu made the following comments during a live broadcast Serena Williams looks exactly like one of those monkeys at the zoo with the red asses 370 Romania s National Council for Combating Discrimination fined Banciu approximately 1 875 for his comments LegacyWilliams is considered one of the best female tennis players of all time In 2017 BBC Sport users picked Williams as the greatest female tennis player of the Open Era BBC presenter and former French Open Champion Sue Barker said Serena is the greatest because this era is so much more competitive than previous eras The pace she generates her serve is without question the greatest ever combined with her movement and her power she pushes her opponents constantly on the back foot 371 In 2018 a Tennis com panel selected Serena as the greatest female tennis player in the Open Era 372 Many commentators players and sports writers regard Williams as the greatest woman tennis player of all time b In 2018 Federer said the player who probably had the best case for tennis Greatest Of All Time man or woman was Serena Williams 374 In 2020 the Tennis Channel ranked Williams as the greatest woman tennis player of all time 375 In 2022 John McEnroe described Williams as an icon and the GOAT of GOATs 376 377 Alongside her sister Venus Williams has been widely credited with increasing diversity within the sport 378 379 380 It all starts with Venus and Serena The demonstration effect The power of seeing two African American girls with braids in the finals of the biggest tournaments in the world in a predominantly white sport Just a huge impact that really can t be overstated That attracted thousands of girls into the sport not just African American but all backgrounds and races Martin Blackman General Manager of Player Development United States Tennis Association 381 Former U S Open champion Sloane Stephens French Open finalist Coco Gauff and four time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka have thanked Williams saying that they never would ve picked up a racket if it was not for her Osaka said If you look at everyone that s our skin colour clearly we followed her I think I m a product of what she s done I wouldn t be here without Serena Venus her whole family 382 For their first match of March 2019 the women of the United States women s national soccer team each wore a jersey with the name of a woman they were honoring on the back Crystal Dunn chose the name of Serena Williams 383 In December 2019 The Associated Press named Williams Female Athlete of the Decade for the 2010s 384 In September 2022 Twitter said that Williams was the most tweeted about female athlete ever 385 Personal life Williams s husband Alexis Ohanian in 2018 Williams is married to Reddit co founder Alexis Ohanian He proposed to her on December 10 2016 in Rome 386 On December 30 2016 Williams announced their engagement in a Reddit post 387 They married on November 16 2017 in New Orleans Guests at the wedding included Beyonce Anna Wintour Kelly Rowland and Kim Kardashian 388 She planned to move to San Francisco with Ohanian after the wedding 244 On April 19 2017 Williams posted a sideways picture of herself on Snapchat that focused on her midsection it had the caption 20 weeks prompting speculation that she was pregnant 389 Later that evening her spokesperson confirmed the pregnancy 390 The fact that she was 20 weeks pregnant when announcing her pregnancy meant that she was eight weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open earlier that year 391 Williams later said that posting the picture on Snapchat was an accident and that she had intended to save the photo for her records 392 In September 2017 Williams gave birth to her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr who is often referred to as Olympia 393 394 She had an emergency caesarean section delivery due to the baby s heart rate dropping during labor and was at first devastated about it 247 She suffered a pulmonary embolism after giving birth leaving her bedridden for six weeks and delaying her return to training 248 This encounter was not her first with the disease venous thromboembolism she had been hospitalized in 2011 for pulmonary embolism thought to have originated from a deep vein thrombosis 