Serena Williams

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Serena Williams

Australian Open Champion 2007

CountryImage:Flag of the United States.svg United States
ResidencePalm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Date of birthSeptember 26 1981 (1981-09-26) (age 27)
Place of birthSaginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1]
Weight143 lbs (64.9 kg)[2]
Turned Pro1995
PlaysRight; Two-handed backhand
Career Prize MoneyUS$18,073,233
Singles
Career record:355-77
Career titles:28
Highest ranking:No. 1 (July 8, 2002)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open W (2003, 2005, 2007)
French Open W (2002)
Wimbledon W (2002, 2003)
U.S. Open W (1999, 2002)
Doubles
Career record:95-15
Career titles:11
Highest ranking:No. 5 (October 11, 1999)

Infobox last updated on: November 8, 2007.

Olympic medal record
Women's Tennis
Gold 2000 Sydney Doubles

Serena Jameka Ross Evelyn Williams, (born September 26, 1981) is an American former World No. 1 ranked female tennis player who has won eight Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal in women's doubles.[1]. She is the last player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slams at the same time. In 2005, Tennis magazine ranked her as the 17th-best player of the preceding forty years. She is the younger sister of another former world no. 1 professional female tennis player, Venus Williams. Serena currently resides at Ballen Isles in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.[citation needed]

Contents

[edit] Playing style

Serena Williams is primarily an offensive baseline player. Her game is built around taking immediate, and dominating, control of rallies with her powerful serve, aggressive return of serve and powerful groundstrokes. Serena's serve is widely regarded as the best in the women's game. Lindsay Davenport has described Williams serve as 'the best serve' that she ever faced on the WTA Tour. Williams frequently serves at over 120 mph in her matches. In addition to phenomenal power, Williams achieves remarkable variety of placement on her serve (still rare in the women's game), having the ability to hit 'flat' slice and topspin serves to all corners of the service box. Davenport further illustrated the difficulty in returning Williams serve thus: "When she's hitting a first serve, I suppose it's a little bit like Pete [Sampras]. The guys just don't know where he's going. I didn't really ever have a good clue on where she's going" (US Open, 2002). At the 2007 Australian Open tournament, Williams served a total of 64 aces, the most of any woman at the tournament.

As a consequence of her super aggressive "go-for-broke" style of play, Williams tends to hit a relatively high number of unforced errors in her matches. However, this is tempered by the fact that she will typically hit many more outright winners than her opponents. Though Williams is usually thought of as simply an offensive player, she also has a good defensive game. Williams is quick around the court, and her core strength helps provide the ability to hit the ball efficiently from very difficult positions.

Serena is often capable of overpowering her opponents when returning serve, off both second and first serve - as demonstrated by her thunderous returning at the 2007 Australian Open final. In this match, Williams brutally (and repeatedly) overpowered her opponent, Maria Sharapova, in very short (1 - 3 stroke) points, off both the serve and return. Although, Williams' forehand is among the most powerful forehands (along with Justine Henin and Ana Ivanovic's dominating forehands) in the women's game, her backhand is generally considered to be the more consistent of her groundstrokes. Williams tends to demonstrate much more variety in her game than a typical offensive baseline player. Although she normally dictates play from the baseline with heavy flat strokes, Williams will occasionally throw in a slice backhand, heavy topspin groundstrokes, or even dropshot, to change the pace of the ball. Williams is also effective at the net, employing solid volleys (being especially effective on the drive volley) and powerful, decisive, overheads. Though she can be occasionally inconsistent (having been frequently criticised by several notable former players, including Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and John McEnroe, for a lack of consistent application and conviction), Williams has few technical weaknesses that can be easily exploited. Williams herself has often been quoted as saying that when she is playing her best tennis, no woman on the Women's Tennis Association can beat her, although she can 'beat herself' with [her own] unforced errors.

[edit] Early life

Serena was born in Saginaw, Michigan. When she and her four sisters were young, their parents, Richard and Oracene (also called Brandy), lived in the Los Angeles suburb of Compton. Her father dreamed of making at least one of his daughters a tennis superstar, hoping that involvement in sports would give them opportunity for a better life.

When Serena was four and a half, she won her first tournament, and she entered 49 tournaments before the age of 10, winning 46 of them. At one point, she replaced her sister Venus as the number one ranked tennis player aged 10 or under in California.

