Serena Williams is a well-known American tennis player. This tennis genius shined since the late 90s where she was recognized among the world’s most exciting and talented tennis players. So far, Serena Williams has participated in about 60 Grand Slam tournaments and managed to win the most titles, 23 of them, in her career.
Serena Early Life and Childhood
Serena Williams is the youngest daughter in her family. Even though she was born in Saginaw, Michigan, her parents and siblings moved to Compton, Los Angeles, while still a child. Life in Compton, an economically depressed and violent neighborhood, was challenging. However, that did not stop this star from discovering her talent and working towards perfection.
From their early ages, Richard was an avid tennis fan who trained his daughters, Venus and Serena. Due to determination and love for the game, Serena was a promising young lady who joined her first tennis tournament at four and a half years. Her dad was the sole coach, and the best part is within five years, Serena won 46 of the total 49 tournaments that she participated in.
Venus inspired her even more; they both excelled in the South California preteen circuit. They attained the top ranking in their corresponding age groups. As they both approached their early teen ages, they already attracted attention beyond the borders. Among the many deals they received are endorsements from sports goods related companies and several invitations to tennis camps, prestigious ones to be precise.
In early 1991 Richard Williams withdrew both Serena and Venus from the junior tournament. Tennis insiders did not well receive this decision. The criticism was based on the fact that the junior tournament is a typical track to tennis superstardom. From the interview, Richard was protecting his daughters from racial hostility and intense competition.
However, Richard invited Rick Macci, an excellent coach, to visit Compton and watch the daughters play. Rick had earlier coached such stars as Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce. He was impressed with what he saw, more so the skills displayed by Serena. He invited both of them back to Florida academy, which led to the family relocating to Sunshine state.
Serena Williams Tennis Career
The journey to success started back when she was playing the junior tournaments. Due to the love of the game and the desire to win, Serena devoted more to make a profession. In 1997 she earned herself the 99th spot after beating two of the top 10 players that year.
In ’98, Serena and Venus participated in a double play where they won their first professional title. This was a win to Serena since December 1998; she was ranked 29th best player in single rank. She lost in the Australian Open in 1999 but later won the Gaz de France Singles title, which boosted her 11th position.
At 17 years of age, she won her first Grand Slam title. She won herself the 4th ranking and the first African-American in the Open era to win a major. In 2001 Venus, who was ranked 3rd by then, withdrew from the Indian wells semifinals due to tendinitis. Serena won against Clijsters.
Later in 2001, Serena and Venus met in the US Open finals, and Serena lost 6-2, 6-4 to Venus. In 2002 Serena withdrew from the Australian Open due to an ankle sprain. However, later that year, she won her first Italian Open first Clay Court title, US Open, Wimbledon, and the French Open title. She as well returned to the Australian Open the next year and won.
The year 2003 and 2005 were hard-to-go for her. Due to her oldest sisters’ death, medical situation, and her parent’s divorce, she succumbed to significant setbacks in her career. This also affected her July 2004 Wimbledon final, where she lost to Maria Sharapova, ranked number 15 by then.
In 2006 she struggled through the knee injury, depression, and poor condition that she sort a different life from tennis. This drops her way down to number 140 in the world tennis ranking. 2007 was a game change where she resurfaced and won against Sharapova in the Australian Open finals.
Newly determined in 2008, Venus and Serena won the 2008 Beijing Olympics doubles, and a few weeks later, the latter wins the US Open title. In 2009 she launched her second clothing line. 2010 was even better where she did beat Justine Henin and also won the doubles with her sister.
Serena was away from tennis for nearly a year, but after returning in June 2011, she lost at Wimbledon in the fourth round and got the lowest ranking since she ventured into tennis, No 175. However, that did not discourage her since in 2013; she was top-ranked after winning her fifth title in the US Open.
In 2015 Serena played against her rival Sharapova and won 6-3, 7-6, gaining the former 16 straight wins against Sharapova. 2015 was a good year for her; she won in several opens, including the September US Opens, where she beat her sister in the finals. Serena and Venus played against each other in consecutive years, where she showed more strength than Venus.
In 2018, Serena pulled off the tennis court after the birth of her daughter. She, however, returned on February 11. Currently, Serena holds 39 Gland slam titles, 23 single titles, two mixed doubles, and 14 women’s double titles.