395 In August 2018 she revealed she was suffering from postpartum depression 396 Williams gave her daughter a doll Qai Qai that has become famous on social media 397 She has also faced many questions whether she would raise her daughter to play tennis to which she answered saying she has already hired a coach for her daughter She also posts many pictures of her and her daughter on the tennis court with rackets 398 Williams was raised a Jehovah s Witness but states she has never really practiced it 244 She often thanks Jehovah after winning matches 399 Williams confirmed that she follows some practices Olympia doesn t celebrate birthdays We re Jehovah s Witnesses so we don t do that 400 In January 2023 about half a year after her retirement she got baptised as one of Jehovah s Witnesses in Florida 401 Williams current agent is former player Jill Smoller 402 Off court activitiesEquipment and endorsements In the early 2000s Williams wore Puma apparel and footwear on court 403 Williams signed a five year endorsement deal with Nike in 2004 for 40 million and has been endorsed by the company for clothing apparel and footwear ever since 404 Nike designs custom clothing for Williams which she wears on the court along with custom footwear She used the Wilson Hammer Stretch range of racquets when she won her first Grand Slam title in 1999 before switching to the Hyper Hammer range 405 She switched to the Wilson nCode briefly in 2005 and has used various iterations of the Wilson Blade racquet since 2008 Her racquet is typically oversized with a head size of 104 square inches Since 2017 Wilson has manufactured a signature racquet the Wilson Blade SW104 which is designed to Williams s specifications Since 2020 Williams has used a smaller variant of this racquet the Wilson Blade SW102 Autograph 406 Williams also has endorsement deals with Gatorade Delta Air Lines Audemars Piguet Aston Martin Pepsi Beats by Dre headphones Mission Athletecare Berlei bras OPI Products OnePiece IBM Mini Intel Tempur and Chase Bank citation needed Williams is the current when CSO Chief Sporting Officer for British luxury automobile manufacturer Aston Martin She accepted the contract in June 2015 Williams then posted her first experience on social media service Twitter and said I m loving my first day on the job as Chief Sporting Officer and Director of Fun stating her optimism on the job as the CSO 407 408 Williams is also on the board of directors at SurveyMonkey 409 Fashion Williams has been noted for her unusual and colorful outfits on court In 2002 there was much talk when she wore a black lycra catsuit at the US Open 410 At the 2004 US Open Williams wore denim skirts and knee high boots tournament officials did not allow her to wear the boots during matches 411 At the 2008 Wimbledon the white trench coat she wore during warm up for her opening match was the subject of much discussion since it was worn despite sunny weather 412 Some social scientists have argued that the most negative reactions to Williams s on court fashion statements especially in newspaper coverage of the Australian Open and Wimbledon combines with writers fixation upon her muscular body to distract from her on court accomplishments and fit this commentary within centuries old narratives of the pornographic eroticism and sexual grotesquerie of African and African American women 413 Williams formerly had a special line with Puma 414 In April 2004 she signed a deal worth US 40 million for a line with Nike 415 Since 2004 she has also run her own line of designer apparel Aneres her first name spelled backward In 2009 she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry 416 The collection Signature Statement is sold mainly on the Home Shopping Network HSN 417 In early 2010 Williams became a certified nail technician in preparation for her upcoming nail collection with a company called HairTech 418 In 2015 she became the first black female athlete to have a picture by herself on the cover of Vogue which she did for the April 2015 issue 419 In 2015 she also presented her HSN Signature Statement collection for the second time at the New York Fashion Week Show a clothing line exclusively made for the retailer HSN 417 In May 2018 she wore a skin tight catsuit