[edit] 1991-1997

In 1991, Richard Williams, saying that he hoped to prevent his daughters from facing racism, stopped sending them to national junior tennis tournaments, and Serena instead attended a tennis school run by professional player Rick Macci in Florida. Macci had already helped the careers of Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce, among others. Soon Richard, who had struck a deal on behalf of Venus and Serena with a major clothing company, was able to move the rest of the Williams family to West Palm Beach, to be near Serena and Venus.

Serena became a professional tennis player in September 1995 at the age of 14, Because of her age, she had to participate in non-WTA events at first; Her first professional event was the Bell Challenge in Québec, and she was ousted in less than an hour of play. In 1997, ranked number 304 in the world, she upset both Monica Seles and Mary Pierce at the Ameritech Open in Chicago, Illinois, recording her first career wins over top 10 players. She finished 1997 ranked No. 99 in the world.

[edit] 1998

1998 was the first year that Williams finished ranked in the WTA top 20. She began the season in Sydney as a qualifier, ranked no. 96, and beat world no. 3 Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinal. With her top 20 ranking, Williams was then expected to do well in her first Grand Slam tournament. However, she lost in the second round of the Australian Open to sister Venus. [2]

Williams reached six other quarterfinals during the season. She won the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open with Max Mirnyi, completing the Williams family's sweep of the 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slams. Williams won her first pro title in doubles at Oklahoma City with sister Venus, becoming the third pair of sisters to win a WTA tour women's doubles title. She earned U.S. $2.6 million in prize money during the year.

[edit] 1999

In 1999, Serena defeated Amélie Mauresmo in a final the same day that Venus won in Oklahoma City, marking the first time in professional tennis history that two sisters had won titles in the same week.

In March Williams won the prestigious tier event Indian Wells, the second of only five unseeded Tier I champions in WTA history. Williams (ranked No.21) defeated the world no.2 Davenport in the second round; the world no.8 Mary Pierce in quarter-final; and the world no.7 Graf in final, in three sets. At her next tournament, tier I Miami, her sister Venus halted Williams' 16-match win streak in the tournament final in three sets, the first all-sister Tour singles final in Open Era (Williams defeated world no.3 Seles; world no.9 Coetzer; and world no.1 Hingis, en route to final). A week after Miami (April 5), Williams made her top 10 debut at No.9; Venus was No.6 same week, marking first time two sisters appeared in Top 10 simultaneously since April 22, 1991 (Man. and K.Maleeva). Later that year, Williams won another US hardcourt tite at Los Angeles, defeating elite level competition in the form of world no.8 Sánchez-Vicario; the world no.1 Hingis in semi-final; and Julie Halard-Decugis. Williams' championship title run at the 1999 US Open was astonishing: encompassing wins against the world no.4 Seles, the world no.2 Davenport and the no.1 Hingis to become lowest seed (at no. 7) to win the title and second African-American woman (after Althea Gibson in 1958) to win a Grand Slam tournament. Williams finished 1999 ranked no.4 in the world in just her second full season on the main Tour.

Williams also went 1-0 in the United States 4-1 win in the final of the 1999 Fed Cup against Russia giving the U.S. its 16th title. She teamed up with sister Venus Williams to defeat Elena Dementieva and Elena Makarova 6-2, 6-1.

Williams became the focus of many ad campaigns, including one with shoe and clothes maker Puma, which signed her to a U.S. $12 million agreement.

[edit] 2000-2002

In 2000, Williams won the doubles gold medal at the Sydney Olympics with her sister Venus.

Williams finished 2001 in the top ten for the third consecutive year. She reached her first Grand Slam singles final in two years, losing to her older sister Venus at the U.S. Open 6-2, 6-4. Later that year, Serena won the WTA Tour Championships after saving eight match points in the semifinals against Jennifer Capriati.

In 2002, Serena won the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open (where she wore her famous black catsuit) by defeating Venus in the finals of all three. She also reached the final of the WTA Tour Championships for the second time, where she lost to Kim Clijsters. She finished the year with a 56-5 record, eight singles titles, and the World No. 1 ranking. She also won the Wimbledon doubles title with Venus for the second time.

This season was arguably[weasel words] one of the most dominant performances by any female tennis player in recent years.

[edit] 2003

Williams beat her sister Venus to win the 2003 Australian Open, her fourth straight Grand Slam singles title, becoming only the ninth woman ever to win all four Grand Slam events, and only the fifth woman in the Open era, joining the ranks of Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navrátilová and Steffi Graf. She named the feat of winning all 4 Grand Slams consecutively as the "Serena Slam". This was only the sixth time that a woman had held all four of tennis' major championships within 12 months. This accomplishment was also remarkable in that Williams faced off against her sister each time. The Williams sisters are the only two siblings in Grand Slam history to square off in four consecutive finals.

