
Serena Williams
Tennis great who exemplified Nike's focus on athletic mastery.
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9/13/2026, 4:51:38 AM
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9/13/2026, 4:53:25 AM
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9/13/2026, 4:53:25 AM
Summary
Serena Williams is an American professional tennis player widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time. Born on September 26, 1981, she was coached by her parents, Oracene Price and Richard Williams, alongside her elder sister Venus. Williams turned professional in 1995 and achieved her first major singles title at the 1999 US Open. She is renowned for her dominance in singles, holding the record for the most major women's singles titles in the Open Era with 23, and is the only player to achieve a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. Williams also excelled in doubles with her sister Venus, winning 14 major women's doubles championships and four Olympic gold medals. The Tennis Channel recognized her as the greatest women's tennis player ever in 2020. In the context of business and marketing, Nike's former direct-to-consumer strategy is contrasted with the "Mastery and Excellence" previously embodied by athletes like Serena Williams.
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View on WikipediaSerena Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks (third-most of all time), and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Williams won 73 WTA Tour–level singles titles, including 23 major women's singles titles—the most in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. She is the only player to accomplish a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles, and the only player to have simultaneously held Olympic gold and all four major titles in both singles and doubles. Along with her elder sister Venus, Serena Williams was coached by her parents Oracene Price and Richard Williams. Turning professional in 1995, she won her first major singles title at the 1999 US Open. From the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open she was dominant, winning all four major singles titles consecutively (each time over Venus in the final) to achieve a non-calendar year Grand Slam (nicknamed the "Serena Slam"). After injuries, Williams returned to dominance in 2012, claiming Olympic gold (completing the career Golden Slam in singles) and winning eight out of thirteen singles majors, including all four in a row in 2014–2015 to achieve a second "Serena Slam". At the 2017 Australian Open, she won her 23rd major singles title, surpassing Steffi Graf's Open Era record. Williams also won 23 WTA Tour-level doubles titles, including 14 major women's doubles championships, all with her sister Venus. The pair was undefeated in major doubles finals, earning the best unbeaten record in major finals in any discipline of the sport. The sisters achieved a non-calendar year Grand Slam between the 2009 Wimbledon Championships and the 2010 French Open. Williams won four Olympic gold medals, three in women's doubles—an all-time joint record in tennis, shared with her sister. The duo are the only women in the Open Era to win Olympic gold in both singles and doubles. Williams also won two mixed doubles majors, both in 1998. She is the only player, male or female, to complete three career Golden Slams—one in women's singles and two in women's doubles. In 2020, the Tennis Channel ranked her as the greatest women's tennis player of all time.
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- Serena Williams | Comeback, Age, Children, Sister, Height ...
Serena Williams (born September 26, 1981, Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.) is an American tennis player who revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style of play and who won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other woman during the open era. Williams and her elder sister, Venus Williams, emerged in the mid-1990s and soon became dominant players on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, both in singles and as doubles partners. In 1999 Serena Williams won her first major tournament, the U.S. Open, when she was just 17 years old. Over the following decades Williams surpassed her sister and fought off challenges from other contemporaries, including Justine Henin and Maria Sharapova, to become the undisputed best women’s player in the 21st century. [...] ### Who is Serena Williams? Serena Williams (born September 26, 1981, Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.) is an Americantennisplayer who revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style of play and who won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other woman during theopen era. Williams and her elder sister,Venus Williams, emerged in the mid-1990s and soon became dominant players on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, both in singles and as doubles partners. In 1999 Serena Williams won her first major tournament, theU.S. Open, when she was just 17 years old. Over the following decades Williams surpassed her sister and fought off challenges from other contemporaries, includingJustine HeninandMaria Sharapova, to become the undisputed best women’s player in the 21st century. [...] In 2009 she captured her 10th Grand Slam singles title by winning the Australian Open. Later that year she won her third Wimbledon singles title, once again defeating her sister. Williams defended her titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2010. She subsequently battled various health issues that kept her off the court for almost a year. Explore Britannica Premium! The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners. SUBSCRIBE Image 32: Penguin, ship, mountain, atlas Image 33: shohei ohtani, plants, andy wharhol art Image 34: Mobile Image 35: Serena Williams Serena WilliamsAmerican tennis player Serena Williams competing in the 2013 U.S. Open women's singles final; she defeated Victoria Azarenka of Belarus to claim the title.(more)