at the 2018 French Open that likened a superhero outfit and helped promote her new clothing line Serena 420 421 422 The outfit was subsequently banned by the French Tennis Federation president Bernard Giudicelli with the explanation It will no longer be accepted One must respect the game and the place Williams then wore a black tutu to her first match at the 2018 US Open on August 27 2018 against Magda Linette which she dominated in straight sets 423 424 In February 2019 Serena Williams was appointed to the board of directors of online fashion marketplace Poshmark 425 In Fall 2019 Williams launched the first collection of her sustainable clothing line S by Serena 426 Inspired by 1990s street wear S by Serena collections are shown on a range of body types and sizes ranging from XS to 3X highlighting the line s focus on inclusivity 427 Activism Williams has become more involved in social change as her career has progressed primarily using social media as a medium of expressing her views In 2016 she posted her support of Black Lives Matter on her Facebook page voicing her concern about her young nephew being in danger from police officers owing to his skin color 428 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 by tweeting her displeasure saying TennysSandgren I don t need or want one But there is an entire group of people that deserves an apology I can t look at my daughter and tell her I sat back and was quiet No She will know how to stand up for herself and others through my example Additionally she attached an image that read Maturity is being able to apologize and admit when you re wrong because you know that your mistakes don t define you 429 Also in 2016 Serena Williams wrote an open letter in Porter Magazine s Incredible Women of 2016 to speak out about gender equality and her personal struggles as a woman in tennis 430 She noted that women s contributions to the sport of tennis are not recognized in the way men s contributions are recognized she also called out issues of equal pay in tennis She ended the letter stating that she hoped that her letter would inspire a new generation of women to push for greatness and follow their dreams with steadfast resilience 431 Williams received several awards for her activism namely those directed towards Black communities She was listed among the 35 most remarkable and beautiful black women in the world by Essence magazine 432 The NAACP honored Williams with the President s Award at the annual NAACP Image Awards citation needed 433 Williams in 2014 founded the equity company Serena Ventures 434 The firm s goal is to help start up companies whose perspectives and innovations level the playing field for women and people of color Entertainment Williams has appeared on television and also provided voice work on animated shows in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons Serena joined the animation along with sister Venus Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi 435 She has also provided guest voice work in a 2005 episode of Playhouse Disney s animated kids show Higglytown Heroes and a 2007 episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar The Last Airbender 436 which she has described as her favorite show 437 Williams has posed for the 2003 and 2004 editions of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 438 In April 2005 MTV announced plans to broadcast a reality show around the lives of Serena and Venus which was eventually aired on ABC Family Williams has appeared twice on MTV s Punk d and in 2007 appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race In 2002 she played Miss Wiggins in the season 3 episode Crouching Mother Hidden Father of My Wife and Kids 439 she has also guest starred in episodes of The Bernie Mac Show ER and Law amp Order Special Victims Unit 440 In 2007 Williams appeared in the music video of I Want You by the American rapper Common alongside performers Alicia Keys and Kanye West 441 In late 2009 Williams became the first active female professional athlete to appear in a feminine hygiene product advertising campaign A series of online videos and print advertisements for Tampax Pearl tampons showed her hitting balls at Mother Nature played by Catherine Lloyd Burns to prevent