"Serena Slam" almost didn't happen, as twice she was a point away from losing in the semifinals to Kim Clijsters. The Belgium player had stunned Serena in the Year-End Championships of 02 in straight sets, and she seemed well on her way for another upset victory. Kim was leading 6-4, 3-6, 5-1 when Serena fought back and ran off six straight games, saving two matchpoints along the way.

For the first time since January 2002, a Grand Slam final did not read Williams-Williams. Venus lost to Vera Zvonareva in the fourth round of the French Open. Among boos and catcalls, Serena lost to Justine Henin in an acrimonious and controversial semifinal match. With Serena leading 4-2 (30-0) in the third set, she hit her first serve into the net (whether intentional or not the subject remains undisputed, though Serena claimed she intentionally dumped the ball into the net). Henin-Hardenne had raised her hand during Serena's service motion to indicate to hold the serve, but the chair umpire ruled that Serena should be allowed only a second serve. The crowd then booed and hissed in response to Serena's protests, and continued throughout Williams's service motion. Serena went on to lose the next 5 of 6 games, and eventually the match, snapping her 33 Grand Slam match win streak. In her post-match interview, Serena expressed disappointment in Henin-Hardenne's behavior during the third set incident, and broke down in tears from the crowd siding with Henin.

Williams successfully defended her Wimbledon title by defeating her sister for the 5th straight major in which they met. She also gained revenge on Henin, easily defeating her in straight sets in the semis.

Williams's older sister, Yetunde Price, was murdered on the morning of September 14, 2003, by gunshots as she passed by in a car driven by a man in the Compton area.

[edit] 2004-2005

Image:Serena serving.jpg
Serena Williams delivering a serve in 2004.

Williams withdrew from the 2004 Australian Open to continue rehabilitating her left knee. After eight months away from the tour, Williams began her comeback in Miami, where she defeated Elena Dementieva in the final 6-1, 6-1. She then lost in the French Open quarterfinals to Jennifer Capriati 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. She reached the final of Wimbledon but in one of the most surprising upsets in the tournament's history, the 17-year old Russian player Maria Sharapova produced a far more consistent and confident performance, to defeat Williams 6-1, 6-4.

On July 30, Williams withdrew from her quarterfinal match in San Diego against Russia's Vera Zvonareva with another left knee injury. On August 1, she announced her withdrawal from the Rogers Cup due to the same injury. The injury also forced her to pull out of the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Williams's next tournament was the U.S. Open, where she lost a quarterfinal match to Capriati. The match was plagued by controversial calls from the umpire that all seemed to go against Serena. One in particular was the first game of the third set, where Serena hit a backhand winner that landed a 3 - 4 inches inside the line. The point was rewarded to her, but was then overuled by the umpire as she gave the point to Capriati. It lead to a shell-shocked Serena, who argued with the umpire, but didn't get the point back. Instant replays (player challenges weren't available at the time) on TV clearly showed the ball bouncing at least 2-3 inches within the sideline. It was enough to even cause John McEnroe to call it the "worst he's ever seen at the Open". Serena protested later in a press conference by wearing a bright orange shirt with white capital letters, stating "THE BALL WAS IN!"

At the China Open in Beijing, Williams defeated the newly crowned U.S. Open champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova, in the final. Williams was down 4-6, 4-5 with a couple of championship points against her. She was able to save them both, and came back 4-6, 7-5, 6-4. Williams earned enough points there to reach the WTA Tour Championships, where she again lost to Sharapova in the final. Williams suffered a stomach muscle strain during the match after leading 6-4, 2-1. Clearly hampered by this injury, Serena began delivering serves barely reaching the 100 mph mark. It was enough for Sharapova to run off 5 games in a row to take the second set. Realizing now that her strongest weapon was disabled, Serena began going for winners on almost every shot. The gamble led her quickly to 4-0 lead, surrendering only one point. However, the injury took its toll as Serena could now barely serve up to 80 mph, and a disappointed Serena watched as her young opponent ran off six straight games to win the match, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Despite the loss, Serena finished at No.8 in the world.

In 2005, she won her seventh Grand Slam event, winning the Australian Open. She defeated three of the tournament's top 4 seeds (#2 Amélie Mauresmo, #4 Sharapova, and #1 Lindsay Davenport) en route to the title. Like her 2003 Australian Open title where she saved two matchpoints after being down 1-5 in the third set to Kim Clijsters, Williams saved a remarkable three match points against Sharapova in the semifinals, two of them coming off her own winners.

