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Serena Williams

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For this tennis player's detailed statistics, records, and other achievements, see Serena Williams career statistics.
Serena Williams

Williams playing World Team Tennis in 2008
Country (sports) United States
ResidencePalm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.[1]
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Turned pro1995
PlaysRight; Two-handed backhand
Prize moneyUS$24,205,248
(1st all-time among women's tennis players)
Singles
Career record424–92 (82.7%)
Career titles34
Highest rankingNo.1 (8 July 2002)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009)
French OpenW (2002)
WimbledonW (2002, 2003, 2009)
US OpenW (1999, 2002, 2008)
Other tournaments
Tour FinalsW (2001)
Doubles
Career record119–18 (87.3%)
Career titles14
Highest rankingNo. 5 (October 1, 1999)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (2001, 2003, 2009)
French OpenW (1999)
WimbledonW (2000, 2002, 2008)
US OpenW (1999)
Other doubles tournaments
Olympic Games Gold medal (2000, 2008)
Mixed doubles
Career record18-2 (90%)
Career titles2
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenF (1999)
French OpenF (1998)
WimbledonW (1998)
US OpenW (1998)
Last updated on: July 4, 2009.
Olympic medal record
Women's Tennis
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Doubles


Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on four separate occasions; as of April 20, 2009, she was ranked World No. 2. She is the reigning US Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon singles champion and has won 21 Grand Slam titles: 11 in singles, 8 in doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She has won two Olympic gold medals in women's doubles.[2] She is the most recent female player to hold all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously. She is also the only active female player to have won all four Grand Slam tournaments during her career (one French Open, three Wimbledon, four Australian and three US Opens). She also has won more Grand Slams than any other active female player. Additionally, Williams has won more career prize money than any other female athlete in history.[3] In 2005, Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 17th-best player in 40 years.[4] She is the younger sister of former World No. 1 professional female tennis player Venus Williams; the sisters have played each other in 21 professional matches dating back to 1998, with matches played between them at 10–11 to Serena as of July 2009. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals.

On 4 July, 2009 Serena Williams won the Wimbledon Grand Slam Championship.

Williams' off-court interests include fashion, acting, and charity.

Early life

She was born in Saginaw, Michigan to Richard Williams and Oracene Price. Williams is of African American heritage and is one of five sisters: Lyndrea, Isha, Yetunde (died September 14, 2003), and Venus.[1] Oracene raised their children as Jehovah's Witnesses however neither Serena nor Venus are current members of the religion .[5] When the children were young, the family moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Compton, where Williams started playing tennis at the age of four.[6] Richard, who home-schooled his children, hoped that involvement in sports would give them an opportunity for a better life, and dreamed of making at least one of his daughters a tennis superstar.[7] To this end, Williams was and remains coached by both her parents.[1]

The Williams family moved from Compton to West Palm Beach when Serena was nine,[6] to attend the tennis academy of Rick Macci, who would provide additional coaching. Macci spotted the exceptional talents of the sisters, and although he did not always agree with Richard's unorthodox approaches, he respected him for allowing his daughters to grow up like regular kids.[8] Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments when Serena was 10, since he wanted them to take it slow and focus on school work. Another motivation was racial, as he had heard parents of white players talk about the Williams sisters in a derogatory manner during tournaments.[9] At that time, Serena had a 46–3 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked No. 1 among under 10 players in Florida.[10] In 1995, Richard pulled his daughters out of Macci's academy, and from then on took over all coaching at their home. When asked in 2000 whether having followed the normal path of playing regularly on the junior circuit would have been beneficial, Serena responded: "Everyone does different things. I think for Venus and I, we just tried a different road, and it worked for us."[10]

Playing style

Williams is primarily a baseline player. Her game is built around taking immediate control of rallies with a powerful and consistent serve (considered by some to be the best in the women's game),[11] return of serve, and forceful groundstrokes from both her forehand and backhand swings. Her serve is technically very sound and has been hit as hard as 128 mph (203 kph), second fastest all-time.[12]

Williams' solid volleys—especially her drive volleys and powerful overheads give her advantages over the net. She produces good drop volleys, a shot that not many players use.