Mother Nature giving her a red wrapped gift representing her menstrual period In the online videos the two have dueling press conferences over the bad blood between them A lot of celebrities are not open to working with our brand and we re thrilled that Serena is said a brand manager for Tampax at Procter amp Gamble 442 In July 2012 she appeared on ABC s comedic improv TV series Trust Us with Your Life and as a lawyer on Lifetime s television series Drop Dead Diva citation needed To celebrate the 35th anniversary of Pac Man Williams made a cameo appearance in the film Pixels which starred Adam Sandler and Kevin James and premiered on July 24 2015 443 Williams is known to be close to Beyonce and made a cameo appearance dancing in Beyonce s music video for the song Sorry in the hit album Lemonade Williams said the director told her We would love for you to be in this particular song It s about strength and it s about courage and that s what we see you as 444 In 2021 Williams signed a first look deal with Amazon Studios 445 She makes a cameo appearance as himself in the 2022 Netflix film Glass Onion A Knives Out Mystery 446 Language fluency In addition to English as her native language Williams also speaks conversational French and knows some Spanish and Italian At the 2013 2015 2016 and 2018 French Open she gave her on court interviews in French much to the crowd s delight 447 448 Miami Dolphins venture In August 2009 Williams and her sister Venus became minority owners of the Miami Dolphins after purchasing a small stake in the team They live near each other in Palm Beach Gardens Florida 244 which is about an hour s drive from the Dolphins stadium They are the first black women to hold any amount of ownership in an NFL franchise 449 Charity work In 2004 and 2005 Serena and her sister Venus visited hospitals and played several tennis matches in predominantly black cities to raise money for the local Ronald McDonald House charities An ESPN episode was dedicated to the Williams sisters charity tour 432 In 2008 as part of the Serena Williams Foundation s work Williams helped to fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni Kenya 450 451 452 The Serena Williams 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 453 454 She received a Celebrity Role Model Award from Avon Foundation in 2003 for work in breast cancer 455 Williams has also been involved in a number of clinics at schools and community centers particularly those which have programs focusing on at risk youth 1 She has also won the Young Heroes Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L A and Inland 2003 and the Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award 2004 1 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 2010 Australian Open to form a charity event in which all proceeds would go to the Haiti earthquake victims 456 Serena along with her sister Venus is a supporter and contributor of First Serve Miami a foundation for youth who want to learn tennis but are socially and economically challenged 457 458 459 460 She has been an International Goodwill Ambassador with UNICEF since 2011 and has helped launch UNICEF s Schools for Asia campaign 461 462 463 464 In addition to the Serena Williams Fund in 2016 Serena and Venus collaborated on the Williams Sisters Fund to work on philanthropic projects together 465 Also in 2016 in their childhood home of Compton California Serena and Venus teamed up to found the Yetunde Price Resource Center in honor of their late sister The Resource Center provides services to families affected by community violence 465 Williams s return to Indian Wells in 2015 was done in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative a non profit organization that provides legal representation to those who might have been denied a fair trial 466 EJI executive director Bryan Stevenson lauded her courage in supporting his organization It s so rare when athletes at the top of their game are willing to embrace a set of issues that for a lot of people are edgier he said This is not aid to orphans She was standing when a lot of her contemporaries remain seated speaking up when others are being quiet 467 In 2014 Williams began hosting an annual charity run named The Serena Williams