Her participation in the 2005 Wimbledon Championships ended in the third round when she was beaten by fellow American Jill Craybas (ranked 85th in the world) 6-3, 7-6(4). Williams broke down in tears in the subsequent press conference. She had come into the tournament with a stress fracture in her ankle (which forced her to place extra strain onto her right knee) and a severe lack of conditioning. She also had not played a competitive match for six weeks, missing the French Open.

At the 2005 U.S. Open, Williams made it through the first three rounds but was defeated by her sister Venus in the fourth round 7-6, 6-2. This was the earliest the two sisters had met in a Grand Slam tournament since their first meeting at the 1998 Australian Open.

Williams then was forced to take a break for the rest of 2005 because of ankle and knee injuries.

In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put her in 17th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.

[edit] 2006

Image:Serena Volley.jpg
Williams hitting a return at the US open in 2006.

Williams went into the Australian Open with no official warm-up tournaments. Williams was the defending champion at the Australian Open but fell to Daniela Hantuchová 6-1, 7-6(5) in the third round. In earlier rounds, Williams defeated Li Na of China and Camille Pin of France. Her early exit provoked media reports that Williams had lost her enthusiasm for the sport, which she denied. She then fell out of the top 50 for the first time in many years. She then pulled out of the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, and the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.

After withdrawing from the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Williams fell out of the top-100 players in the world for the first time in almost a decade. Shortly after, she announced that she would miss both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a chronic knee injury. She said that she would not be able to compete before "the end of the summer," on doctors' orders.

Williams, however, made a return to the game earlier than expected, accepting wildcards into events in Cincinnati and Los Angeles. She admitted that her six-month break from competitive tennis was as much for a "mental break" as for urgent rehabilitation for her knee injury.

Ranked No. 139 due to her inactivity, Williams made a successful comeback by defeating the Cincinnati tournament's No. 2 seed and No. 11-ranked Anastasia Myskina 6-2, 6-2 in the first round before losing in the semifinals to the eventual champion Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-3. Williams's ranking rose to No. 108 as a result of this tournament.

In Los Angeles, Williams defeated Hantuchová in the third round, the woman responsible for her early Australian Open exit. Williams then defeated Meghann Shaughnessy to set up a semifinal match against Jelena Janković. Williams lost the match 6-4, 6-3.

Williams was granted a wildcard into the U.S. Open, as her ranking prevented her from gaining direct entry into the tournament. She was ranked 79th in the main draw and was unseeded in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 1998. Williams lost to Amélie Mauresmo in the fourth round 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.

[edit] 2007

Image:Serena Williams Roland Garos 2007.jpg
Williams at the French Open in 2007.

Williams began the year by stating that she had no doubt she would be number one again. She competed in the Moorilla Hobart International in Tasmania as a warm-up for the 2007 Australian Open.[3] However, she lost to Sybille Bammer of Austria in the quarterfinals.

At the Australian Open, the unseeded Williams defeated fifth-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia in the third round 1-6, 7-5, 6-3. It was Williams's first win over a top 10 player since her defeat of Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open final. In the fourth round, Williams defeated the eleventh-seeded Jelena Janković of Serbia 6-3, 6-2. She then defeated sixteenth-seeded Shahar Pe'er in the quarterfinals 3-6, 6-2, 8-6 and tenth-seeded Nicole Vaidišová 7-6(5), 6-4 in the semifinals. In the final, Williams crushed top-seeded and then second ranked Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2 in 63 minutes to take her third Australian Open singles title and her eighth Grand Slam singles title. The victory elevated her ranking from 81st to 14th in the world and it also marked the first time either Williams sister had won a Grand Slam singles title in the absence of the other's participation in the same tournament. Williams dedicated the win to her deceased sister, Yetunde Price. It was Williams's 16th career Grand Slam title, including 6 women's doubles titles and a career Grand Slam[3] with her sister Venus, 2 mixed doubles titles, and 8 singles titles.

Williams then withdrew from her next two scheduled tournaments in February, the Sony Ericsson International in Bangalore, India and the Dubai Tennis Championships. She stated that she was unable to play either event because of the flu.