Although Williams' forehand is among the most powerful shots in the women's game, her backhand is considered to be one of the best,[weasel words] if not the best, on the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tour. Williams can hit a winning backhand shot in any position or place on the court down the line or cross court, even when on the defensive or otherwise under pressure. Williams strikes her backhand groundstroke using an open stance, and uses the same open stance for her forehand.

Williams' aggressive style of play results in a relatively high number of unforced errors. This 'high risk' style is balanced in part by her serve, which is generally more consistently explosive.[13]

Although many think of Williams as only an offensive player, she also plays a strong defensive game.[14] She is quick around the court, and her core strength enables her to hit the ball efficiently from difficult positions. Williams has more variety in her game than the typical offensive baseline player. Although she normally dictates play from the baseline with heavy strokes, she occasionally slices her backhand or hits heavy topspin groundstrokes or drop shots to change the pace of the ball.[citation needed]

Professional career

1995–98: Professional debut

Williams started playing professional tennis in September 1995. Being only 14, she was initially prohibited from playing in events sanctioned by the WTA. Her first professional event was the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, where she was defeated in less than an hour of play and earned only US$240 in prize money.

Williams's biggest achievement of 1997 was at the Ameritech Cup Chicago. Ranked World No. 304, she upset both Monica Seles and Mary Pierce, recording her first career wins over Top 10 players and becoming the lowest-ranked player in the open era to defeat two Top 10 opponents in one tournament.[1] She finished 1997 ranked World No. 99.

Williams finished ranked in the WTA top 20 for the first time in 1998. She began the year at the Medibank International Sydney as a qualifier, ranked World No. 96, and defeated World No. 3 Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals. Williams lost in the second round of the Australian Open to sister Venus in their first professional match.[15] Williams reached six other quarterfinals during the year. She won the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open with Max Mirnyi, completing the Williams family's sweep of the 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slams. Williams won her first professional title in doubles in Oklahoma City with Venus, becoming the third pair of sisters to win such a WTA title.[1]

1999–2001: Early success

In 1999, Williams set a series of professional and historic records. In February she defeated Amélie Mauresmo in the final of the Open Gaz de France for her first professional title; in addition, the same day Venus won the IGA Superthrift Classic, and they became the first sisters to win professional tournaments in the same week.[16] A month later, Serena Williams won the Pacific Life Open, her first Tier I title. Williams defeated Davenport, Pierce and Steffi Graf, the World Nos. 2, 8 and 7 respectively, on her title run. At the following tournament, the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Serena lost to Venus in the first all-sister singles final in WTA history.[1] In April, Serena made her World top 10 debut ranked ninth. Serena and Venus won the women's doubles title at the French Open, but Serena was knocked out early in singles. She missed Wimbledon because of injury but started the summer hard court season with a victory over World No. 1 Hingis at the JPMorgan Chase Open.

Williams was the seventh-seeded player at the 1999 US Open, where she defeated former and future Grand Slam champions Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martinez, Monica Seles (world #4), Lindsay Davenport (defending champion and world #2), and Martina Hingis (world #1) in succession to win the singles title, and won the doubles title with her sister. Serena became the second African-American woman (after Althea Gibson in 1958) to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.[1] Serena's third tournament victory of the season was at the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, where she beat Venus in the final. Serena ended the year ranked at No. 4 in just her second full year on the main tour. Serena also won her singles match during the tie between the United States and Russia in the final of the 1999 Fed Cup; the Williams sisters triumphed in the doubles against Elena Dementieva and Elena Makarova. Her best Grand Slam showings were a semifinal result at the 2000 Wimbledon Championships and a final at the 2001 US Open, both times losing to Venus, the eventual champion. The sisters partnered to win gold in the women's doubles at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2000 Wimbledon Championships and the 2001 Australian Open. The doubles victory at the Australian Open completed a career Grand Slam: Serena and Venus were the fifth women's doubles team to win all four Grand Slam doubles titles.[1] Williams finished the year as World No. 6.

