Sports Stars: Serena Williams

Serena Williams at the 2013 U.S. Open Photo: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Synopsis: Born in 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan, Serena Williams began intensive tennis

training at age 4. She won her first major championship in 1999 and completed the career

Grand Slam in 2003. Along with her individual success, Williams teamed with sister Venus

to win a series of doubles titles. In 2016, she won her 22nd grand slam title at Wimbledon,

tying Steffi Graf for the most major championships in the Open era of professional tennis.

Early Life

American tennis player Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in

Saginaw, Michigan. The youngest of Richard and Oracene Williams' five daughters,

Serena Williams, along with her sister Venus, would grow up to become one of the sport's

great champions.

Serena's father — a former sharecropper from Louisiana determined to see his two

youngest girls succeed — used what he'd gleaned from tennis books and videos to

instruct Serena and Venus on how to play the game. At the age of 4, practicing on a court

not far from the family's new Compton, California, home, Serena withstood the rigors of

daily two-hour practices from her father.

By Biography.com Editors and A+E Networks on 08.12.16

Word Count 2,051

The fact that the family had relocated to Compton was no accident. With its high rate of

gang activity, Richard Williams wanted to expose his daughters to the ugly possibilities of

life "if they did not work hard and get an education." In this setting, on courts that were

riddled with potholes and sometimes missing nets, Serena and Venus cut their teeth on the

game of tennis and the requirements for persevering in a tough climate.

By 1991, Serena was 46-3 on the junior United States Tennis Association tour, and ranked

first in the 10-and-under division. Sensing his girls needed better instruction to become

successful professionals, he moved his family again — this time to Florida. There, Richard

let go of some of his coaching responsibilities, but not the management of Serena's and

Venus's career. Wary of his daughters burning out too quickly, he scaled back their junior

tournament schedule.

Tennis Star

In 1995, Serena turned pro. Two years later, she was already No. 99 in the world rankings

— up from No. 304 just 12 months before. A year later, she graduated high school, and

almost immediately inked a $12 million shoe deal with Puma. In 1999, she beat out her

sister in their race to the family's first Grand Slam win, when she captured the U.S. Open

title.

It set the stage for a run of high-powered, high-profile victories for both Williams sisters.

With their signature style and play, Venus and Serena changed the look of their sport as

well. Their sheer power and athletic ability overwhelmed opponents, and their sense of

style and presence made them standout celebrities on the court.

In 2002, Serena won the French Open, the U.S. Open, and Wimbledon, defeating Venus in

the finals of each tournament. She captured her first Australian Open in 2003, making her

one of only six women in the Open era to complete a career Grand Slam. The win also

fulfilled her desire to hold all four major titles simultaneously to comprise what she'd

dubbed the "Serena Slam." In 2008, she won the U.S. Open and teamed with Venus to

capture a second women's doubles Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Games.

But Serena also had her scrapes and losses. She underwent knee surgery in August 2003,

and in September her half-sister Yetunde Price was murdered in Compton, California.

Three years later, Serena seemed burned out. Bitten by injuries, and just a general lack of

motivation to stay fit or compete at the same level she once had, Serena saw her tennis

ranking slump to 139.

Serena credited her faith as a Jehovah's Witness, as well as a life-changing journey she

made to West Africa for renewing her pride and competitive fire. By 2009, Williams had

released a new autobiography, "Queen of the Court," and won her place back atop the

world's rankings, winning both the 2009 Australian Open singles (for the fourth time) and

Wimbledon 2009 singles (for the third time). She also won the doubles matches at both the

Australian Open and Wimbledon that year.

But not everything went smoothly. Williams made headlines in September of that year when

she blasted a lineswomen for a foot-fault called near the end of a semifinal loss to eventual

champion Kim Clijsters at the U.S. Open. The profanity-laced outburst included finger

pointing and, according to the lineswoman, an alleged threat from Serena against her life.