Her next tournament was the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she won the title in 2002, 2003, and 2004. In her third round match, a heckler allegedly hurled what Williams called "derogatory" remarks at her. Donald Winton of Cocoa Beach was removed from the stands towards the conclusion of the second set, at Williams's request. In the fourth round, Williams defeated second ranked Sharapova 6-1, 6-1, then went on to beat eighth ranked Nicole Vaidišová 6-1, 6-4 in her quarterfinal round. In the semifinals, Williams defeated Pe'er 7-6, 6-1. In the final against top ranked Justine Henin, Williams won 0-6, 7-5, 6-3 after saving two match points in the second set. With wins over top ranked Henin and second ranked Sharapova, Williams became the lowest-ranked player in history to beat the world’s top two players at the same event.[citation needed]

At the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Williams retired from her second round match due to a groin pull. Had she won that match, she would have played her sister Venus in the third round.

Williams played the first round Fed Cup tie against Belgium in Delray Beach, Florida. She defeated Caroline Maes 6-1, 6-4. She then withdrew from the second rubber to rest her knee.

In the fourth round of the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia tournament in Rome, Italy, Williams defeated eleventh-seeded Peer 6-3, 6-3. In the quarterfinals, Williams lost to fourteenth-seeded Patty Schnyder of Switzerland 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(5). After the tournament, however, she reentered the Top 10, moving up to number 9.

Williams next played the French Open where she was seeded eighth and drawn to meet Henin, the defending champion and top seed in the quarterfinals. However, she was tested in her first round match against Tsvetana Pironkova, losing the first set before winning, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Though she initially appeared sluggish and somewhat uncomfortable with her movement, her results improved during each successive match allowing her to reach the quarters to face Henin without the loss of another set. The match was the most anticipated of the women's event. Most media commentators, particularly Americans, expected an emotional rematch of the players' 2003 semifinal at Roland Garros, which featured controversy over Henin's sportsmanship as well as Williams' poor rapport with the crowd. However, William's previous sluggish form leading into the match was exposed by Henin whose own movement and comfort on clay was far more assured. Williams never appeared comfortable with Henin's constant changes of spin, pace, direction, and depth and made numerous errors, particularly off her forehand. Henin regularly exploited these openings and secured a relatively easy 6-4, 6-3 victory. Following the match, Williams was so disappointed with her lackluster performance that she proclaimed 'it's the worst match I've ever played.' She also said that she felt 'violated.'

Her next scheduled tournament was Wimbledon. During her fourth round match against Daniela Hantuchová Williams collapsed in agony on Centre Court after being down 4-2 in the second set. It took close to 7 minutes for her trainer to define what happened to Williams (an acute muscle spasm, it later emerged). Then, Serena received a medical timeout taking the break in play to 10 minutes. Serena delayed her play for the rain to return to allow her to recover and after holding serve to force a tiebreak despite being barely able to walk, the rain came and play was suspended for nearly 2 hours. Next up for Williams was a quarterfinal matchup against the top-seeded and top-ranked Justine Henin. The much anticipated match-up lived up to its expectations. Williams arrived at the court with a heavily taped calf, and because an injury to her left thumb had forced her to revert to a one-handed slice. Williams lost the quarterfinal matchup 4-6, 6-3, 3-6, but drew more criticism by claiming she would have beaten Henin had she been healthy. Serena stated that her health was "only at 50% today, and that she felt she would've won if she hadn't been injured."[4] After Wimbledon, Williams moved up to World No. 7, the highest she had been since 2005. Serena alo participated in the doubles tournament with sister Venus, receiving wildcards into the main draw. The tandem walked-over to Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the second round, after defeating fellow wildcards Claire Curran and Anne Keothavong.

Serena pulled out of the doubles later, the Fed Cup semifinal against Russia, Cincinnati, Stanford, San Diego, and Los Angeles due to a thumb injury suffered in the match against Hantuchová. Williams entered the tournament in New Haven mid-way through the US Open Series, but her thumb had not recovered yet and she pulled out. Due to her withdrawals, her ranking slightly slipped to World No. 9.

Serena's next tournament was the U.S. Open. She beat Angelique Kerber 6-3, 7-5 in her first round, Maria-Elena Camerin 7-5 6-2 in the second round, Vera Zvonareva 6-4 7-6 in the third, and 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli 6-3, 6-4 in the fourth, setting up her third consecutive grand slam quarterfinal matchup with Justine Henin. However, she lost to Henin yet again, 6-7, 1-6. Serena could not convert as the first set was brought to a tiebreaker, even after saving a set point, down 4-5, and having her own set point, at 6-5, on Henin's serve. Serena never seemed to find her form as Henin dominated the tiebreak 7-3. The first set took over an hour. In the second set, Henin quickly raced out to a 3-0 lead before Serena could win her first game. She had several chances to break for 3-2, but couldn't capitalize as Henin won the last three games of the match. The second set raced by in comparison to the first, finishing in almost half the time. It was Serena's third straight loss to Henin, third straight loss in a Grand Slam to Henin this year, as well as her third straight loss in the quarterfinals of a major this year. It was also Henin's first win over Serena on a hardcourt. Henin and Williams' lifetime record is now tied at 6-6. The post match press conference was rather controversial with Serena claiming that Henin had benefited from 'lucky' shots and Williams's own errors. Serena was heavily criticised in the press for not showing sportsmanship.

