Serena Williams

Born September 26, 1981, Serena Williams is an American tennis player who changed the game of women’s tennis with her powerful energy and outspoken personality. She has won more (23) Grand Slam singles titles than any other man or woman in the open era. Not only did Serena excel in singles events, but occasionally she teamed up with her older sister, Venus Williams and together they won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles throughout their professional careers. She also used her platform to speak out against sexism in sports.

Learning the game from her father, Serena turned professional in 1995 at just 14 years old.

After getting engaged to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, in late 2016, Williams announced that they were expecting their first child together in April of 2017. Less than six months after the birth of her daughter, Serena returned to the competition. Despite losing every tournament she entered in 2018 and 2019, Serena kept pushing. At the 2020 ASB Class in New Zealand, Serena won her first singles title in three years.

In an interview with Vogue Magazine in August of 2022, Serena shared that she will begin a new adventure, beyond tennis, after the U.S. Open.