At the 2001 Tennis Masters Series, Venus Williams withdrew an hour before the anticipated start of a semifinal match with Serena, as the result of an injury. Serena defeated Kim Clijsters in the final. The withdrawal allegedly triggered racial hostilities which resulted in a boycott by the Williams sisters since 2001.[17] In addition to the Tier I victory at Indian Wells in 2001, Williams won the Rogers Cup in Toronto, defeating World No. 3 and top-seeded Jennifer Capriati in the final. Serena ended 2001 with a tournament victory at the Sanex Championships, ranked World No. 6.

2002–03: "Serena Slam"

Williams was forced to withdraw from the 2002 Australian Open due to injury, but won her first event of the year in Scottsdale, defeating World No. 1 Jennifer Capriati in the final. She then won the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Florida, defeating the top three players in the world en route. At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, Serena captured her first career title on clay, defeating Justine Henin in the final.[18] Williams, as the third seed at the 2002 French Open, dropped just two sets en route to the final (including a victory over defending champion Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals), where she defeated sister Venus Williams in straight sets. At the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, Williams won the title without dropping a set, again defeating Venus in the final. This victory earned Williams the World No. 1 ranking (dethroning her sister and succeeding her as the second African-American woman to hold the top ranking on the WTA).[1] The Williams sisters also won the doubles title.

Williams captured her third straight Grand Slam singles title at the 2002 US Open, again without dropping a set and defeating Venus in the final. Williams won back-to-back titles in Leipzig and Tokyo during the fall and reached the final at the year-ending Home Depot Championships but lost to 19-year-old Kim Clijsters in straight sets. Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 record, eight singles titles, and the World No. 1 ranking.[1]

At the 2003 Australian Open, Williams dropped only two sets while reaching the semifinals, and saved a match point in defeating Clijsters in the semifinals. She faced her sister Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final and won in three sets, to become the fifth woman to hold all Grand Slam titles simultaneously, joining Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.[19] As the titles were not held within a single calendar year, they are not considered as a "Grand Slam". The Williams sisters won the doubles titles, their sixth Grand Slam doubles title together.

Williams captured titles at the Open Gaz de France in Paris and the Sony Ericsson Open in Florida, and went into the 2003 French Open trying to capture her fifth consecutive Grand Slam singles title. She lost the semifinal to eventual champion Justine Henin, in a match raising some controversy as Williams questioned Henin's sportsmanship and because spectators applauded Williams' errors.[20] One month later though, Williams won her sixth Grand Slam singles title at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Henin in the semifinals and Venus in the final. A subsequent knee injury forced her to withdraw from all other events, including the US Open.[21] She therefore lost her World No. 1 ranking to Clijsters in August, having held it for 57 consecutive weeks. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 3, despite having played only seven tournaments.

2004–06: Injuries and loss

Williams hitting a return at the US Open in 2006

Due to the extended rehabilitation required for her left knee, Williams did not play a tournament in 2004 until March, when she won the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating Elena Dementieva in the final. She lost in the French Open quarterfinals to Jennifer Capriati – Williams' earliest loss at a Grand Slam since the 2001 Wimbledon Championships. She reached the final of Wimbledon to be upset by the 17-year old Maria Sharapova. During 2004, Williams did not advance past the quarterfinals of any US Open Series tournaments; at the 2004 US Open she lost a quarterfinal match with Capriati in which there were disputes over umpiring.[22] Her second tournament of the year came at the China Open, in which she defeated recent US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. Williams qualified for the 2004 WTA Tour Championships, but again lost to Sharapova in the final.[23] Williams finished 2004 ranked No. 7, and had not won a Grand Slam for the first year since 2001.