Despite the quarterfinal loss, Williams moved up to World No. 7 in the rankings, 2 spots ahead of her sister Venus (No. 9), who is in the top 10 for the first time since 2005.

Serena next played Stuttgart on October 1 where she reached the quarter finals. Williams breezed through her first match in 47 minutes 6-0, 6-0 against Zuzana Ondraskova, who was a late replacement after Elena Bovina withdrew. Williams then beat Julia Vakulenko 7-6, 6-2. Serena was beaten in the quarterfinals 6-3, 6-3 by Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The following week Serena played The Kremlin Cup in Moscow. After a first round bye, she struggled a little to beat Tatiana Perebiynis 7-5, 6-4, before a good win over Nicole Vaidisova 6-4 7-6. Serena then got her revenge over Svetlana Kuznetsova, beating her 7-6, 6-1. She lost the final to Elena Dementieva 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Williams' performance brought her ranking up to #5 in the world, and it guaranteed her a spot in the Year-End Championshps in Madrid. However, after losing her first match to Anna Chakvetadze by retirement, she decided to withdraw from the championships. Her place was taken by Marion Bartoli.[5] Williams finished the year at #7 in the world, this being the first time she finished the year ranked in the world's top 10 since 2004.[citation needed]

[edit] 2008

Hopman Cup

Image:Serena and mardy.jpg
Williams and Fish victorious.
Serena started 2008 by winning the Hyundai Hopman Cup, a co-ed version of the davis cup or fed cup, as a warm up for the Australian Open. The flu delayed her arrival in Perth, meaning alternative Meghann Shaughnessy took her place on the first day of the tournament where she defeated Sania Mirza of India. Serena won her first match beating Lucie Safarova 6-0 2-6 7-5 and she won her mixed doubles 6-2 6-3 against Molik and Peter Luczak. She won her second singles match by defeating Alicia Molik of Austrailia 6-2 7-6(7). In the final session of the tournament, Serena was granted a walkover versus Jelena Jankovic due to injury and her and Mardy Fish went on to secure victory with a 7-6(4) 6-2 win over Jankovic and Novak Djokovic. It is the fifth time that the USA has won the competition.[citation needed]

Schedule
JAN 14 Australian Open
FEB 4 Open Gaz de France
FEB 11 Proximus Diamond Games
FEB 25 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships
MAR 3 Bangalore Open
MAR 24 Sony Ericsson Open
APR 14 Family Circle Cup
MAY 5 Qatar Telecom German Open
MAY 12 Internazionali BNL d'Italia
MAY 26 Roland Garros
JUN 23 The Championships

[edit] Fashion

Williams is known for her unusual and colorful outfits on court. In 2002, Williams created an on-court stir when she wore a leather-looking catsuit at the U.S. Open.[6] Again at the U.S. Open, in 2004, Williams wore denim skirts and boots. Williams had a special line at Puma and has a current one at Nike.[7][8][9]

Outside the tennis courts, Williams was also the center of attention when in November 2004, she reached a new level of exposure at the London premiere of Pierce Brosnan's new film, After the Sunset. In an outfit that had a near-topless effect, Williams wore a red gown with strips of sheer fabric.

Williams has her own line of designer clothing called Aneres — her first name spelled backward (a la Oprah Winfrey and Harpo productions) — that she plans to sell in boutiques in Miami and Los Angeles. Venus also appeared as one of her models, showing her latest designs.

[edit] Entertainment

In 2001, Serena along with her sister, Venus appeared on The Simpsons tennis themed episode after Bart and Lisa boycott to play against each other in the family. She has also posed for a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and has had a lucrative career in advertisements.[10][11][12]

In April 2005, MTV announced plans to broadcast a reality show around the lives of Serena and Venus Williams, but ABC Family aired the show.

Williams was the fifth victim and the ninth star ever to be on Punk'd more than once. Her first appearance was when Williams had to save a Punk'd problem kid played by Rob Pinkston until Kutcher exposed the set-up. Her second is when Serena passed the prank on her sister Venus after both Serena and Venus were fighting with a fraud during a photoshoot with some handicapped people.

