Serena_Williams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Williams Highest ranking: No. 5 (October 1, 1999) Grand Slam Doubles results Australian Open French Open Wimbledon Williams playing World Team Tennis in 2008 Country Residence Date of birth Place of birth Height Weight Turned pro Plays Career prize money Singles Career record: Career titles: Highest ranking: 420–88 (82.7%) 33 No. 1 (July 7, 2002) United States Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.[1] September 26, 1981 (1981-09-26) Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] 150 lb (68 kg)[1] 1995 Right; Two-handed backhand US$23,980,811[2] US Open W (2001, 2003, 2009) W (1999) W (2000, 2002, 2008) W (1999) Major doubles tournaments Olympic Games Gold medal (2000, 2008) Infobox last updated on: April 6, 2009. Olympic medal record Women’s Tennis Gold Gold 2000 Sydney 2008 Beijing Doubles Doubles Grand Slam results Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open W (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009) W (2002) W (2002, 2003) W (1999, 2002, 2008) Major tournaments WTA Championships Doubles Career record: Career titles: 117–17 (87.3%) 14 W (2001) Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked World No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association on four separate occasions; as of April 20, 2009 she is ranked World No. 2. She is the reigning US Open and Australian Open singles champion and has won twenty Grand Slam titles: ten in singles, eight in doubles, and two in mixed doubles. She has won two Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles.[3] She is the most recent player, male or female, to hold all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously. Williams has won more career prize money than any other female athlete.[2] In 2005, Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 17th-best player in 40 years.[4] She is the younger sister of former World No. 1 professional female tennis player Venus Williams; the sisters have had a noted professional rivalry since 1998, with matches played between them tied at 10–10 as of 2009. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. Williams’ off-court interests include fashion, acting, and charity. 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Serena Williams forehand and backhand swings. Her serve is technically very sound and has been hit as hard as 127 mph (203 kph), third fastest alltime.[12] Williams’ solid volleys—especially her drive volleys and powerful overheads give her advantages over the net. She produces good drop volleys, a shot that not many players use. Although Williams’ forehand is among the most powerful shots in the women’s game, her backhand is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour. Williams can hit a winning backhand shot in any position or place on the court down the line or cross court, even when on the defensive or otherwise under pressure. Williams strikes her backhand groundstroke using an open stance, and uses the same open stance for her forehand. Williams’ aggressive style of play results in a relatively high number of unforced errors. This ’high risk’ style is balanced in part by her serve, which is generally more consistently explosive.[13] Although many think of Williams as only an offensive player, she also plays a strong defensive game.[14] She is quick around the court, and her core strength enables her to hit the ball efficiently from difficult positions. Williams has more variety in her game than the typical offensive baseline player. Although she normally dictates play from the baseline with heavy strokes, she occasionally slices her backhand or hits heavy topspin groundstrokes or drop shots to change the pace of the ball. Early life Serena was born in Saginaw, Michigan to Richard Williams and Oracene Price. Williams is the youngest of five sisters: Lyndrea, Isha, Yetunde (died September 14, 2003), and Venus.[1] Oracene raised their children as Jehovah’s Witnesses, which has contributed to their tight familiy relationship.[5] When their children were young, the family moved to the Los Angeles suburb of Compton, where Serena started playing tennis at the age of four.[6] Richard, who homeschooled his children, hoped that involvement in sports would give them an opportunity for a better life and dreamed of making at least one of his daughters a tennis superstar.[7] To this end, Serena was and remains coached by both her parents.[1] The Williams family moved from Compton to West Palm Beach when Serena was nine,[6] to attend the tennis academy of Rick Macci, who would provide additional coaching. Macci spotted the exceptional talents of the sisters, and although he did not always agree with Richard’s unorthodox approches, he respected him for allowing his daugthers to grow up like regular kids.