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Serena Williams

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Serena Williams is one of the most famous tennis players ever.

She was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan. Serena is known for her incredible power and athleticism on the court. She helped change how people play professional women's tennis. Many people call her a leader in a new era of the sport. She spent 319 weeks ranked as the world number one in singles. This is the third-most time any woman has held that top spot.

Serena's journey started with her family and hard work. Her parents, Oracene Price and Richard Williams, were her first coaches. She began playing tennis when she was only four years old. The family moved to Compton, California, to help her prepare for her career. Her father even home-schooled her and Venus to keep them focused. Later, they moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, to join a tennis academy. Serena worked very hard to become a professional player by 1995.

Her career is full of amazing wins and special records. Serena won 73 WTA Tour-level singles titles during her career. She won 23 major singles titles, which is the most in the Open Era. She also achieved something called a "Serena Slam." This happened when she won all four major singles titles in a row. She actually did this twice during her long career. She is the only player to win a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. A Golden Slam means winning all major titles and an Olympic gold medal.

Serena was also a great partner to her sister, Venus. The two sisters played together in many doubles matches. They won 14 major women's doubles championships as a team. The pair was never defeated in major doubles finals. They even won a "Career Grand Slam" in doubles together. Serena won four Olympic gold medals in total. Three of those were in women's doubles alongside Venus.

Serena's success made her a very famous and successful athlete. She was the highest-earning woman athlete of all time. In 2016, she earned almost $29 million. In 2017, she was the only woman on the Forbes list of 100 highest-paid athletes. She won many awards, like the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year four times. After a break for her pregnancy, she returned to play in many major finals. She played her final professional match at the 2022 US Open.

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