In 2005, an otherwise injury-plagued season saw Williams fall out of the top ten for the first time since 1998. She triumphed over three of the tournament's top four seeds (#2 Amélie Mauresmo, #4 Maria Sharapova, and #1 Lindsay Davenport) and made the 2005 Australian Open her seventh Grand Slam singles title. The win moved Williams back to World No. 2, and she stated she was now targeting the number one spot.[24] However, Williams failed to reach the final at any of her following five tournaments, which included a loss to sister Venus in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in March – her first loss to Venus since 2001. At the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, Serena was defeated in the third round by fellow American Jill Craybas (ranked World No. 85) and at the 2005 US Open, she lost to Venus in the fourth round. Serena played just one more match the remainder of the year, a loss to Sun Tiantian at the China Open, and failed to qualify for the year-end championship for the first time since 1998.

The following year, as defending champion at the 2006 Australian Open, Williams fell to Daniela Hantuchová in the third round.[25] She withdrew from her next four tournaments and her ranking fell out of the top 100 for the first time in nearly nine years.[26] She missed both the French Open and Wimbledon because of what had become a chronic knee injury,[26] but returned to the tour earlier than expected, accepting wildcards to the Cincinnati Masters and the JPMorgan Chase Open. In the first round at Cincinnati, Williams upset second seed Anastasia Myskina, but lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion, Vera Zvonareva;[25] in Los Angeles, Williams again lost in the semifinals to Jelena Janković.[25] At the 2006 US Open, Williams was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 1998. She lost to top seed Amélie Mauresmo in the fourth round[25] and did not play again in 2006, ending the year ranked World No. 95, her lowest year-end ranking since 1997.

2007–09: Return to form

Williams began 2007 with renewed confidence, stating her intention to return to the top of the rankings.[27] She was not considered a favorite at the Australian Open, unseeded because of her World No. 81 ranking and widely regarded as "out of shape"[28] but nevertheless advanced to the final (defeating two seeded players en route); she crushed top-seeded Maria Sharapova in straight sets, winning her third Australian Open singles title and her eighth Grand Slam singles title.[29][30] Her performance in the final was described as "one of the best performances of her career"[28] and as "arguably the most powerful display ever seen in women's tennis".[31] Williams dedicated the victory to her deceased sister, Yetunde,[30] whom she credited as inspiration for her win.[32] Her ranking rose to World No. 14.[33]

Williams next played at the Sony Ericsson Open where she defeated World No. 1 Justine Henin in the final.[34] Williams did not win a tournament during the 2007 clay season; her best result was at the French Open, where she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Henin.[29] Williams was one of the favorites for the 2007 Wimbledon Championships title,[35] but again lost in the quarterfinals to Henin. Due to a thumb injury, the next tournament Williams played was the 2007 US Open,[29] where she lost her third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal to Henin. In the fall, despite only two quarterfinal results,[29] Williams' ranking rose to World No. 5, and qualified her for the 2007 WTA Tour Championships. Her participation there was short: citing an injury, she retired from her first round robin match with Anna Chakvetadze and withdrew from the tournament.[36] Serena finished 2007 as World No. 7 and the top-ranked American for the first time since 2003.[29]

Partnering with Mardy Fish, Williams began 2008 by winning Hopman Cup exhibition tournament,[37] but as the defending champion at the Australian Open lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Janković.[38] After taking February off,[39] she returned to the tour clinching three consecutive titles. At the Bangalore Open Serena defeated Venus in the semifinals in the first match played between the sisters since the 2005 US Open and defeated Patty Schnyder in the final.[38] Williams won her fifth career Sony Ericsson Open, tying Steffi Graf, and followed with a win at the Family Circle Cup, her tenth career Tier I title and first clay court title since the 2002 French Open.[38] Serena's 17-match winning streak was ended by Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Telecom German Open. As the only former winner in the tournament, Williams lost in the third round of the 2008 French Open to Katarina Srebotnik.[38] On grass, Serena reached the final of Wimbledon for the first time in four years but lost to Venus in straight sets.[38] The Williamses teamed up to win the women's doubles title, defeating Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in the final.