Ultimate Fun Run The event is in support of the Serena Williams Fund which helps underprivileged individuals and communities that are affected by senseless violence and to ensure equal access to education of youth 468 465 469 In 2017 Williams became Ambassador for the Allstate Foundation s Purple Purse project an initiative to provide financial empowerment to domestic abuse victims 470 471 In a press release Vicky Dinges Allstate s senior vice president of corporate responsibility said we are thrilled to welcome Serena a longtime advocate and role model for so many to the Purple Purse family Her voice will bring new audiences into this critical conversation 471 Other charitable 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 472 473 Writing The Williams sisters with author Hilary Beard wrote a book titled Venus amp Serena Serving From The Hip 10 Rules For Living Loving and Winning which was published in 2005 474 475 During the 2009 Wimbledon Championships Williams said that she was in the process of writing a TV show storyline which would be converted into script form by her agency She stated that the show would represent subject matter from a mix of popular American television shows such as Desperate Housewives and Family Guy 476 Williams released her first solo autobiography entitled On the Line following the 2009 US Open citation needed Soccer On July 21 2020 Williams was announced as part of a nearly all women investors group that was awarded a new franchise in the National Women s Soccer League the top level of the women s sport in the U S The new team is set to start play in 2022 Her husband Alexis Ohanian is classified as the lead investor but he holds a minority interest and is the only male in the ownership group Other announced owners include several prominent actresses and media figures two businesswomen 14 former members of the U S women s national team and her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian 477 Career statisticsMain article Serena Williams career statistics Grand Slam tournament performance timeline Key W F SF QF R RR Q DNQ A NH W winner F finalist SF semifinalist QF quarterfinalist R rounds 4 3 2 1 RR round robin stage Q qualification round DNQ did not qualify A absent NH not held SR strike rate events won competed W L win loss record To avoid confusion and double counting these charts are updated at the conclusion of a tournament or when the player s participation has ended 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 SR W L 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 88 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 83 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 88 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 88 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 2 2 23 81 367 56 87 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 ScoreWin 1999 US Open Hard Martina Hingis 6 3 7 6 7 4 Loss 2001 US Open Hard Venus Williams 2 6 4 6Win 2002 French Open Clay Venus Williams 7 5 6 3Win 2002 Wimbledon Grass Venus Williams 7 6 7 4 6 3Win 2002 US Open 2 Hard Venus Williams 6 4 6 3Win 2003 Australian Open Hard Venus Williams 7 6 7 4 3 6 6 4Win 2003 Wimbledon 2 Grass Venus Williams 4 6 6 4 6 2Loss 2004 Wimbledon Grass Maria Sharapova 1 6 4 6Win 2005 Australian Open 2 Hard Lindsay Davenport 2 6 6 3 6 0Win 2007 Australian Open 3 Hard Maria Sharapova 6 1 6 2Loss 2008 Wimbledon Grass Venus Williams 5 7 4 6Win 2008 US Open 3 Hard Jelena Jankovic 6 4 7 5Win 2009 Australian Open 4 Hard Dinara Safina 6 0 6 3Win 2009 Wimbledon 3 Grass Venus Williams 7 6 7 3 6 2Win 2010 Australian Open 5 Hard Justine Henin 6 4 3 6 6 2Win 2010 Wimbledon 4 Grass Vera Zvonareva 6 3 6 2Loss 2011 US Open Hard Samantha Stosur 2 6 3 6Win 2012 Wimbledon 5 Grass Agnieszka Radwanska 6 1 5 7 6 2Win 2012 US Open 4 Hard Victoria Azarenka 6 2 2 6 7 5Win 2013 French Open 2 Clay Maria Sharapova 6 4 6 4Win 2013 US Open 5 Hard Victoria Azarenka 7 5 6 7 6 8 6 1Win 2014 US Open 6 Hard Caroline Wozniacki 6 3 6 3Win 2015 Australian Open 6 Hard Maria Sharapova 6 3 7 6 7 5 Win 2015 French Open 3 Clay Lucie Safarova 6 3 6 7 2 7 6 2Win 2015 Wimbledon 6 Grass Garbine Muguruza 6 4 6 4Loss 2016 Australian Open Hard Angelique Kerber 4 6 6 3 4 6Loss 2016 French