Serena Williams (born September 26, 1981, Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.) is an American tennis player who revolutionized womenâs 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 Womenâs 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 womenâs player in the 21st century.
Chasing history in her later career, Williams passed Steffi Grafâs record 22 Grand Slam singles wins with her last major victory, at the 2017 Australian Open, but injuries prevented her from breaking Margaret Courtâs all-time record (24 major singles victories, achieved in 1973). In 2022 Williams retired, but four years later she returned to professional tennis. Off the court, Williams became a prominent public figure through her forays into fashion, business, and philanthropy.