How Long Has Serena Williams Played Tennis?

Serena Williams has been playing tennis professionally since 1995. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which is more than any other active female tennis player.

Serena Williams’ Early Life and Training

Serena Williams has been playing tennis professionally since 1995. She is one of the most successful tennis players of all time. But how did she get started in the sport? Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan. Her father, Richard Williams, was a former professional tennis player from Mississippi. Her mother, Oracene Price, was a professional tennis coach.

Serena Williams is born in Saginaw, Michigan on September 26, 1981

Serena Williams is born in Saginaw, Michigan on September 26, 1981. Her father, Richard Williams, signs her up for tennis lessons when she is four years old. When she is 10, the family moves to Compton, California. There Richard sets up a tennis court in their backyard and Serena and her sister Venus begin training with him as their coach.

Serena and her sister Venus Williams begin playing tennis at age 4

Serena Williams, who was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, started playing tennis at age 4 alongside her sister Venus Williams. The sisters learned the game from their father Richard Williams, who had drawn up a 78-page plan—dubbed “The Establishment”—to make them tennis stars. “My dad said he wanted us to be the best,” Serena recalled to CNN. “And we were like: ‘Okay. We’re going to be the best.'”

The Williams sisters kept to themselves and rarely socialized with other children their age. “Growing up, I didn’t have any friends,” Serena told Vogue in 2016. “I think part of it was because my dad made us stay home a lot to practice. And part of it was that we were black and all the other kids were white.”

Serena and Venus made their pro tennis debut in October 1995 at the Bell Challenge tournament in Quebec City, Canada. A few weeks later, they played together in doubles at the Fed Cup—a yearly international team tennis competition—becoming the first black sisters ever to compete on the same Fed Cup team.

The Williams sisters are coached by their father Richard Williams

Richard Williams had always been interested in tennis. He played the game as a young man but never had the opportunity to develop his skills because he could not afford coaching or membership in a country club. In 1978, when he was 31 years old and working as a security guard, he met and married Oracene Price, who was also interested in tennis. The couple had three daughters: Venus, Serena, and Isha. Because the girls were too young to leave home to attend a tennis academy, Richard decided to coach them himself.

He bought some instructional videotapes and books on the game, taught himself the basics of tennis strokes, and set up a practice court in their Compton backyard. He coached all three of his daughters using this method, and they quickly began to show promise as players. By the time Serena was five years old and Venus was six, they were good enough to be entered in local tournaments against children much older than themselves. They soon began winning these tournaments comfortably.

Richard then took his family on the road, entering his daughters in more prestigious competitions around the country. The girls became known as the “Williams Sisters” and developed a large following of fans who came to see them play. Due to their success on the court, they were able to get sponsorships and endorsements that helped cover the costs of their travel and competition entry fees.

Serena Williams turned professional in 1995 at the age of 14. She won her first professional tournament later that year, defeating World No. 6 Monica Seles in straight sets in Zhukovsky, Russia. She went on to win her first Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 US Open, defeating World No. 1 Martina Hingis in the final.

Serena Williams’ Professional Career

Serena Williams has been a professional tennis player since 1995. She has won a total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Williams has also been ranked number one in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association on eight separate occasions.

Serena Williams turns professional in October 1995 at age 14

In October 1995, at age 14, Serena Williams turns professional, making her one of the youngest players to do so in the Open era. She is coached by her father Richard Williams. Her sister Venus Williams had begun her professional career about a year earlier.

Serena Williams wins her first WTA title in February 1999 at age 17

Serena Williams wins her first WTA title in February 1999 at age 17, defeating Swiss great Martina Hingis in the final. Ten days later, she claimed her first Tier I event, defeating French Open champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the final of the Indian Wells Masters. Williams would finish the year ranked No. 4, becoming the first African American woman since Althea Gibson in 1958 to crack the Top 5.

Serena Williams wins her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in September 1999

Serena Williams wins her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in September 1999, defeating Martina Hingis in the final. The following year, Williams reaches the final of the French Open but loses to Steffi Graf. At Wimbledon, she becomes the first African American woman since Althea Gibson in 1958 to reach the ladies’ singles final – she loses to Venus Williams in straight sets.

Serena Williams’ Major Achievements

Serena Williams is an American professional tennis player who has been ranked world No. 1 in singles by the Women’s Tennis Association on eight occasions, from 2002 to 2017. She became the only tennis player to have won singles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year, completing the “Serena Slam” with her victories in the 2014 Wimbledon Championships and the 2015 US Open.

Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles

Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which is the most in the Open Era of tennis (since 1968) and second all-time behind Margaret Court (24). She has also won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus Williams, which is second all-time in the Open Era behind The Woodies (16), and is the most recent being the 2018 Wimbledon Championships. In addition, she has won four Olympic gold medals, one in women’s singles and three in women’s doubles.

Serena Williams has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles

Serena Williams has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, all with her sister Venus Williams. They have the most Grand Slam titles of any women’s doubles team in history and are tied for second place (with Natasha Zvereva) for most major wins as a team in the Open Era, with 16. They won their first major at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships. They have also won Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles twice, at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Olympics.

Serena Williams has won 4 Olympic gold medals

Serena Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, the most of any tennis player, male or female. She has also won more Grand Slams than any other active female player, with 23 singles titles and 14 doubles titles.

Serena Williams’ Personal Life

Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) ranked her world No. 1 in singles on eight separate occasions between 2002 and 2017. She reached the No. 1 ranking for the first time on July 8, 2002.

Serena Williams is married to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit

Serena Williams is married to Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit. The couple have a daughter, Olympia, born in 2017.

Williams has been ranked No. 1 in the world by the Women’s Tennis Association on eight occasions, from 2002 to 2017. She became the world No. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002, and achieved this ranking for the seventh time on February 18, 2013. On June 10, 2013, she regained the ranking for the eighth time.

Serena Williams gives birth to her first child, a daughter, in September 2017

In September 2017, Serena Williams gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. The famous tennis player and her fiancé, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, welcomed their daughter into the world at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Williams announced her pregnancy in April of that year on Snapchat, revealing that she was 20 weeks along.

Just a few months after giving birth, Williams made her return to competitive tennis at the 2018 Fed Cup. She helped the U.S. team beat the Netherlands 3-1, winning both of her singles matches. She then went on to compete at Wimbledon, where she ultimately lost in the finals to German tennis player Angelique Kerber.