Williams downplayed what happened, refuting the allegation that she'd threatened the

woman. But the incident did not go over well with the tennis viewing public, nor the U.S.

Tennis Association, which fined her $10,000 on the spot. Two months later, she was placed

on two-year probation and ordered to pay another $82,500 to the Grand Slam committee

for the episode, the largest punishment ever levied against a tennis player.

By early 2010, however, Serena was doing her best to move past the incident. Sure

enough, that year she won the Australian Open singles and doubles matches, as well as

her fourth Wimbledon singles championship.

In 2011, Williams suffered a series of health scares, after doctors found a blood clot in one

of her lungs, which kept her away from tennis for several months. Following several

procedures, including one to remove a hematoma, speculation arose as to whether

Williams would retire from the sport. Her health had improved by September 2011,

however, and Williams looked like her old dominant self at the U.S. Open before falling to

Samantha Stosur in the finals.

Williams stumbled badly at the 2012 French Open, enduring a first-round loss for the first

time at a major tournament. But she was back in top form in London that summer,

defeating 23-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska in an emotional three sets to claim her fifth

Wimbledon singles title and first major championship in two years. Following the win,

Williams rushed to her family in the stands, with tears in her eyes, and hugged them for

several seconds. In a post-Wimbledon interview with ESPN, she was asked whether she

thought she could top the win, and answered: "Are you kidding? The [2012] U.S. Open, the

Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon 2013."

Two "Serena Slams"

At the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, Serena beat Maria Sharapova to take her first gold

medal in women's singles. The next day, she claimed her fourth overall Olympic gold

medal by teaming with sister Venus to defeat Czech Republic stars Andrea Hlavackova

and Lucie Hradecka in women's doubles.

Williams continued her winning streak to her next Grand Slam event. In September 2012,

she beat out rival Victoria Azarenka to take the singles title at the U.S. Open. According to

USA Today, Williams wasn't sure that she'd emerge victorious. "I honestly can't believe I

won. I was really preparing my runner-up speech, because I thought, 'Man, she's playing

so great.'"

By this time, Williams had captured 15 Grand Slam singles titles and 13 Grand Slam

doubles titles. "I would like to leave a mark," Williams once said about her standing in the

tennis world. "I think obviously I will, due to the fact that I'm doing something different in

tennis. But I don't think I could ever reach something like a Martina Navratilova — I don't

think I'd ever play that long — but who knows? I think I'll leave a mark regardless."

In June 2013, Williams took her second French Open title — as well as her 16th Grand

Slam singles title — in a 6-4, 6-4 victory over defending champion Sharapova. "I'm still a

little bit upset about that loss last year," Williams said in an interview with ESPN following

the match. "But it's all about, for me, how you recover. I think I've always said a champion

isn't about how much they win, but it's about how they recover from their downs, whether

it's an injury or whether it's a loss."

Nearly one month later, Williams competed at Wimbledon, where she suffered a shocking

loss (6-2, 1-6, 6-4) in the fourth round to Germany's Sabine Lisicki, the No. 23 seed. Her

career-best 34-match winning streak over, Williams told Sports Illustrated, "I don't think it's

a huge shock. [Lisicki] is a great player. Her ranking has no effect on what she should be.

She should be ranked higher. She just has a super, super game to play well on grass."

At the U.S. Open, Williams made a strong showing. She knocked out her younger rival

Sloane Stephens in the fourth round before upending Azarenka to clinch the U.S. Open

title. It was the second year in a row that the pair had faced off in the finals.

Williams clinched her third straight and sixth overall U.S. Open singles title in 2014 by

defeating her good friend Caroline Wozniacki. Her winning ways carried into the new year,

as she beat Sharapova to claim the 2015 Australian Open championship. At the French

Open in June, Williams managed to overcome illness to win the tournament for the third

time and claim her 20th Grand Slam singles title, good for third place all-time.