Williams stretching for a ball at Wimbledon 2008

At the Bank of the West Classic, Williams retired during her semifinal match because of a left knee injury. She did not play again until the Beijing Olympics, when she lost in the singles tournament to eventual gold-medalist Elena Dementieva but won the gold medal in doubles, partnering with Venus to defeat Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final.[38] At the US Open, Williams defeated Jelena Janković in the final; the victory, her ninth career Grand Slam, also returned her to the top of the WTA rankings.[40] Despite losing early in both the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, Serena ended the year ranked World No. 2.

Williams started 2009 by withdrawing from the Hopman Cup due to a hamstring injury. Her first tournament was the Medibank International Sydney where she lost to Elena Dementieva in the semifinal. She reached a series of milestones at the Australian Open where she defeated Dinara Safina in the final to win her tenth Grand Slam singles title, ranking her seventh on the list of most Grand Slam singles titles among female players; the win also moved her to the top of both the rankings and the list of career prize money leaders in women's sports. Partnering with Venus, Serena also captured the doubles title for the third time, defeating Daniela Hantuchová and Ai Sugiyama in the final. Williams' next tournament was the Open GDF SUEZ in Paris where she withdrew from her semifinal match against Elena Dementieva due to a leg injury. She lost in the semifinals of the 2009 Dubai Tennis Championships to her sister Venus. Hampered by a left thigh strain Williams lost consecutive matches, in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open to Victoria Azarenka and the first round of the Andalucia Tennis Experience to Klára Zakopalová.[41][42] She withdrew from Family Circle Cup in Charleston due to the same injury and as a result lost her No. 1 ranking to Dinara Safina. Williams lost her first match of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome to Patty Schnyder. She then competed at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, but retired in her first-round match against Francesca Schiavone due to a right-knee injury. Williams said that her decision to play in Madrid despite her injury was affected by the WTA Tour policy of heavily fining top players who skip certain tournaments. She said: "I don't know about anyone else but $75,000 is a lot of money to me."[43] It was the first time in her career where she had lost four consecutive matches.[44].

At the 2009 French Open, she entered as the second seed in singles and the fifth seed in doubles, partnering with sister Venus. Serena struggled somewhat in her first match, winning in three sets, but won her second-round match in straight sets. In the third round, she defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez of Spain 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, in a match marked by Williams' accusation that Sanchez had cheated at a crucial point (in video replay, the ball appears to glance first off Martinez Sanchez's right forearm, then off her racket).[45] In the fourth round, she defeated Aleksandra Wozniak of Canada in straight sets. She lost to the eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinal, 7–6 (4), 5–7, 7–5, which ended her 18-match Grand Slam winning streak.

At the 2009 Wimbledon Championships she defeated qualifier Neuza Silva in the first round, 6-1, 7-5. She beat Australian Jarmila Groth in the second round, 6-2, 6-1. She defeated unseeded Roberta Vinci in the third round, 6-3, 6-4. She then ran past Daniela Hantuchova 6-3, 6-1 for a spot in the quarterfinals, where she beat 8th seeded Victoria Azarenka 6-2, 6-3 to set up a semi-finals clash with Elena Dementieva. Williams defeated Dementieva in three sets, 6-7, 7-5, 8-6, to advance to the Championship match against sister Venus which she won 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, giving her her 11th major title.[46]

In doubles the Williams sisters made it to the final by beating two former Wimbledon Doubles Champions. 2006 winners Zi Yan/Jie Zheng 6-0, 6-0 and 2005, 2007 winners and top seeded Cara Black/Liezel Huber 6-1, 6-2.