In 2002, Williams played Miss Wiggins in the season 3 episode "Crouching Mother, Hidden Father" of My Wife and Kids. In 2005, Serena guest starred in an episode of the twelfth season of ER. She also guest starred on an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Welsh indie band, Super Furry Animals, sang a track on their 2003 album Phantom Power called "Venus and Serena" - dedicated to the sisters.

In 2007, Williams appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, featuring a dozen celebrities in a stock car racing competition. In the first round of competition, Williams matched up against surfer Laird Hamilton and former NFL quarterback John Elway. That same year, Serena appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, where he challenged Serena to a tennis match on the Wii video game console.[13] Conan overcame a break point to win the match.[14]

In June 2007, Serena was interviewed on BBC One's Friday Night with Jonathan Ross along with Iggy Pop and Russell Brand.

On the fourteenth page of a January 2007 issue of TV Guide, it is stated that "Tennis star Serena Williams will provide a guest voice on the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender next season." Serena herself has gone as far to state that Avatar is her favorite show.[15]

Serena appears semi-nude in the July issue of Jane Magazine along with Eva Mendes, Joss Stone, and five other famous faces.[16]

Serena appears in an American music video for the conscious rapper Common, along with Alicia Keys, and rapper Kanye West called "I Want You", released on November 2007.[17]

It has also been reported that Serena has been dating actor Jackie Long for several months.

[edit] Quotations

Williams explains how her sister inspired her to win her third Australian Open singles title in 2007: "I just said, 'Serena, this has to be motivating. This has to be more than enough to motivate me,' and I think it was."[4]

[edit] Grand Slam singles finals

[edit] Wins (8)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1999 U.S. Open Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-6(4)
2002French Open Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 7-5, 6-3
2002 Wimbledon Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 7-6(4), 6-3
2002 U.S. Open (2) Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3
2003 Australian OpenImage:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4
2003 Wimbledon (2)Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
2005 Australian Open (2)Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
2007 Australian Open (3)Image:Flag of Russia.svg Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2

[edit] Runner-ups (2)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2001 U.S. Open Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 6-2, 6-4
2004 Wimbledon Image:Flag of Russia.svg Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-4

[edit] WTA Tour Championships singles finals (3)

[edit] Wins (1)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2001 Munich Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport walkover

[edit] Runner-up (2)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
2002 Los Angeles Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Kim Clijsters 7-5, 6-3
2004 Los Angeles Image:Flag of Russia.svg Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-2, 6-4

[edit] Grand Slam women's doubles finals (6)

[edit] Wins (6)

Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1999 French Open Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Martina Hingis
Image:Flag of Russia.svg Anna Kournikova
6-3, 6-7, 8-6
1999 U.S. Open Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of the United States.svg Chanda Rubin
Image:Flag of France.svg Sandrine Testud
4-6, 6-1, 6-4
2000 Wimbledon Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of France.svg Julie Halard-Decugis
Image:Flag of Japan.svg Ai Sugiyama
6-3, 6-2
2001 Australian Open Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport
Image:Flag of the United States.svg Corina Morariu
6-2, 4-6, 6-4
2002 Wimbledon (2) Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of Spain.svg Virginia Ruano Pascual
Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Paola Suárez
6-2, 7-5
2003 Australian Open (2) Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of Spain.svg Virginia Ruano Pascual
Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Paola Suárez
4-6, 6-4, 6-3

[edit] Grand Slam mixed doubles finals (4)

[edit] Wins (2)

Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1998 Wimbledon Image:Flag of Belarus.svg Max Mirnyi Image:Flag of India.svg Mahesh Bhupathi
Image:Flag of Croatia.svg Mirjana Lučić
6-4, 6-4
1998 U.S. Open Image:Flag of Belarus.svg Max Mirnyi Image:Flag of the United States.svg Patrick Galbraith
Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lisa Raymond
6-2, 6-2

[edit] Runner-ups (2)

Year Championship Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1998 French Open Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Luis Lobo Image:Flag of the United States.svg Justin Gimelstob
Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams
6-4, 6-4
1999 Australian Open Image:Flag of Belarus.svg Max Mirnyi Image:Flag of South Africa.svg Mariaan de Swardt
Image:Flag of South Africa.svg David Adams
6-4, 4-6, 7-6

[edit] Titles (39)

[edit] Singles (28)