[8] Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments when Serena was 10, since he wanted them to take it slow and focus on school work. Another motivation was racial, as he had heard parents of white players talk about the Williams sisters in a derogatory manner during tournaments.[9] At that time, Serena had a 46–3 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked No. 1 among under 10 players in Florida.[10] In 1995, Richard pulled his daughters out of Macci’s academy, and from then on took over all coaching at their home. When asked in 2000 whether having followed the normal path of playing regularly on the junior circuit would have been beneficial, Serena responded: "Everyone does different things. I think for Venus and I, we just tried a different road, and it worked for us."[10] Professional career 1995–98: Professional debut Williams started playing professional tennis in September 1995. Being only 14, she was initially prohibited from playing in events sanctioned by the WTA. Her first professional event was the Bell Challenge in Quebec City, where she was defeated in less than an hour of play and earned only US$240 in prize money. Williams’s biggest achievement of 1997 was at the Ameritech Cup Chicago. Ranked World No. 304, she upset both Monica Seles and Mary Pierce, recording her first career wins over Top 10 players and becoming the Playing style Williams is primarily a baseline player. Her game is built around taking immediate control of rallies with a powerful and consistent serve (considered by some to be the best in the women’s game),[11] return of serve, and forceful groundstrokes from both her 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia lowest-ranked player in the open era to defeat two Top 10 opponents in one tournament.[1] She finished 1997 ranked World No. 99. Williams finished ranked in the WTA top 20 for the first time in 1998. She began the year at the Medibank International Sydney as a qualifier, ranked World No. 96, and defeated World No. 3 Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals. Williams lost in the second round of the Australian Open to sister Venus in their first professional match.[15] Williams reached six other quarterfinals during the year. She won the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open with Max Mirnyi, completing the Williams family’s sweep of the 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slams. Williams won her first professional title in doubles in Oklahoma City with Venus, becoming the third pair of sisters to win such a WTA title.[1] Serena Williams the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, where she beat Venus in the final. Serena ended the year at ranked No. 4 in just her second full year on the main tour. Serena also won her singles match during the tie between the United States and Russia in the final of the 1999 Fed Cup; the Williams sisters triumphed in the doubles against Elena Dementieva and Elena Makarova. Her best Grand Slam showings were a semifinal result at the 2000 Wimbledon Championships and a final at the 2001 US Open, both times losing to Venus, the eventual champion. The sisters partnered to win gold in the women’s doubles at the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2000 Wimbledon Championships and the 2001 Australian Open. The doubles victory at the Australian Open completed a career Grand Slam: Serena and Venus were the fifth women’s doubles team to win all four Grand Slam doubles titles.[1] Williams finished the year as World No. 6. At the 2001 Tennis Masters Series, Venus Williams withdrew an hour before the anticipated start of a semifinal match with Serena, claiming an injury. Serena defeated Kim Clijsters in the final. The withdrawal allegedly triggered racial hostilities which resulted in a boycott by the Williams sisters since 2001.[17] In addition to the Tier I victory at Indian Wells in 2001, Williams won the Rogers Cup in Toronto, defeating World No. 3 and top-seeded Jennifer Capriati in the final. Serena ended 2001 with a tournament victory at the Sanex Championships, ranked World No. 6. 1999–2001: Early success In 1999, Williams set a series of professional and historic records. In February she defeated Amélie Mauresmo in the final of the Open Gaz de France for her first professional title; in addition, the same day Venus won the IGA Superthrift Classic, and they became the first sisters to win professional tournaments in the same week.[16] A month later, Serena Williams won the Pacific Life Open, her first Tier I title. Williams defeated Davenport, Pierce and Steffi Graf, the World Nos. 2, 8 and 7 respectively, on her title run. At the following tournament, the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Serena lost to Venus in the first allsister singles final in WTA history.