Rivalry with Venus Williams

Main article: Williams Sisters rivalry

Serena has played her sister Venus many times in Grand Slam singles tournaments and a few times in other tournaments. Serena has a one match lead in the head-to-head series, 11-10. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals.

Off-court activities

Personal life

From 2004 to 2005, Williams dated Brett Ratner. She was linked in 2007 to Miami Heat Forward Udonis Haslem and actor Jackie Long and in 2008 to rapper Common.[47] She resides at Ballen Isles in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.[1]

Fashion

Williams is known for her unusual and colorful outfits on court. In 2002, there was much talk when she wore a black lycra catsuit at the US Open.[48] At the 2004 US Open, Williams wore denim skirts and knee-high boots—tournament officials, however, did not allow her to wear the boots during matches.[49] At Wimbledon in 2008, the white trench coat she wore during warm-up for her opening match was the subject of much discussion since it was worn despite the sunny weather.[50] Off-court, Williams has also presented new designs. In November 2004, at the London premiere of After the Sunset she wore a red gown that had a near-topless effect.[51]

Williams formerly had a special line with Puma[52] and currently has a line with Nike. The deal with Nike is worth US$40 million and was signed in April 2004.[53] Since 2004, she has also been running her own line of designer apparel called "Aneres"—her first name spelled backward. In 2009 she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry.[54]

Entertainment

Williams has appeared on television and also provided voice work on animated shows: in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons Serena joined the animation along with sister Venus, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.[55] She has also provided guest voice work in a 2005 episode of Playhouse Disney's animated kids show Higglytown Heroes and a 2007 episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender,[56] which she has described as her "favorite show".[57]

Williams has posed for the 2003 and 2004 editions of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[58] In April 2005, MTV announced plans to broadcast a reality show around the lives of Serena and Venus, which was eventually aired on ABC Family. Williams has appeared twice on MTV's Punk'd and in 2007, appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race. In 2002, she played Miss Wiggins in the season 3 episode "Crouching Mother, Hidden Father" of My Wife and Kids;[59] she has also guest-starred during episodes of ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[60] In 2007 Williams appeared in the music video of "I Want You" by the American rapper Common, alongside performers Alicia Keys and Kanye West.[61]

Charity work

In 2008 Williams helped to fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya.[62][63] She received a Celebrity Role Model Award from Avon Foundation in 2003 for work in breast cancer.[64] Williams has also been involved in a number of clinics at schools and community centers, particularly those which have programs focusing on at-risk youth.[1] She has also won the "Young Heroes Award" from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and Inland (2003) and the "Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award" (2004).[1]

Writing

During the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, Serena revealed that she is in the process of writing a TV show storyline, which will be converted into script form by her agency. She proclaims that her TV show is about her "treatment", and will represent subject matter from a mix of popular American television shows, such as Desperate Housewives, Sex and the City, and Family Guy.[65]

