Serena Williams is one of the most successful athletes in the world. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other player in the Open Era. She is also a former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, and has won four Olympic gold medals. Williams has been ranked among the world’s most famous athletes by Forbes and Sports Illustrated.
Table of Contents:
1. Early life and family
2. Career
3. Grand Slam singles titles
4. Olympic medals
5. World No. 1 rankings
6. Endorsements
7. Business ventures
8. Media coverage
9. Personal life
10. Legacy
11. Top Serena Williams Quotes
Early life and family:
Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, to Oracene Price and Richard Williams. She has two older sisters, Venus and Isha, and one younger sister, Lyn. Williams’ father took the girls to local tennis tournaments to age eight. When the family moved to Compton, California, Williams joined the tennis team at MacArthur Park and soon became the city’s top player in her age group.
Career:
Williams turned professional in 1995, at the age of 14. She made her Grand Slam debut at the 1997 US Open, where she reached the second round. The following year, she won her first professional title at the Bell Challenge. Williams reached the semifinals of the 1999 French Open, before losing to world No. 1 Martina Hingis.
Grand Slam singles titles:
Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, more than any other player in the Open Era. She is also the only player to have won all four Grand Slam singles titles in a row, which she accomplished twice (2002-2003 and 2014-2015).
Olympic medals:
Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, three in singles and one in doubles. She is the only player to have won all four Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal in the same year, which she accomplished in both 2000 and 2008.
World No. 1 rankings:
Williams has been ranked world No. 1 in singles on eight occasions, tied for the most in the Open Era with Steffi Graf. She has also been ranked world No. 1 in doubles on five occasions.
Endorsements:
Williams has been ranked among the world’s most marketable athletes by Forbes and Sports Illustrated. She has endorsement deals with a number of companies, including Nike, Gatorade, and Wilson.
Business ventures:
In 2007, Williams launched a clothing line, Aneres, which is her middle name spelled backwards. She has also launched a line of jewelry, called Belle, and a line of beauty products, called True Reflection.
Media coverage:
Williams has been the subject of much media coverage throughout her career. She has been praised for her athleticism and power, and has been nicknamed “Serena Slam” and “Superwoman”. However, she has also been criticized for her on-court outbursts and for being a “diva”.
Personal life:
Williams is married to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit. They have one daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., born in 2017.
Legacy:
Williams is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She has been described as “the most dominant player” of her generation, and has been ranked among the greatest female athletes of all time by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and Time.
Top Serena Williams Quotes:
“Someone like Billie Jean King is completely my idol.”— Serena Williams
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.”— Serena Williams
“I’m a perfectionist. I’m pretty much insatiable. I feel there’s so many things I can improve on.”— Serena Williams
“I always say if I play my best it’s difficult to beat me.”— Serena Williams
“Think of all the girls who could become top athletes but quit sports because they’re afraid of having too many defined muscles and being made fun of or called unattractive.”— Serena Williams
“I’m not one to blame anyone else for anything. And I don’t think anyone else should either.”— Serena Williams
“There are people who live, breathe and dress tennis.”— Serena Williams
“I’m like a chameleon. I can kind of change and get my game going to whatever the situation is. If I play well, which I don’t think I’ve even reached yet at all in this tournament, it’s really hard for anyone to beat me.”— Serena Williams
“I’ve always considered myself the best and the top. I never considered that I was out of it.”— Serena Williams
“If I’m winning, I have to act like I’m not bored. If it’s A tough match, I have to act like I’m having A good time. I’m a drama queen.”— Serena Williams
“We all know who the real number one is. Quite frankly, I’m the best in the world.”— Serena Williams
“I just hate to lose. When I am on the court, it is like my life depends on it.”— Serena Williams
“Luck has nothing to do with it, because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come.”— Serena Williams
“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.”— Serena Williams
