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. Serena Williams is hailed by many coaches, players and sportscasters to be one of the best female tennis players of the Open Era. Her numerous victories on court have been a positive influence on young girls and boys who see Williams as a role model and an ambassador of tennis. Some commentators, players and sports writers regard Williams as the greatest female tennis player of all time.
At the 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018 French Open she gave her on-court interviews in French, much to the crowd's delight.
| Full name | Serena Jameka Williams | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 26, 1981 Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. |
||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (175 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | October 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Richard Williams (1994–) Oracene Price Patrick Mouratoglou (2012–) |
||||||||||||||||||
| Prize money | US $92,543,816
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Official website | www.serenawilliams.com | ||||||||||||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 826–142 (85.3%) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 72 WTA (5th in overall rankings), 0 ITF | ||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (July 8, 2002) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | No. 9 (September 9, 2019) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Singles results | |||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017) | ||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (2002, 2013, 2015) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016) | ||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Cup | W (1999) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | W (2001, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 187–33 (85.0%) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career titles | 23 WTA, 0 ITF | ||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (June 21, 2010) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | W (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010) | ||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | W (1999, 2010) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016) | ||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1999, 2009) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Other doubles tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||
| Tour Finals | SF (2009) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed doubles | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career record | 27–4 (87.1%) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |||||||||||||||||||
| Australian Open | F (1999) | ||||||||||||||||||
| French Open | F (1998) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1998) | ||||||||||||||||||
| US Open | W (1998) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team competitions | |||||||||||||||||||
| Fed Cup | W (1999), record 16–1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hopman Cup | W (2003, 2008) | ||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Last updated on: September 9, 2019. | |||||||||||||||||||
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. 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."
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 due to his skin color. 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".
In September 2017, Williams gave birth to a daughter. Williams had a cesarean-section delivery due to complications (specifically, a blood clot in her lungs, referred to as a pulmonary embolism) during the labor of her daughter and, at first, was devastated about it. She suffered another pulmonary embolism after giving birth, leaving her bedridden for six weeks and delaying her return to training. In August 2018, Serena announced she was suffering from postpartum depression.
Serena Williams
Charity work
In 2004 and 2005, Serena and her sister, Venus, visited hospitals and played several tennis matches in predominantly black cities in order to raise money for the local Ronald McDonald House charities. An ESPN episode was dedicated to the Williams sisters' charity tour.
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. 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.