[1] In April, Serena made her World top 10 debut ranked ninth. Serena and Venus won the women’s doubles title at the French Open, but Serena was knocked out early in singles. She missed Wimbledon because of injury but started the summer hard court season with a victory over World No. 1 Hingis at the JPMorgan Chase Open. Williams was the seventh-seeded player at the 1999 US Open, where she defeated World Nos. 4, 2 and 1 (Seles, Devenport and Hingis respectively) to win the singles title, and won the doubles title with her sister. Serena became the second African-American woman (after Althea Gibson in 1958) to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.[1] Serena’s third tournament victory of the season was at 2002–03: The Serena Slam Williams was forced to withdraw from the 2002 Australian Open due to injury, but won her first event of the year in Scottsdale, defeating World No. 1 Jennifer Capriati in the final. She then won the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Florida, defeating the top three players in the world en route. At the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, Serena captured her first career title on clay, defeating Justine Henin in the final.[18] Williams, as the third seed at the 2002 French Open, dropped just two sets en route to the final, where she defeated sister Venus Williams in straight sets. At the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, Williams won the title without dropping a set, again defeating Venus in the final. This victory earned Williams the World No. 1 ranking 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (dethroning her sister and succeeding her as the second African-American woman to hold the top ranking on the WTA).[1] The Williams sisters also won the doubles title. Williams captured her third straight Grand Slam singles title at the 2002 US Open, again without dropping a set and defeating Venus in the final. Williams won backto-back titles in Leipzig and Tokyo during the fall and reached the final at the year-ending Home Depot Championships but lost to 19-year-old Kim Clijsters in straight sets. Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 record, eight singles titles, and the World No. 1 ranking.[1] At the 2003 Australian Open, Williams dropped only two sets while reaching the semifinals. She faced her sister Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final and won in three sets, to become the fifth woman to hold all Grand Slam titles simultaneously, joining Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova.[19] As the titles were not held within a single calendar year, they are not considered as a "Grand Slam". Instead, the winning streak became known as the "Serena Slam".[20] The Williams sisters won the doubles titles, their sixth Grand Slam doubles title together. Williams captured titles at the Open Gaz de France in Paris and the Sony Ericsson Open in Florida, and went into the 2003 French Open trying to capture her fifth consecutive Grand Slam singles title. She lost the semifinal to eventual champion Justine Henin, in a match raising some controversy as Williams questioned Henin’s sportsmanship and because spectators applauded Williams’ errors.[21] One month later though, Williams won her sixth Grand Slam singles title at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Henin in the semifinals and Venus in the final. A subsequent knee injury forced her to withdraw from all other events, including the US Open.[22] She therefore lost her World No. 1 ranking to Clijsters in August, having held it for 57 consecutive weeks. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 3, despite having played only seven tournaments. Serena Williams Williams hitting a return at the US Open in 2006 Dementieva in the final. She lost in the French Open quarterfinals to Jennifer Capriati – Williams’ earliest loss at a Grand Slam since the 2001 Wimbledon Championships. She reached the final of Wimbledon to be upset by the 17-year old Maria Sharapova. During 2004, Williams did not advance past the quarterfinals of any US Open Series tournaments; at the 2004 US Open she lost a quarterfinal match with Capriati in which there were disputes over umpiring.[23] Her second tournament of the year came at the China Open, in which she defeated recent US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. Williams qualified for the 2004 WTA Tour Championships, but again lost to Sharapova in the final.