Open Clay Garbine Muguruza 5 7 4 6Win 2016 Wimbledon 7 Grass Angelique Kerber 7 5 6 3Win 2017 Australian Open 7 Hard Venus Williams 6 4 6 4Loss 2018 Wimbledon Grass Angelique Kerber 3 6 3 6Loss 2018 US Open Hard Naomi Osaka 2 6 4 6Loss 2019 Wimbledon Grass Simona Halep 2 6 2 6Loss 2019 US Open Hard Bianca Andreescu 3 6 5 7Women s doubles 14 14 0 Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents ScoreWin 1999 French Open Clay Venus Williams Martina Hingis Anna Kournikova 6 3 6 7 2 7 8 6Win 1999 US Open Hard Venus Williams Chanda Rubin Sandrine Testud 4 6 6 1 6 4Win 2000 Wimbledon Grass Venus Williams Julie Halard Decugis Ai Sugiyama 6 3 6 2Win 2001 Australian Open Hard Venus Williams Lindsay Davenport Corina Morariu 6 2 2 6 6 4Win 2002 Wimbledon 2 Grass Venus Williams Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suarez 6 2 7 5Win 2003 Australian Open 2 Hard Venus Williams Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suarez 4 6 6 4 6 3Win 2008 Wimbledon 3 Grass Venus Williams Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur 6 2 6 2Win 2009 Australian Open 3 Hard Venus Williams Daniela Hantuchova Ai Sugiyama 6 3 6 3Win 2009 Wimbledon 4 Grass Venus Williams Samantha Stosur Rennae Stubbs 7 6 7 4 6 4Win 2009 US Open 2 Hard Venus Williams Cara Black Liezel Huber 6 2 6 2Win 2010 Australian Open 4 Hard Venus Williams Cara Black Liezel Huber 6 4 6 3Win 2010 French Open 2 Clay Venus Williams Kveta Peschke Katarina Srebotnik 6 2 6 3Win 2012 Wimbledon 5 Grass Venus Williams Andrea Hlavackova Lucie Hradecka 7 5 6 4Win 2016 Wimbledon 6 Grass Venus Williams Timea Babos Yaroslava Shvedova 6 3 6 4Mixed doubles 4 2 2 Result Year Tournament Surface Partner Opponents ScoreLoss 1998 French Open Clay Luis Lobo Justin Gimelstob Venus Williams 4 6 4 6Win 1998 Wimbledon Grass Max Mirnyi Mahesh Bhupathi Mirjana Lucic 6 4 6 4Win 1998 US Open Hard Max Mirnyi Patrick Galbraith Lisa Raymond 6 2 6 2Loss 1999 Australian Open Hard Max Mirnyi David Adams Mariaan de Swardt 4 6 6 4 6 7 5 7 RecordsWilliams has won a record 13 Grand Slam singles titles on hard court She holds the Open Era record for most women s singles titles at the Australian Open 7 and shares with Chris Evert the Open Era record for most titles won at the US Open 6 She also holds the records for the most women s singles matches won at majors 367 and most singles majors won since turning 30 years old 10 She is the only tennis player male or female to win three of the four Grand Slams at least 6 times She is also a five time winner of the WTA Tour Championships in the singles division 478 In doubles the Williams sisters have the third most women s doubles Grand Slam titles behind the 18 titles of Natasha Zvereva 14 with Gigi Fernandez and the record 20 titles won by Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver Serena and Venus are the only tennis players in history with four Olympic gold medals three in women s doubles together and one each in singles and to win Olympic gold in the same event on three occasions They are the only Open Era women tennis players to win Olympic Gold in both the singles and doubles categories 143 At the 2012 Summer Olympics Serena Williams became only the third player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at one Olympic Games after Helen Wills Moody at the 1924 Summer Olympics and Venus at the 2000 Sydney Olympics Williams is the only player male or female to accomplish a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles 479 480 Main article List of career achievements by Serena Williams Records in bold indicate peer less achievements Records in italics are currently active streaks when Time span Selected Grand Slam tournament records Players matched1999 US Open 2003 Australian Open Career Grand Slam in singles Doris HartMaureen ConnollyShirley FryMargaret CourtBillie Jean KingChris EvertMartina NavratilovaSteffi GrafMaria Sharapova2012 Wimbledon 2015 Australian Open Career Grand Slam in singles after age 30 Stands alone2012 Wimbledon 2017 Australian Open Double Career Grand Slam in singles after age 30 Stands alone1999 US Open 2012 Olympics Career Golden Slam in singles Steffi Graf2012 Wimbledon 2015 Australian Open Career Golden Slam in singles after age 30 Stands alone1999 French