Serena Williams
Serena Williams embodies courage, power and style and has already overcome almost insurmountable obstacles in her career to win 23 Grand Slam titles.
In 2022, she ended her exceptional career in front of 24,000 fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York at the US Open - for us, an occasion to look back on her successes. And that goes beyond her sporting achievements. After all, her successes off the court in the areas of fashion, social commitment and business make her one of the best-known and most inspiring icons in the world. She is also a family man: she has been married to Alexis Ohanian since 2017. In the same year, the two became parents to daughter Alexis Olympia. In early 2019, Serena also founded her own VC firm, Serena Ventures.
That's the power woman Serena Williams!
Until the end of her career in 2022, Serena Williams was not only a real powerhouse on the tennis court. The top athlete also scores with genuine emotions and social commitment. Poignant moments such as the 2019 Wimbledon press conference, where she promised to never stop fighting for social justice, make the tennis icon a role model and particularly popular with her fans. Moreover, as a competitive athlete who is at the same time a mother of a young daughter, she is considered a real hero.
The fact that Serena Williams is a fighter on the tennis court is controversial. But the tennis icon also shows full commitment off the court. Williams has long fought for women's rights and equality and does not stop at denouncing discrimination in tennis. Time and again, she has spoken out clearly against double standards in sports, the pay gap between men and women, and sexist remarks.
The tennis star champions equality and invests in women entrepreneurs of color. In early 2019, Serena launched her own VC firm, Serena Ventures, whose mission is to invest in companies that promote diverse leadership, individual empowerment, creativity and equal opportunity. Serena Ventures backs 30 companies, including women-led Brandless, The Wing, and Billie.
In 2017, Serena Williams became the mother of a daughter. A major event in the life of the American that changed many things. She openly and honestly admits that it is not always easy to give everything in sports and be a good mother at the same time. Serena is convinced that many mothers struggle just as much with the balancing act between raising children and and work life. "You guys are the real heroines," Williams said.
At the US Open in 2022, Serena Williams competed for the last time at the Grand Slam and tearfully announced the end of her career. She has 23 Grand Slam victories to date, just one short of the record held by Australian Margaret Court. Does that mean a comeback is possible after all? To which Williams replied in the press conference, "I don't think so, but you never know." Looking ahead to the Australian Open in early 2023, she added with a smile, "I've always loved Australia."
Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, the daughter of Richard Williams and Oracene Price. She was the youngest of five sisters. She had three half-sisters Yetunde, Lyndrea and Isha Price on her mother's side and a full sister Venus Williams.
Serena was an exceptional talent and began playing tennis with her sister Venus at the young age of four. A short time later, they attended Rick Macci's tennis academy. There her skills and talent were nurtured and further developed.
By 1991, she had gone 46-3 on the United States Tennis Association Junior Tour.
Serena Williams is the only tennis player to ever achieve a golden career Grand Slam in singles and doubles. She has won a total of 39 Grand Slam titles: 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles and 2 in mixed doubles. Her record of Grand Slam victories puts her third in the world rankings and second in the Open era.
Together with her sister Venus, she won a record 3 times gold in doubles at the Olympics as a team. In 2013, she became the oldest No. 1 player at the age of 31 years and 4 months. Serena Williams is the only tennis player in history (women's and men's) to win the singles title at least six times in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open). She holds the record for winning the most women's singles matches at Grand Slams.
Grand Slam singles wins: Australian Open (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2017), French Open (2002, 2013, 2015), Wimbledon (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016), U.S. Open (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014).
Grand Slam doubles wins: Australian Open (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010), French Open (1999, 2010), Wimbledon (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016), US Open (1999, 2009).
| Date of birth: | September 26, 1981 |
| Nationality: | America |
| Height: | 175cm |
| 1st professional season: | 1995 |
| Playing Hand: | Right, two-handed backhand |
| Net worth: | $185 million |
| Coach: | Patrick Mouratoglou |
| Grand Slam titles: | 23 (singles), 14 (doubles) |
| Husband: | Alexis Ohanian |
| Followers on Instagram: | 16 million |
It's not just on the tennis court that things are going well for the athlete. Serena Williams is also very successful financially. According to Statista.com, the tennis icon's estimated fortune in 2022 is around 185 million euros. Serena Williams won numerous major tennis tournaments in her tennis career and was able to earn prize money in the amount of 94,236,271 US dollars. In addition, Serena Williams has numerous lucrative advertising contracts with renowned brands such as Nike and Intel. In 2016, she earned $28.9 million in prize money and advertising revenue, making her the highest-paid female athlete of the year. Her income in 2022 is estimated at around 10 million euros.