[24] Williams finished 2004 ranked No. 7, and had not won a Grand Slam for the first year since 2001. In 2005, an otherwise injury-plagued season saw Williams fall out of the top ten for the first time since 1998. She triumphed over three of the tournament’s top four seeds (#2 Amélie Mauresmo, #4 Maria Sharapova, and #1 Lindsay Davenport) and made the 2005 Australian Open her seventh Grand Slam singles title. The win moved Williams back to World No. 2, and she stated she was now targeting the number one spot.[25] However, Williams failed to reach the final at any of her following five tournaments, which included a 2004–06: Injuries and loss Due to the extended rehabilitation required for her left knee, Williams did not play a tournament in 2004 until March, when she won the Sony Ericsson Open, defeating Elena 4 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia loss to sister Venus in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in March – her first loss to Venus since 2001. At the 2005 Wimbledon Championships, Serena was defeated in the third round by fellow American Jill Craybas (ranked World No. 85) and at the 2005 US Open, she lost to Venus in the fourth round. Serena played just one more match the remainder of the year, a loss to Sun Tiantian at the China Open, and failed to qualify for the year-end championship for the first time since 1998. The following year, as defending champion at the 2006 Australian Open, Williams fell to Daniela Hantuchová in the third round.[26] She withdrew from her next four tournaments and her ranking fell out of the top 100 for the first time in nearly nine years.[27] She missed both the French Open and Wimbledon because of what had become a chronic knee injury,[27] but returned to the tour earlier than expected, accepting wildcards to the Cincinnati Masters and the JPMorgan Chase Open. In the first round at Cincinnati, Williams upset second seed Anastasia Myskina, but lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion, Vera Zvonareva;[26] in Los Angeles, Williams again lost in the semifinals to Jelena Janković.[26] At the 2006 US Open, Williams was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 1998. She lost to top seed Amélie Mauresmo in the fourth round[26] and did not play again in 2006, ending the year ranked World No. 95, her lowest year-end ranking since 1997. Serena Williams credited as inspiration for her win.[33] Her ranking rose to World No. 14.[34] Williams next played at the Sony Ericsson Open where she defeated World No. 1 Justine Henin in the final.[35] Williams did not win a tournament during the 2008 clay season; her best result was at the French Open, where she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Henin.[30] Williams was one of the favorites for the 2007 Wimbledon Championships title,[36] but again lost in the quarterfinals to Henin. Due to a thumb injury, the next tournament Williams played was the 2007 US Open,[30] where she lost her third consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal to Henin. In the fall, despite only two quarterfinal results,[30] Williams’ ranking rose to World No. 5, and qualified her for the 2007 WTA Tour Championships. Her participation there was short: citing an injury, she retired from her first round robin match with Anna Chakvetadze and withdrew from the tournament.[37] Serena finished 2007 as World No. 7 and the top-ranked American for the first time since 2003.[30] Partnering with Mardy Fish, Williams began 2008 by winning Hopman Cup exhibition tournament,[38] but as the defending champion at the Australian Open lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Janković.[39] After taking February off,[40] she returned to the tour clinching three consecutive titles. At the Bangalore Open Serena defeated Venus in the semifinals in the first match played between the sisters since the 2005 US Open and defeated Patty Schnyder in the final.[39] Williams won her fifth career Sony Ericsson Open, tying Steffi Graf, and followed with a win at the Family Circle Cup, her tenth career Tier I title and first clay court title since the 2002 French Open.[39] Serena’s 17-match winning streak was ended by Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Telecom German Open. As the only former winner in the tournament, Williams lost in the third round of the 2008 French Open to Katarina Srebotnik.[39] On grass, Serena reached the final of Wimbledon for the first time in four years but lost to Venus in straight sets.[39] The Williamses teamed up to win the women’s doubles title, defeating Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in the final. At the Bank of the West Classic, Williams retired during her semifinal match because of a left knee injury. She did not play again until the Beijing Olympics, when she lost in 2007–09: Return to form Williams began 2007 with renewed confidence, stating her intention to return to the top of the rankings.