Open 2003 Australian Open Career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles Doris HartShirley FryMargaret CourtMartina Navratilova1999 French Open 2012 Olympics Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles Stands alone2012 Wimbledon 2017 Australian Open Ten Grand Slam singles titles after age 30 Stands alone2002 Wimbledon 2017 Australian Open 3 different Grand Slam titles won without losing a set Helen WillsChris EvertSteffi GrafLindsay Davenport1999 US Open 2017 Australian Open Thirteen hardcourt Grand Slam singles titles Stands alone2012 Olympics 2015 Wimbledon Simultaneous holder of Olympic singles gold and all four Grand Slams in singles Steffi Graf2008 Olympics 2010 French Open Simultaneous holder of Olympic doubles gold and all four Grand Slams in doubles with Venus Williams Pam ShriverGigi Fernandez Venus WilliamsBarbora KrejcikovaKaterina Siniakova2008 Olympics 2015 Wimbledon Simultaneous holder of Olympic gold and all four Grand Slams in both singles and doubles Stands alone1999 French Open 2012 Olympics Double Career Golden Slam 2 titles at all four Grand Slams amp Olympic golds in doubles with Venus Williams Gigi Fernandez Venus Williams2002 French Open 2003 Australian Open Winner of non calendar year Grand Slam Maureen ConnollyMargaret CourtMartina NavratilovaSteffi Graf2002 French Open 2015 Wimbledon Winner of two non calendar year Grand Slams Steffi Graf2002 French Open 2010 French Open Winner of non calendar year Grand Slams in both singles and doubles Martina Navratilova2002 French Open 2016 Wimbledon Winner of 10 Grand Slam singles titles in two separate decades 10 from 2000 to 2009 and 12 from 2010 to 2017 Stands alone2002 French Open 2013 French Open Winner of all four Grand Slam singles titles in two separate decades Margaret CourtSteffi Graf1999 US Open 2013 French Open Winner of Grand Slam singles titles in three decades Blanche BingleyMartina Navratilova1999 French Open 2016 Wimbledon First 14 Grand Slam doubles finals won with Venus Williams Venus Williams1999 US Open 2015 French Open Triple Career Grand Slam 3 titles at all four Grand Slams in singles Margaret CourtSteffi Graf1999 US Open 2013 French Open Double Career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles Margaret CourtMartina Navratilova1999 US Open 2015 Wimbledon 6 titles at three different Grand Slams Australian Open Wimbledon and US Open Stands alone2002 Wimbledon 2017 Australian Open 7 titles at two different Grand Slams Australian Open and Wimbledon Helen Wills1998 Australian Open 2021 French Open 69 wins at all four Grand Slams Stands alone2012 Australian Open 2017 Australian Open 3 finals at each of the four Grand Slams since turning 30 Stands alone2017 Australian Open Oldest women s singles winner 35 years 4 months Stands aloneGrand Slam tournaments Time span Records at each Grand Slam tournament Players matchedAustralian Open 2007 Unseeded winner of singles title Chris O NeilAustralian Open 2003 2017 7 women s singles titles Open Era record Stands aloneAustralian Open 2003 2017 8 finals overall Stands aloneAustralian Open 2003 2017 14 years between first and last title Stands aloneAustralian Open 2003 2017 14 years between first and last final Chris EvertVenus WilliamsAustralian Open 1998 2021 92 match wins Stands aloneFrench Open 2002 2015 13 years between first and last title Stands aloneFrench Open 2002 2016 14 years between first and last final Stands aloneFrench Open Wimbledon 2002 2015 Accomplished a Channel Slam Winning both tournaments in the same year Margaret CourtBillie Jean KingChris EvertMartina NavratilovaSteffi GrafWimbledon 2012 2016 3 women s singles titles after age 30 Stands aloneWimbledon 2002 2016 14 years between first and last title Stands aloneWimbledon 2002 2019 17 years between first and last final Venus WilliamsUS Open 1999 2012 Winner of singles titles in three decades Stands aloneUS Open 1999 2014 6 women s singles titles Open Era record Chris EvertUS Open 2002 2008 2014 3 titles won without losing a set Chris EvertUS Open 1998 2022 108 match wins Stands aloneUS Open 1999 2014 15 years between first and last title Stands aloneUS Open 1999 2019 20 years between first and last final Stands aloneUS Open 2011 2013 2014 Won as US Open Series