Serena

Williams

Quick Facts

• Daughter of Richard Williams and Oracene Price
• Has four sisters, Venus, Lyndrea, Isha and Yetunde (deceased in 2003)
• Began playing tennis at age five at public courts in Compton, California
• Favorite author is Maya Angelou
• Hobbies are watching movies and football, reading, acting, talking on the phone, spending time with family and friends
• Debuted a custom-designed Nike apparel line in Paris in May 2004
• Minority owner of the Miami Dolphins
• Co-founded the Serena Williams Secondary School in Kenya, which opened in November 2008

Biographical Information

Serena Williams, with four Olympic gold medals and 23 Grand Slam singles titles, is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She ranks fifth in all-time career titles and holds an impressive 84% win percentage. Williams held the world No. 1 ranking in women’s singles for 319 weeks and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times.

Throughout her career, Williams has revolutionized women’s tennis, bringing a new level of power and athleticism to the sport. Along with her sister, Venus, she is credited with ushering in the power era of women’s tennis.

The Williams sisters won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and took gold at the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, Olympic Games Beijing 2008 and Olympic Games London 2012, becoming the winningest doubles team in Olympic history. From the public courts of Compton to dominating the professional tennis circuit, Serena Williams’ legacy extends far beyond her records and titles.

Olympic Experience

• 4-time Olympian; 4-time Olympic medalist (4 gold)
  • Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro 2016, 9th (Singles - Women), 17th (Doubles - Women)
  • Olympic Games London 2012, gold (Doubles - Women, Singles - Women)
  • Olympic Games Beijing 2008, gold (Doubles - Women), 5th (Singles - Women)
  • Olympic Games Sydney 2000, gold (Doubles - Women)