[28] She was not considered a favorite at the Australian Open, unseeded because of her World No. 81 ranking and widely regarded as "out of shape"[29] but nevertheless advanced to the final (defeating two seeded players en route); she defeated top-seeded Maria Sharapova in straight sets, winning her third Australian Open singles title and her eighth Grand Slam singles title.[30][31] Her performance in the final was described as "one of the best performances of her career"[29] and as "arguably the most powerful display ever seen in women’s tennis".[32] Williams dedicated the victory to her deceased sister, Yetunde,[31] whom she 5 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Serena Williams Safina. Williams lost her first match of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome to Patty Schnyder. She then competed at the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, but retired in her first-round match against Francesca Schiavone due to a right-knee injury. Williams said that her decision to play in Madrid despite her injury was affected by the WTA Tour policy of heavily fining top players who skip certain tournaments. She said: "I don’t know about anyone else but $75,000 is a lot of money to me."[44] It was the first time in her career where she had lost four consecutive matches.[45] Williams stretching for a ball at Wimbledon 2008 the singles tournament to eventual goldmedalist Elena Dementieva but won the gold medal in doubles, partnering with Venus to defeat Spaniards Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final.[39] At the US Open, Williams defeated Jelena Janković in the final; the victory, her ninth career Grand Slam, also returned her to the top of the WTA rankings.[41] Despite losing early in both the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix and the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, Serena ended the year ranked World No. 2. Williams started 2009 by withdrawing from the Hopman Cup due to a harmstring injury. Her first tournament was the Medibank International Sydney where she lost to Elena Dementieva in the semifinal. She reached a series of milestones at the Australian Open where she defeated Dinara Safina in the final to win her tenth Grand Slam singles title, ranking her seventh on the list of most Grand Slam singles titles among female players; the win also moved her to the top of both the rankings and the list of career prize money leaders in women’s sports. Partnering with Venus, Serena also captured the doubles title for the third time, defeating Daniela Hantuchová and Ai Sugiyama in the final. Williams’ next tournament was the Open GDF SUEZ in Paris where she withdrew from her semifinal match against Elena Dementieva due to a leg injury. She lost in the semifinals of the 2009 Dubai Tennis Championships to her sister Venus. Hampered by a left thigh strain Williams lost consecutive matches, in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open to Victoria Azarenka and the first round of the Andalucia Tennis Experience to Klára Zakopalová.[42][43] She withdrew from Family Circle Cup in Charleston due to the same injury and as a result lost her No. 1 ranking to Dinara Rivalry with Venus Williams Serena has played her sister Venus many times in Grand Slam singles tournaments and a few times in other tournaments. Their head-to-head series is tied at 10–10. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. Off-court activities Personal life From 2004 to 2005, Williams dated Brett Ratner. She was linked in 2007 to Miami Heat Forward Udonis Haslem and actor Jackie Long and in 2008 Williams to rapper Common.[46] She resides at Ballen Isles in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.[1] Fashion Williams is known for her unusual and colorful outfits on court. In 2002, there was much talk when she wore a black lycra catsuit at the US Open.[47] At the 2004 US Open, Williams wore denim skirts and knee-high boots—tournament officials, however, did not allow her to wear the boots during matches.[48] At Wimbledon in 2008, the white trench coat she wore during warm-up for her opening match was the subject of much discussion since it was worn despite the sunny weather.[49] Off-court, Williams has also presented new designs. In November 2004, at the London premiere of After the Sunset she wore a red gown that had a near-topless effect.[50] 6 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Williams formerly had a special line with Puma[51] and currently has a line with Nike. The deal with Nike is worth US$40 million and was signed in April 2004.[52] Since 2004, she has also been running her own line of designer apparel called "Aneres"—her first name spelled backward. In 2009 she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewellery.[53] Serena Williams Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award" (2004).[1] Career statistics and awards See also: WTA Awards 1998 • WTA Newcomer of the Year • Tennis Magazine/ Rolex Rookie of the Year 1999 • WTA Most Improved Player of the Year • Tennis Magazine Player of the Year 2000 • WTA Doubles Team of the Year Award (with Venus Williams) 2002 • WTA Player of the Year • ITF Women’s Singles World Champion • Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year 2003 • 34th NAACP Image Awards President’s Award • ESPY Award Best Female Athlete • ESPY Award Best Female Tennis Player • Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year • Avon Foundation Celebrity Role Model Award • BET’s Best Female Athlete of the Year 2004 • WTA Comeback Player of the Year • Family Circle/ Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award • ESPY Award Best Female Tennis Player • BET’s Best Female Athlete of the Year 2005 • BET’s Best Female Athlete of the Year 2007 • Laureus World Comeback of the Year • Harris Poll Most Favorite Female Sports Star 2008 • WTA Player of the Year Entertainment Williams has appeared on television and also provided voice work on animated shows: in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons Serena joined the animation along with sister Venus, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.[54] She has also provided guest voice work in a 2005 episode of Playhouse Disney’s animated kids show Higglytown Heroes and a 2007 episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender,[55] which she has described as her "favorite show".[56] Williams has posed for the 2003 and 2004 editions of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[57] In April 2005, MTV announced plans to broadcast a reality show around the lives of Serena and Venus, which was eventually aired on ABC Family. Williams has appeared twice on MTV’s Punk’d and in 2007, appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race. In 2002, she played Miss Johnson in the season 3 episode "Crouching Mother, Hidden Father" of My Wife and Kids;[58] she has also guest-starred during episodes of ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[59] In 2007 Williams appeared in the music video of "I Want You" by the American rapper Common, alongside performers Alicia Keys and Kanye West.[60] Charity work In 2008 Williams helped to fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya.[61][62] She received a Celebrity Role Model Award from Avon Foundation in 2003 for work in breast cancer.[63] Williams has also been involved in a number of clinics at schools and community centers, particularly those which have programs focusing on at-risk youth.[1] She has also won the "Young Heroes Award" from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and Inland (2003) and the "Family Circle and 7 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Serena Williams See also The World". Newsweek. Newsweek, Inc.. http://www.newsweek.com/id/122703/ • List of Grand Slam Women’s Singles page/1. Retrieved on April 19, 2009. champions [10] ^ Edmonson, 2005, Venus and Serena • List of Grand Slam Women’s Doubles Williams, p. 46–47. champions [11] Ford, Bonnie D. (January 22, 2008). • List of Grand Slam Mixed Doubles "Gimpy Jankovic swats away defending champions champion Williams". ESPN.com. • Williams Sisters rivalry http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/ • Serena Slam aus08/news/story?id=3207822. Retrieved on April 29, 2009. [12] "Harder, Better, Faster... Top servers". WTA Tour, Inc.. November 28, 2008. [1] ^ "Serena Williams (USA)". WTA Tour, http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/1/ Inc.. newsroom/stories/?ContentID=2806. http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/ [13] Nobles, Charlie (March 29, 2003). players/playerprofiles/ "Serena Williams And Capriati in Final". PlayerBio2.asp?PlayerID=230234. The New York Times. The New York Retrieved on April 22, 2009. Times Company. [2] ^ "Serena sets career prize money http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/29/ mark". ESPN. January 30, 2009. sports/plus-tennis-serena-williams-andhttp://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/ capriati-in-final.html. Retrieved on April aus09/news/story?id=3870020. 