Career statistics

Main article: Serena Williams career statistics

Records and achievements

  • These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
Tournament Name Years Record accomplished Player tied
Australian Open 2003-09 Most Singles Titles (4) Margaret Court
Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Steffi Graf
Monica Seles
Sony Ericsson Open 2002-08 Most Singles Titles (5) Steffi Graf
Sony Ericsson Open 1999-2009 Most Finals (7) Steffi Graf
Sony Ericsson Open 2002-04 Most Consecutive Titles (3) Steffi Graf
Australian Open 2007 Unseeded Winner Chris O'Neil
  • At 1997 Ameritech Cup in Chicago, became the lowest ranked player in tennis history (No.304) to defeat two Top 10 players Monica Seles and Mary Pierce in one tournament.
  • At the 1998 Lipton Championships in Miami became the fastest woman in tennis history to record 5 Top 10 wins by defeating Irina Spîrlea in 2nd Round (16 career matches).
  • At 1999 Open Gaz de France in Paris marking he first time in tennis history that sisters won titles in the same week (Venus Williams won Oklahoma City).
  • At 1999 Evert Cup in Indian Wells became the second non-seeded player to win a Tier I event.
  • At the 1999 Lipton Championships in Miami became the first pair of sisters in the Open Era to meet in a tournament final (w/ Venus Williams).
  • At the 1999 US Open, became the second African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title.
  • By winning the 2001 Australian Open Doubles championship with Venus Williams, became the fifth pair to complete a Career Doubles Grand Slam and the only pair to win a Career Doubles Golden Slam.
  • At the 2001 US Open, marked the first time in the Open Era, and second time in 117 years that sisters met in a Grand Slam final (w/ Venus Williams).
  • In 2001 became the first player in tennis history to win the Season-Ending Championships on her debut.
  • During the 2002 Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami, became the second player in the open era to defeat the first (Jennifer Capriati), second (Venus Williams), and third (Martina Hingis) ranked players at the same tournament.
  • At the 2002 French Open, became the first younger sister to defeat her older sister in a Grand Slam in tennis history.
  • In 2002 became the first ever siblings to rank Top 2 at same time with sister Venus.
  • By winning the 2003 Australian Open, became the fifth woman to hold all four Grand Slams at once.
  • By winning the 2003 Australian Open, became the first African-American to win the championship.
  • By winning the 2004 Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami, won first comeback tournament with second longest gap (8 months).
  • By winning the Australian Open by defeating Mauresmo and Davenport, became the only player in tennis history to win three Slams (1999 US Open, 2002 French Open) by beating Top 2.
  • By saving match points against Maria Sharapova in Semifinals at 2005 Australian Open, became the only player in Open Era to win two Slams by saving match points.
  • At 2007 Sony Ericsson Open in Miami became lowest ranked player (#18) to defeat the Top 2 players in the world in the same tournament by defeating #1 Henin & #2 Sharapova, .
  • In 2008 winning her fifth Miami tournament title, tying Steffi Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament.
  • By winning 2008 US Open she makes the longest-ever gap between stints at No.1 (five years, one month).
  • By winning Wimbledon 2009 she has won the tournament 3 times

Awards

See also: WTA Awards

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Serena Williams (USA)". WTA Tour, Inc. Retrieved June 23, 2009.
  2. ^ "Williams sisters net gold in doubles, beating Spaniards in final". ESPN. August 17, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  3. ^ "Serena sets career prize money mark". ESPN. January 30, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  4. ^ "40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era (17-20)". Tennis Magazine. May 17, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  5. ^ Edmonson, 2005, Venus and Serena Williams, p. 19.
  6. ^ a b "Bio - Serena Williams". serenawilliams.com. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  7. ^ "Successful & Famous People that were Homeschooled". sharebradenton.homestead.com. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  8. ^ Kaufman, Michelle (April 22, 2007). "Venus, Serena reflect as they prepare for Fed Cup". blackathlete.net. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  9. ^ Peyser, Marc; Samuels, Allison (August 24, 1998). "Venus And Serena Against The World". Newsweek. Newsweek, Inc. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
  10. ^ a b Edmonson, 2005, Venus and Serena Williams, p. 46–47.
  11. ^ Ford, Bonnie D. (January 22, 2008). "Gimpy Jankovic swats away defending champion Williams". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 29, 2009. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  12. ^ "Harder, Better, Faster... Top servers". WTA Tour, Inc. November 28, 2008.
  13. ^ Nobles, Charlie (March 29, 2003). "Serena Williams And Capriati in Final". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  14. ^ Wertheim, L. Jon (September 15, 2008). "Not So Fast, Kiddo". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  15. ^ "Head to Head - Serena Williams vs Venus Williams". WTA Tour, Inc. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  16. ^ Zanca, Sal A. (March 1, 1999). "Continents Apart, Williams Sisters Make History". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
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References

  • Edmondson, Jacqueline (2005). Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-33165-0.
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