Serena Williams bio – by Amy Kelly

Having written a bio on Michael Jordan last week I thought I would write one this week on a female sporting hero – The one and only Serena Williams

Born: 26th of September 1981

Place of birth: Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.

Serena Williams is an American tennis player who revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style of play. She has won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) which is more than anyone. She also won several Olympic gold medals.

Early life:

Serena’s dad Richard introduced her and her sister to tennis at a very young age and she practiced every day from the age of 3. She has 5 sisters but not biological. Serena’s father was a former sharecropper from Louisiana who was very determined to see his 2 youngest daughters succeed. He went from tennis books to videos to instruct them on how to play the game. When she was young, she moved to Compton which had a high rate of gang activity. Their dad wanted to expose them to the ugly possibilities of life to get them to realise that if they didn’t work hard and get an education this would be the setting they’d live in for the rest of their lives. Her father then realised that his girls needed better coaching to become successful professionals and he moved them to Florida. There Richard let go of some of his coaching responsibilities but not the management of the Williams sisters’ careers.

Serena’s sporting career:

Serena and Venus changed their look on sport with signature style and play. Their amazing ability overwhelmed opponents and their sense of style and presence made them stand out celebrities on the court. They lived together for over a dozen years in Florida but eventually went their separate ways when Serena bought her own mansion.

In 1995 she turned a pro!

2 years later she was ranked no.99 in the world rankings, 12 months before she was no. 304. A year later when she graduated high school and immediately inked a $12 million shoe deal with Puma.

In 1999 Serena beat her sister in their race to the families first grand slam win when she got the U.S. open title. This set a high profile for the William sisters.

In 2002 she managed to win the French Open, the U.S. Open and Wimbledon. In 2003 she won her first Australian Open era to complete her Grand Slam career. The win also fulfilled her desire to hold all 4 major titles to comprise what she’d dubbed ‘The Serena Slam’

In 2008 they teamed up to capture a 2nd women’s doubles Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games. The following year the sisters purchased shares of the Miami Dolphins to become the first African American women to own part of an NFL team.

In 2012 Summer, Olympics, Serena claimed her 4th Olympics gold medal by teaming up with her sister to defeat Czech Republic stars Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka in the women’s doubles.

In 2015 in the U.S. Open, Williams again bet her sister with a tough quarterfinal matchup. The outcome left her 2 wins shy of the calendar year Grand slam, a feat accomplished by just 3 women in the sport’s history. In a shocking upset, Roberta Vinci ranked no.43 in the world, dashed Williams quest by pulling out a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win in the semi-finals.

On the same day after her singles win at Wimbledon in 2016, the Williams won the doubles championships, their 6th win together.

In 2016 Summer, Olympics in Rio, the sisters experienced a shocking disappointment when they were bounced out of the first round of women’s doubles at the Rio Olympics by Czech duo. The sisters had originally been seeded at no.1, had an Olympic record of 15-0, and had won gold 3 times before.

In the Australian Open in 2017, Serena won her 23rd Grand Slam title after defeating her sister. After this game she passed Steffi Graf’s total and was announced world number one ranking.

Family lives and injures:

In 2003 Serena had to get knee surgery. But sadly, in September her half-sister Yetunde Price was murdered in Los Angeles. After these hard times Serena lost motivation to play tennis. Her ranking went down to no. 139.

In 2011, Serena suffered a series of health scares after doctors found a blood clot in her lungs, which kept her away from tennis for several months. Following several procedures, including one to remove a hematoma, she then questions whether to retire from the sport. By 2011 her health was improving and motivated herself to play again.

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