"When I was a little girl, in California, my father and my mother wanted me to play tennis,"

she told the crowd in French after her victory. "And now I'm here, with 20 Grand Slam

titles."

Seeking to add to her hardware collection that summer, Williams had to overcome big

sister Venus to advance past the fourth round at Wimbledon. A few days later, she

defeated Garbine Muguruza in the final to claim her second career "Serena Slam" and

become the oldest Grand Slam singles champion in the Open era.

At the 2015 U.S. Open, Williams again squared off with her sister in a tough quarterfinal

matchup, this time pulling away in the deciding third set. The outcome left her two wins shy

of the calendar year Grand Slam, a feat accomplished by just three women in the sport's

history. But it was not to be. In a shocking upset, unseeded Roberta Vinci, ranked No. 43 in

the world, dashed Williams' quest by pulling out a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win in the semifinals.

Williams opened the next calendar year by advancing to the Australian Open final, where

she lost in three sets to Angelique Kerber. After notching career WTA title No. 70 with a win

at the Italian Open, she advanced to a French Open final rematch with Muguruza, but this

time succumbed to the Spanish player in straight sets.

On July 9, 2016, Williams found her way back to victory, defeating Kerber 7-5, 6-3 at

Wimbledon and winning her 22nd grand slam title. With her historic win, Williams tied Steffi

Graf for the most major championships in the Open era of professional tennis, which

started in 1968.

"I have definitely had some sleepless nights with a lot of stuff, coming so close and feeling

it and not being able to get there," Williams told reporters. "This tournament I came in with

a different mindset. In Melbourne I thought I played well but Angelique played great, and

better. So I knew going into this one I needed to be calm and be confident and play the

tennis I've been playing for well over a decade."

Just hours after her singles win, Williams and her older sister Venus won the doubles

championship at Wimbledon, their sixth Wimbledon win together.

Personal Life

Proving to have much more than just tennis clout, Serena expanded her brand into film,

television and fashion. She developed her own "Aneres" line of clothing, and in 2002

People magazine selected her as one of its 25 Most Intriguing People. Essence magazine

later called her one of the country's 50 Most Inspiring African-Americans. She's also made

television appearances, and lent her voice to shows such as The Simpsons.

Seeking to provide educational opportunities for underprivileged youth around the world,

the tennis star formed the Serena Williams Foundation and built schools in Africa. In 2009,

Serena and Venus purchased shares of the Miami Dolphins to become the first African-

American women to own part of an NFL team.

The close-knit sisters lived together for more than a dozen years in a gated Palm Beach

Gardens enclave in Florida, but they went their separate ways after Serena bought a

mansion in nearby Jupiter in December 2013.

Quiz

1 Read the section "Tennis Star".

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the information contained in that

section?

(A) Serena has reached the peak of her game and will likely not be able to

outdo herself.

(B) Serena's career has been marked by a variety of challenges that she has

met and overcome.

(C) Serena's career would likely not have continued if she did have the strength

provided by her faith.

(D) The fallout from Serena's outburst in 2009 has been the biggest challenge

she has faced as a tennis player.

2 Which paragraph from the section "Early Life" BEST shows that Serena's resilience can, in part,

be attributed to her father's teachings?

3 Why does the author include the last section of the article?

(A) to demonstrate to readers that Serena's interests extend beyond athletics

(B) to show readers that Serena has been more successful in business than in

tennis

(C) to provide examples that prove that Serena is one of the most inspiring

athletes in the world

(D) to argue that Serena would be more successful if she focused on tennis

instead of other areas

4 Which answer choice BEST describes the structure of the article?

(A) The article presents information about Serena's life in a problem-solution

structure.

(B) The article compares and contrasts Serena's success with that of her sister

Venus.

(C) The article describes the life and achievements of Serena Williams in

chronological order.

(D) The article describes different points of view to provide a well-rounded

understanding of Serena's success.