The American athlete Serena Jameka Williams has been one recurrent name in tennis sport. She is about the most talked about and influential female athlete worldwide. Having been around for more than a decade, her outstanding performances have kept her sailing richly at the top of her game. So here are some facts about her that you will find interesting.
#1. She is a Stellar Player
You are probably thinking, isn’t that obvious already?
Well, did you know she was the youngest female tennis player to be ranked number 1 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association? She was still 20 when she topped this ranking on July 8, 2002, making her the youngest ever in this category.
What’s more interesting is that she held this spot for 319 weeks which ranks third after Steffi Graf(377) and Martina Navratilova(332), since the introduction of computerized rankings by the WTA.
Serena’s winning percentage in the U. S. Open is .898 which tops as the highest among single female players in the Open Era. She also has 308 grand slam awards, and 4 Olympic gold medals.
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#2. Serena’s Sister Plays Tennis Professionally
Venus Williams is Serena’s older sister who is over 15 months older than her. Venus was born on the 17th of June, 1980, while Serena the 26th of September 1981. They both hail from Saginaw, Michigan, United States of America.
Venus started playing Tennis professionally a year before Serena. Together, the William sisters are championing the Tennis world.
#3. She Started Playing Tennis at Age 3
Serena and her sister Venus are daughters of a Tennis coach—Richard Williams. This helped a great deal in shaping the two Tennis stars we know today—He was their coach.
At age 3 Serena had started trying out the game that she would grow to love/represent. Though they mostly got homeschooled by their father, the sisters did go to Tennis Academy in Florida but quit due to racism experience.
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#4. She featured in Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Shocked? What if we told you she is also in a number of your favorite productions? In Avatar: The Last Air Bender, she was featured as a voice actor in a number of animations. She featured in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit; ER the drama series of 1994; Drop Dead Diva and so many other movie productions.
There are movies centered on her life and that of her sister, like Being Serena; Venus and Serena, and much more. In 2009, she appeared in Common’s music video “I Want You” alongside Alicia Keys and Kanye West.
#5. She is a Christian
Serena was raised by a mother who belonged to a denomination in Christianity known as the Jehovah’s Witness. She has since adopted the faith. She is not afraid to express this part of her as she is constantly seen thanking ‘Jehovah’ after winning matches.
#6. Her Favourite Author is Maya Angelou
How come she has time for other recreational activities right? Well, she has proven that there’s more to living than just existing, being restricted to one cause. She has identified that her favorite author of all time is Maya Angelou.
#7. She is bilingual!
Super cool right? Serena Williams has proven to be very fluent in both French and English. Due to her fluency in French, everytime she plays in France, she permits her on-court interviews to be conducted in French.
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#8. She is a Philanthropist
She has a non-profit foundation known as the Serena Williams Foundation which she founded in 2008 solely to protect children and youths around the world from crime and violence.
Though this foundation started off in America, its impact has spread around continents. Asides from being able to protect children within their reach, this foundation has been able to build schools for children in Uganda, Keny, and Jamaica.
#9. She has won the most money out of Tennis than any other female in the history
In history? Yes your read that right. Currentlly, Serena Williams has made over $92 million from her Tennis career. This figure doubles(with a little more over) the next best paying person on that list—her sister Venus who has earned over $41 million from her tennis career.
#10. She is Happily Married.
In November 2017, Serena got married to Alexis Ohanian. A little research into their love story proves that they met in a hotel in Rome(which is now her best city). Thhere he was a little hungover and a thing led to another, they started dating, he proposed, and she said yes. Now they have a daughter named Alexis Olympia Ohanian.
There you have it. 10 fascinating facts about Serena Williams you probably didn’t know. We hope you enjoyed reading it as much we did writing it.
