Legend! Serena Williams has overcome every obstacle in her way to become one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Perhaps even more impressive, she now balances perfecting her game with raising her daughter, Olympia.
Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in September 1981. She started playing tennis at age 4 after she, sister Venus Williams and their family moved to Compton, California. Their parents, Richard Williams and Oracene Price, coached the girls in the sport. When Serena was 9, they relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida, so she and Venus could receive further instruction.
Serena made her professional debut at the Bell Challenge in Quebec, Canada, in October 1995 at age 14. She became a top-10 player by 1999. She achieved her first Career Grand Slam in 2003 at age 21 after winning the US Open, Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open. Her Wimbledon victory in 2002 launched her to the No. 1 ranking for the first time ever.
Although the athlete suffered injuries and dealt with naysayers, she continued to dominate in her field, earning title after title. She also forged her own path when she failed to find tennis players with whom she could identify.
“There weren’t a lot of role models for me to look up to [in the sport] and say, ‘Wow, I want to look like this!’ … I kind of had to be that role and be that person,” Serena explained in her February 2019 Allure cover story. “Venus and I started out being successful, continued to be successful, and we were also unapologetically ourselves. We were not afraid to wear braids. We weren’t afraid to be Black in tennis. And that was different.”
Along the way, the tennis star learned to love herself. “I’m interested in doing the best that I can and winning Grand Slams and being a champion and, you know, everyone has different goals. … I’m not out here thinking, ‘OK, I’m not going to go to gymnastics class today because I don’t want to look fit,’” she told Time in 2015 of her body image. “I literally was born with this most amazing body, and to be historic, and to be amazing, and to be badass. And if anyone doesn’t like it, then they don’t have to. Because at the end of the day, I like it. And I know a lot of other people who like it too.”
Serena intends to pass on those values to daughter Olympia, whom she welcomed with husband Alexis Ohanian in September 2017. She announced 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 No. 2 was on the way in May 2023 when she debuted her growing 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 bump on the red carpet at the Met Gala.
Her children are why she decided to retire from tennis in August 2022. “Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family,” Serena wrote in an essay for Vogue at the time. “I don’t think it’s fair. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family. Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity.”
However, the star noted that she and Ohanian were trying to have another child, but they were wary of being pregnant again while Serena was playing tennis after complications in her first pregnancy. “We recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family,” she explained. “I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see Serena’s extraordinary life in photos.
Double Trouble
Serena and Venus won their first professional title in doubles together in 1998. They went on to earn two more doubles titles later that year. The sisters are undefeated in doubles in Grand Slam tournament finals. They also became the only tennis players to win four gold Olympic medals in 2012.
Powerhouse Player
Serena won her first professional singles title at the Open Gaz de France in 1999. She became the second Black woman to win a Grand Slam singles tournament later that year after defeating previous champions Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martínez, Monica Seles and Lindsay Davenport at the US Open.
Credit: Amy Sancetta/AP/Shutterstock
Golden Opportunity
Serena earned her first gold medal in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics. She went on to win another in 2008 and two more — one in singles and one in doubles — in 2012. “Luck has nothing to do with it because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time, not knowing when it would come,” she told ESPN in 2003.
Credit: Anja Niedringhaus/EPA/Shutterstock
She’s No. 1
Serena won Wimbledon for the first time in 2002, propelling her to the No. 1 ranking in the world. She became only the third Black woman to hold the position. “As a Black tennis player, I looked different. I sounded different. I dressed differently. I served differently,” she told Time in 2015. “But when I stepped onto the court, I could compete with anyone.”
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The Comeback
After taking time off due to health issues, Serena returned to tennis despite doubts about her ability to continue in the sport. She proved the haters wrong by defeating “players who certainly didn’t expect an overweight, out-of-shape, has-been champion like me to give them a game,” she remarked amid the Australian Open in 2007. She clenched her eighth Grand Slam singles title after besting highly ranked Maria Sharapova during the tournament.
Credit: Martin Dokoupil/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Record Breaker
Serena secured her 23rd Grand Slam title in 2017 when she won the Australian Open. The victory made her the player with the most Grand Slams in the Open era. “Am I the greatest? I don’t know,” she confessed to Glamour in 2016. “I’m the greatest that I can be.”
Credit: Courtesy Serena Williams/Instagram
Mom Goals
Serena gave birth to her first child with Ohanian, daughter Olympia, in September 2017. She and the entrepreneur married in November of that year. “She keeps me going especially during tournaments,” she wrote via Instagram of Olympia in 2019. “I know she’s watching and learning to see how I persevere in challenging and rewarding moments.”
Credit: CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/Shutterstock
Her Post-Baby Game
After her pregnancy, Serena returned to tennis in December 2017. In 2020, she won her first singles title since becoming a mother.
Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Oscar-Worthy
Serena and Venus produced a biopic about their father titled King Richard, and the movie was met with critical acclaim following its November 2021 debut. Will Smith, who played the titular role, took home the Oscar for best actor in March 2022. “King Richard had a perfect ending with Venus on the tennis court,” Serena told Insider the following month when asked about a possible sequel. “Venus goes in her direction, and I go in my direction. It’s two completely different stories.”
Credit: Courtesy of Serena Williams/Instagram
Not a Coach
During a May 2022 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Serena opened up about whether she wants her daughter to follow in her athletic footsteps. “I don’t push her because … she’s 4,” the California native explained. “She’s alright … [But] I’ve seen 4-year-olds that might take her out. … Her ambition is playing princess games.”
Serena noted that she and her husband hired a private coach for Olympia. “I don’t really like to play with people who don’t know how to play tennis well. It drives me nuts. So I was like, ‘I can’t. I don’t have the patience for this,'” she joked.
Credit: Ella Ling/Shutterstock
The End of an Era
In August 2022, Serena announced that she will retire from tennis following the U.S. Open. “I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me,” the athlete wrote in an essay for Vogue‘s September cover story. “But I’ve been reluctant to admit to myself or anyone else that I have to move on from playing tennis. Alexis, my husband, and I have hardly talked about it; it’s like a taboo topic. I can’t even have this conversation with my mom and dad. It’s like it’s not real until you say it out loud.”
The seven-time Wimbledon champion said that she will instead focus on developing her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, and expanding her family. “Believe me, I never wanted to have to choose between tennis and a family. I don’t think it’s fair,” she continued. “If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family. Maybe I’d be more of a Tom Brady if I had that opportunity.”
Credit: Dave Shopland/Shutterstock
Her Final Match
On September 2, 2022, at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York City, Serena lost her final match to Ajla Tomljanović at the U.S. Open. In a tearful interview after the loss, she said, “Thank you so much. I tried, but Ajla just played a little bit better.”
She thanked her mother and father as well as all of her supporters throughout the decades. “But it all started with my parents. And it all started with them, and I’m really grateful to them. These are happy tears,” she said.
She added that sister Venus was just as important. “I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus. Thank you, Venus!”
Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Met Gala Mom
Serena announced she was expected 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢 No. 2 when she attended the Met Gala in May 2023. She wore a custom Gucci gown that showed off her bump at the New York City event. “Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala,” the retired athlete captioned photos of her and Ohanian via Instagram.
Three months later, Serena announced her little one’s arrival via social media. “Welcome my beautiful angel,” she wrote alongside a TikTok video of herself and her family cuddling with the new 𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚢.