29, 2009. Retrieved on April 22, 2009. [14] Wertheim, L. Jon (September 15, 2008). [3] "Williams sisters net gold in doubles, "Not So Fast, Kiddo". Sports Illustrated. beating Spaniards in final". ESPN. http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/ August 17, 2008. vault/article/magazine/MAG1145172/2/ http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/ index.htm. Retrieved on May 20, 2009. tennis/news/story?id=3539310. [15] "Head to Head - Serena Williams vs Retrieved on April 22, 2009. Venus Williams". WTA Tour, Inc.. [4] "40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/2/ (17-20)". Tennis Magazine. May 17, players/playerprofiles/ 2006. http://www.tennis.com/features/ playerheadtoheaddetail.asp?PlayerID=230234&Playe 40greatest/40greatest.aspx?id=700. Retrieved on April 22, 2009. Retrieved on April 22, 2009. [16] Zanca, Sal A. (March 1, 1999). [5] Edmonson, 2005, Venus and Serena "Continents Apart, Williams Sisters Make Williams, p. 19. History". The New York Times. The New [6] ^ "Bio - Serena Williams". York Times Company. serenawilliams.com. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/ http://www.serenawilliams.com/bio.php. fullpage.html?res=9902EFDC133CF932A35750C0A9 Retrieved on April 29, 2009. Retrieved on April 22, 2009. [7] "Successful & Famous People that were [17] "Indian Wells boycott hurts Williamses Homeschooled". more than it helps". Yahoo. March 19, sharebradenton.homestead.com. 2009. http://sports.yahoo.com/ten/blog/ http://sharebradenton.homestead.com/ ten_experts/post/Indian-Wells-boycottFamous.html. Retrieved on April 22, hurts-Williamses-more2009. than-;_ylt=Ag28GdIMVj.WIy422nR1Hfs4v7YF?urn=t [8] Kaufman, Michelle (April 22, 2007). Retrieved on April 22, 2009. "Venus, Serena reflect as they prepare [18] Preston, Eleanor (May 20, 2002). "Hingis for Fed Cup". blackathlete.net. may be out to end of year". The http://blackathlete.net/artman2/publish/ Guardian. Guardian News and Media Tennis_35/ Limited. http://www.guardian.co.uk/ Venus_Serena_Reflect_As_They_Prepare_For_Fed_Cup_3202.shtml. sport/2002/may/20/tennis1. Retrieved on Retrieved on April 22, 2009. April 23, 2009. [9] Peyser, Marc; Samuels, Allison (August [19] Leicester, John (February 11, 2009). 24, 1998). "Venus And Serena Against "Grand Slam for Serena Williams?". Notes 8 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Associated Press. Tennis Channel. http://www.tennischannel.com/news/ NewsDetails.aspx?newsid=5055. Retrieved on April 22, 2009. [20] Johnson, William (May 21, 2007). 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Serena Williams • Serena Williams at the Internet Movie Database Persondata NAME ALTERNATIVE NAMES SHORT DESCRIPTION DATE OF BIRTH PLACE OF BIRTH DATE OF DEATH PLACE OF DEATH American tennis player September 26, 1981 Saginaw, Michigan, United States Williams, Serena Jameka Ross Evelyn References • Edmondson, Jacqueline (2005). Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-33165-0. External links • Official web site of Serena Williams • Interview with Serena Williams on Hossli.com • Serena Williams profile on the WTA Tour’s official website 11 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sporting positions Preceded by Venus Williams Ana Ivanović Jelena Janković World No. 1 July 8, 2002 – August 10, 2003 September 8, 2008 – October 6, 2008 February 2, 2009 – April 19, 2009 WTA Newcomer of the Year 1998 WTA Most Improved Player 1999 WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Venus Williams) 2000 WTA Player of The Year 2002 2008 ITF World Champion 2002 Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year 2002 World Sportswoman of the Year 2002 WTA Comeback Player of the Year 2004 Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award 2003–2004 Serena Williams Succeeded by Kim Clijsters Jelena Janković Dinara Safina Awards and achievements Preceded by Venus Williams Preceded by Patty Schnyder Preceded by Martina Hingis & Anna Kournikova Preceded by Jennifer Capriati Justine Henin Preceded by Jennifer Capriati Preceded by Jennifer Capriati Preceded by Jennifer Capriati Preceded by Amélie Mauresmo Preceded by Venus Williams Preceded by Venus Williams Succeeded by Kim Clijsters Succeeded by Elena Dementieva Succeeded by Lisa Raymond & Rennae Stubbs Succeeded by Justine Henin Incumbent Succeeded by Justine Henin Succeeded by Annika Sörenstam Succeeded by Annika Sörenstam Succeeded by Kim Clijsters Succeeded by Maria Sharapova Best Female Athlete ESPY Award Succeeded by 2003 Diana Taurasi Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serena_Williams" Categories: 1981 births, Living people, American tennis players, Australian Open champions, French Open champions, US Open champions, Wimbledon champions, Olympic tennis players of the United States, Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics, Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Olympic gold medalists for the United States, Laureus World Sports Awards winners, African American tennis players, People from Saginaw, Michigan, People from Compton, California, World No. 1 tennis players, American Jehovah's Witnesses This page was last modified on 21 May 2009, at 14:01 (UTC). 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