The Backbone Of Women Tennis, Serena Williams

Whenever we heard the word Tennis, some names come to our mind like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal. One such name is Serena Williams. This American superstar has won 23 grand slam titles which are the most by any player in the Open Era. She is at second position in winning titles after great Margaret Court. Let’s have a look at her life more.

Early Life and Education

Serena Williams was born in Michigan on 26th September 1981. She is the youngest one among her five sisters. Serena started playing tennis at the age of four. This shows her interest in the sport. Her father schooled her and her sister. Soon, Serena and her sister Venus Williams started taking official coaching for tennis. The star kid started creating records at the age of 10 years. At the United States Tennis Association Junior Tour, Serena made a world record score of 46-3 and was ranked number one among all the under-10 players in Florida. Her father himself has also coached his daughters at home. 

Professional Career

Serena’s parents wanted her to wait till the age of 16 to get into any professional tournament. But Serena was eager to start her professional career when she was just 14. She tried to apply for the Bank Of the West Classic tournament but was denied due to the age restriction in 1995. At the same, she started her professional career through the Bell Challenge tournament. Though she lost in the first round of that tournament. In 1997, she won her maiden match in Ameritech Cup Chicago. She then won matches against World no. 7 and World no. 4 and became the lowest-ranked player to beat two players from the top 10 in the same tournament. Though Serena lost the semi-final against no. 5 players. American star finished 1997 with a world ranking of 99. 

In 1999, Serena won her first singles title by winning Open Gaz de France held in Paris. In the same year, she participated in the Australian Open and got eliminated in the third round. Her first grand slam tournament came in 2000 when she beat no. 1 Hingis in the finals to win the US Open. Serena’s dream was of winning Tennis’s oldest tournament Wimbledon. In 2002, her dream came true when she lifted the trophy of Wimbledon after defeating her own sister Venus in the finals. Her life was full of ups and downs. Injuries have always followed her which made Serena pulled out her name from Tennis biggies. Who knows if she would play those too how many titles she would have added in her tally.  

Going through ups and downs, Serena managed to remain at the top ranking. Williams holds the record of not losing the Olympics in singles and doubles games from 2000 to 2015. In 2016, at Rio Olympics, she lost her first-ever medal after 2000. Till 2017, Serena had won all major grand slams at least once. The same year, she announced her pregnancy. She married Alexis Ohanian in the same year. She is blessed with one daughter. In 2018, she returned to the grand slams was runners-up in both US Open and Wimbledon. 

Other Aspects

Serena is fond of fashion. She always surprises her fans with her unique outfits. She is also a social activist. She has done a lot of work in bringing gender equality and other social issues. She has also appeared on Television with her sister Venus in 2002. Where they were a part of the animated show. She has been active in doing various charities. There is also a book on both sisters. The Williams sisters, with author Hilary Beard, wrote a book titled Venus & Serena: Serving From The Hip: 10 Rules For Living, Loving and Winning. It was published in 2005.