“It’s me, and I love me. I learned to love me. I’ve been like this my whole life, and I embrace me. I love how I look. I love that I’m a full woman and I’m strong and I’m powerful and I’m beautiful at the same time. There’s nothing wrong with that.”— Serena Williams
“You can be whatever size you are, and you can be beautiful both inside and out. We’re always told what’s beautiful and what’s not, and that’s not right.”— Serena Williams
“I always believe I can beat the best, achieve the best. I always see myself in the top position.”— Serena Williams
“When you lose, you get up, you make it better, you TRY AGAIN.”— Serena Williams
“I try not to be protected. Because I feel like you can become a little bit of a robot. That’s not who I am. And I don’t want to be monotone. It’s important to be yourself, whatever the cost.”— Serena Williams
“I’m not used to crying. It’s a little difficult. All my life I’ve had to fight. It’s just another fight I’m going to have to learn how to win, that’s all. I’m just going to have to keep smiling.”— Serena Williams
“If anything, you know, I think losing makes me even more motivated.”— Serena Williams
“I just never give up. I fight to the end. You can’t go out and say, ‘I want a bag of never-say-die spirit.’ It’s not for sale. It has to be innate.”— Serena Williams
“Venus told me the other day that champions don’t get nervous in tight situations. That really helped me a lot. I decided I shouldn’t get nervous and just do the best I can.”— Serena Williams
“I meet people who say, “Girl, I watch every match, and I pray for you.” I feel that energy and those prayers. Sometimes when I’m down on the court, in the back of my mind, I’m thinking, “They want me to win. Is there anything else I can give?” It encourages me to do better, to fight harder.”— Serena Williams
“If you smile things will work out.”— Serena Williams
“I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my desire to win is always stronger.”— Serena Williams
“Everyone’s dream can come true if you just stick to it and work hard.”— Serena Williams
“I don’t know if I’ve had my share of drama, but I’ve definitely had my share of hard times.”— Serena Williams
“Since I don’t look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.”— Serena Williams
“Nothing comes to a sleeper but a dream.”— Serena Williams
“I always say that when I’m playing well, no one can beat me. I’m not just saying that to sound full of myself or anything, but it’s true.”— Serena Williams
“I think in life you should work on yourself until the day you die.”— Serena Williams
“Everybody who plays me plays me so hard because they always want to beat me.”— Serena Williams
“If Plan A isn’t working, I have Plan B, Plan C, and even Plan D.”— Serena Williams
“Victory is very, very sweet. It tastes better than any dessert you’ve ever had.”— Serena Williams
“I love who I am, and I encourage other people to love and embrace who they are. But it definitely wasn’t easy – it took me a while.”— Serena Williams
“Honestly, I could get in a car accident today and never play tennis again, and then I wouldn’t have anything to fall back on. But fortunately enough, I do.”— Serena Williams
“Luck has nothing to do with it.”— Serena Williams
“I’m an athlete and I’m black, and a lot of black athletes go broke. I do not want to become a statistic, so maybe I overcompensate. But I’m paranoid. Oprah told me a long time ago, ‘You sign every check. Never let anyone sign any checks.’”— Serena Williams
“I am here to play women’s tennis. I’m a lady. Predominantly, most of the time I always like to play ladies.”— Serena Williams
“Tennis just a game, family is forever.”— Serena Williams
“For the younger sisters, we always look up to the older sisters because they’re always ahead of us and they always win.”— Serena Williams
“I never thought about leaving a tennis legacy. I always thought about leaving a legacy of fulfillment, living out your dreams, and giving back.”— Serena Williams
“I’m really super feminine, and I’m really soft. I’m very sensitive, I realized.”— Serena Williams
“Growing up I wasn’t the richest, but I had a rich family in spirit. Standing here with 19 championships is something I never thought would happen. I went on a court just with a ball and a racket and with a hope.”— Serena Williams
“I’ve had to learn to fight all my life – got to learn to keep smiling. If you smile things will work out.”— Serena Williams
“My smile is my favorite part of my body. I think a smile can make your whole body.”— Serena Williams
“I think you have to love yourself before you fall in love. I’m still learning to love myself.”— Serena Williams
“I’ve always been a fighter and I’ve always fought through things my whole life.”— Serena Williams
“There’s always another record, then there’s always another person to catch up with or to pass.”— Serena Williams
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