- Serena Williams - Wikipedia
Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, to Oracene Price and Richard Williams "Richard Williams (tennis coach)"). She is the youngest of Price's five daughters, after half-sisters Yetunde, Lyndrea, and Isha Price, and full sister Venus. She also has at least seven paternal half-siblings. When Serena and Venus were young, Richard moved the family to Compton, California, over the objections of his wife. Richard had studied sports success stories, and believed that the rough environment of Compton would toughen up Serena and Venus in preparation for their future tennis careers. Richard home-schooled Serena and Venus, and Serena started playing tennis at the age of four. While Serena's parents have been her official coaches, her other mentors have included [...] (2011) Serena Williams (2012) Gabrielle Douglas (2013) Serena Williams (2014) Serena Williams (2015) Serena Williams (2016) Serena Williams (2017) Serena Williams (2018) Serena Williams (2019) Simone Biles (2020) Naomi Osaka (2021) Naomi Osaka (2022) Angel Reese (2023) Angel Reese (2024) Angel Reese (2025) A'ja Wilson (2026) | | v t e NAACP Image Award – President's Award | | Ella Fitzgerald (1986) Rev. Jesse Jackson (1987) Jheryl Busby (1988) Antoinette Stroman & Ryan White (1989) Kent Amos & Carmen Amos (1995) Bryant Gumbel (1996) Alexis Herman (1997) Lauryn Hill (1998) Tavis Smiley & Tom Joyner (1999) Bill Clinton (2000) Condoleezza Rice (2001) Venus & Serena Williams (2002) T. D. Jakes (2003) Susan L. Taylor (2005) Soledad O'Brien (2006) Ruby Dee [...] 2004: Maria Sharapova 2005: Amélie Mauresmo 2006: Justine Henin 2007: Justine Henin 2008: Venus Williams 2009: Serena Williams 2010: Kim Clijsters 2011: Petra Kvitová 2012: Serena Williams 2013: Serena Williams 2014: Serena Williams 2015: Agnieszka Radwańska 2016: Dominika Cibulková 2017: Caroline Wozniacki 2018: Elina Svitolina 2019: Ashleigh Barty 2021: Garbiñe Muguruza 2022: Caroline Garcia 2023: Iga Świątek 2024: Coco Gauff 2025: Elena Rybakina | | v t e Laureus World Sports Award for Sportswoman of the Year | | 2000: United States ~~Marion Jones~~\ 2001: Australia Cathy Freeman 2002: United States Jennifer Capriati 2003: United States Serena Williams 2004: Sweden Annika Sörenstam 2005: United Kingdom Kelly Holmes 2006: Croatia Janica Kostelić
- Serena Williams: Biography, Tennis Player, Olympian
## Who Is Serena Williams? Serena Williams is a retired professional tennis player who has held the top spot in the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) rankings numerous times over her stellar career. Williams began intensive tennis training at age three. She won her first major championship in 1999 and completed the career Grand Slam in 2003. Along with her individual success, Serena has teamed with sister Venus Williams to win a series of doubles titles. In 2017, she defeated her big sister at the Australian Open to claim the 23rd Grand Slam singles title of her career. She effectively retired from the sport after competing at the 2022 U.S. Open, but has not ruled out a comeback. ## Quick Facts [...] ## Quick Facts FULL NAME: Serena Jameka Williams BORN: September 26, 1981 BIRTHPLACE: Saginaw, Michigan SPOUSE: Alexis Ohanian (2017-present) CHILDREN: Olympia and Adira ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Libra ## Early Life and Family Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, to Richard and Oracene Williams. The youngest of Richard's five daughters, Serena and her sister Venus would grow up to become great tennis champions.
- Serena Williams
Serena Williams is one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She earned her first Grand Slam singles title at the U.S. Open in 1999,
- Serena Williams | National Women's History Museum
Serena Jameka Williams was born to parents Richard Williams and Oracene Price on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan. Williams is the youngest of Price's five daughters, who include fellow tennis superstar Venus Williams. Richard Williams, a former sharecropper from Louisiana, was determined that daughters Serena and Venus would succeed in life. Seeing opportunity in tennis, he and Oracene taught themselves the game from books and videos so that they could coach their children. Richard moved the family to Compton, California, where Williams began intensive tennis training with her father and older sister around the age of three. The Williams sisters practiced for hours every day on rundown public tennis courts. [...] ## Stay Connected! ## Serena Williams 1981 - By Mariana Brandman, NWHM Predoctoral Fellow in Women’s History | 2020-2022 Considered the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, and perhaps the greatest athlete of all time, Serena Williams has revolutionized women’s tennis since the 1990s. With 23 Grand Slam titles, Williams rose from the public courts of Compton, California to shatter records and dominate the field. [...] Williams continued to amass victories and rise in the rankings. In 2002, she won her second, third, and fourth Grand Slam titles at Roland-Garros (the French Open), Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open, respectively. In each of those tournaments, she defeated her sister Venus in the final match. On July 8, 2002 she reached the ranking of number one in the world, a position she held for 57 straight weeks. In 2003, Williams won her first Australian Open, becoming one of only six women in the Open Era (post-1968) to complete a career Grand Slam (in which a player wins all four major championships). Williams actually held all four titles at once, an accomplishment she dubbed “The Serena Slam.”
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9/26/1981Place Of Birth
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Serena Williams Building, Jeff Johnson Trail, Nike Philip H. Knight Campus, Merlo Station, Marlene Village, Washington County, Oregon, 97005, United States
Coordinates: 45.5112081, -122.8264916
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