Champion multiple times Stands aloneUS Open 2012 2014 3 women s singles titles after age 30 Stands aloneTime span Other selected records Players matched1999 2016 23 Tier I Premier Mandatory amp Premier 5 singles titles overall Stands alone1999 2019 33 Tier I Premier Mandatory amp Premier 5 singles finals overall Stands alone1998 2022 266 Tier I Premier Mandatory amp Premier 5 singles match wins overall Stands alone1999 2015 16 hardcourt Tier I Premier Mandatory amp Premier 5 singles titles Stands alone1999 2019 24 hardcourt Tier I Premier Mandatory amp Premier 5 singles finals Stands alone2001 Won WTA Tour Championships on debut Maria SharapovaPetra KvitovaDominika CibulkovaAshleigh Barty2010 Ranked No 1 in singles and doubles simultaneously Martina NavratilovaArantxa Sanchez VicarioMartina HingisLindsay DavenportKim Clijsters2013 2016 186 consecutive weeks at No 1 Steffi Graf2002 2015 8 Miami Masters singles titles overall Stands alone1999 2015 10 Miami Masters singles finals overall Stands alone2000 2012 4 Olympic Gold Medals overall Venus Williams2000 2012 3 Olympic gold medals in Doubles with Venus Williams Venus Williams2000 2016 93 75 15 1 Olympic match winning record in doubles with Venus Williams Venus Williams2001 2012 Two Year End Championships won without losing a set Martina Navratilova2001 2015 Winning percentage of 82 86 at Year End Championships Stands alone1999 2004 2008 2017 2019 17 years with winning percentage 80 Martina Navratilova1999 2020 47 career hardcourt titles Stands alone1998 2022 538 career hardcourt match wins Stands alone1990s 2000s 2010s amp 2020s The first player in the Open Era to win singles titles across four decades Stands alone1995 2022 94 618 080 prize money overall Stands aloneFilmographyWilliams as a child her early training and relationship to her sister Venus and family are depicted in the 2021 feature movie King Richard which focuses especially on Venus s teenage transition into a professional tennis player 481 Film and television Year Title Role Notes2001 The Simpsons Herself voice Episode Tennis the Menace 2002 My Wife and Kids Miss Wiggins Episode Crouching Mother Hidden Father 2003 Street Time Meeka Hayes Episode Fly Girl 2004 Law amp Order Special Victims Unit Chloe Spiers Episode Brotherhood 2004 The Division Jennifer Davis Episode Lost and Found 2004 Hair Show Agent Ross2005 Higglytown Heroes Snowplow Driver Hero voice Episode Higgly Hoedown Eubie s Turbo Sled 2005 ER Alice Watson Episode Two Ships 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 episodes2007 Loonatics Unleashed Queen Athena voice Episode Apocalypso 2007 Avatar The Last Airbender Ming voice Episode The Day of Black Sun Part 1 The Invasion 2006 The Bernie Mac Show Herself Episode Spinning Wheels 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 Drop Dead Diva Kelly Stevens Episode Rigged 2012 Venus and Serena Herself2013 The Legend of Korra Female Sage voice Episode Beginnings Part 1 2015 7 Days in Hell Herself2015 Pixels Herself Cameo 443 2016 Lemonade music video Herself Cameo in Sorry 2016 Serena The Other Side of Greatness Herself Documentary2018 Ocean s 8 Herself Cameo2018 Being Serena Herself Documentary2022 Glass Onion A Knives Out Mystery Herself CameoSee alsoWTA 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 sportsReferences a b c d e f g h i j k l Serena Williams at the Women s Tennis Association SUNDAY SLICE SERENA DEBUTS NEW TEAM DENIS SHAPOVALOV CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY AT WIMBLEDON Tennis com June 26 2022 Retrieved June 28 2022 wtatennis com April 29 2019 Retrieved April 29 2019 a b Comparing Serena Williams to two of the all time greats ESPN September 4 2015 Retrieved September 6 2015 a b Wimbledon 2012 Serena Williams true great after fifth title BBC Sport Retrieved July 13 2015 a b St John Allen Tennis Battle Of The Sexes Who s The Greatest Of All Time Roger Federer Or Serena Williams Forbes Retrieved September 5 2017 a b Zagoria Adam October 12 2014 Legends Evert King call Serena Williams greatest ever Metro us Metro Retrieved November 15 2015 a b Corpuz Rachelle March 3 2015 Andre Agassi Says Serena Williams Is The Greatest Ever International Business Times AU 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