Legend
Grand Slam (8)
Grand Slam Cup (1)
WTA Championships (1)
Tier I (8)
Tier II (10)
Tier III (0)
Tier IV & V (0)
Titles by Surface
Hard (20)
Clay (2)
Grass (2)
Carpet (4)
No. Date Tournament Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final
1. February 22, 1999 Paris, France Carpet Image:Flag of France.svg Amélie Mauresmo 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(4)
2. March 1, 1999 Indian Wells, U.S. Hard Image:Flag of Germany.svg Steffi Graf 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
3. August 9, 1999 Los Angeles, USA Hard Image:Flag of France.svg Julie Halard-Decugis 6-1 6-4
4. August 30, 1999 US Open, New York, USA Hard Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Martina Hingis 6-3, 7-6(4)
5. September 27, 1999 Munich, Germany (Grand Slam Cup) Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
6. February 14, 2000 Hanover, Germany Carpet Image:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Denisa Chládková 6-1, 6-1
7. August 7, 2000 Los Angeles, USA Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(1)
8. October 2, 2000 Tokyo, Japan (Princess) Hard Image:Flag of France.svg Julie Halard-Decugis 7-5, 6-1
9. March 1, 2001 Indian Wells, USA Hard Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Kim Clijsters 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
10. August 13, 2001 Toronto, Canada Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Jennifer Capriati 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-3
11. October 29, 2001 WTA Tour Championships, Munich, Germany Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport walkover
12. February 25, 2002 Scottsdale, USA Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Jennifer Capriati 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
13. March 18, 2002 Miami, USA Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Jennifer Capriati 7-5, 7-6(4)
14. May 13, 2002 Rome, Italy Clay Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Justine Henin-Hardenne 7-6(6), 6-4
15. May 27, 2002 French Open, Paris, France Clay Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 7-5, 6-3
16. June 24, 2002 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 7-6(4), 6-3
17. August 26, 2002 US Open, New York, USA Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 6-4, 6-3
18. September 16, 2002 Tokyo, Japan (Princess) Hard Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Kim Clijsters 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
19. September 9, 2002 Leipzig, Germany Carpet Image:Flag of Russia.svg Anastasia Myskina 6-3, 6-2
20. January 13, 2003 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4
21. February 3, 2003 Paris, France Carpet Image:Flag of France.svg Amélie Mauresmo 6-3, 6-2
22. March 17, 2003 Miami, USA Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Jennifer Capriati 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
23. June 23, 2003 Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Grass Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
24. March 22, 2004 Miami, USA Hard Image:Flag of Russia.svg Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-1
25. September 20, 2004 Beijing, China Hard Image:Flag of Russia.svg Svetlana Kuznetsova 4-6, 7-5, 6-4
26. 17 January, 2005 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
27. 27 January, 2007 Australian Open, Melbourne, Australia Hard Image:Flag of Russia.svg Maria Sharapova 6-1, 6-2
28. 31 March, 2007 Miami, USA Hard Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Justine Henin 0-6, 7-5, 6-3

[edit] Doubles (11)

Legend
Grand Slam (6)
Olympic Gold (1)
WTA Championships (0)
Tier I (1)
Tier II (2)
Tier III (1)
Tier IV & V (0)
No. Date Tournament Partnering Opponents in Final Score in Final
1. February 23, 1998 Oklahoma City, U.S. Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of Romania.svg Catalina Cristea
Image:Flag of Australia.svg Kristine Kunce
7-5, 6-2
2. October 12, 1998 Zurich Open, Switzerland Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of South Africa.svg Mariaan de Swardt
Image:Flag of Ukraine.svg Elena Tatarkova
5-7, 6-1, 6-3
3. February 15, 1999 Hamburg, Germany Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of France.svg Alexandra Fusai
Image:Flag of France.svg Nathalie Tauziat
5-7, 6-2, 6-2
4. May 24, 1999 French Open, Paris Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Martina Hingis
Image:Flag of Russia.svg Anna Kournikova
6-3, 6-7(2), 8-6
5. August 30, 1999 U.S. Open, New York City Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of the United States.svg Chanda Rubin
Image:Flag of France.svg Sandrine Testud
4-6, 6-1, 6-4
6. June 26, 2000 Wimbledon, United Kingdom Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of France.svg Julie Halard
Image:Flag of Japan.svg Ai Sugiyama
6-3, 6-2
7. September 18, 2000 Summer Olympic Games, Sydney, Australia Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Kristie Boogert
Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Miriam Oremans
6-1, 6-1
8. January 15, 2001 Australian Open, Melbourne Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport
Image:Flag of the United States.svg Corina Morariu
6-2, 4-6, 6-4
9. June 24, 2002 Wimbledon, United Kingdom Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of Spain.svg Virginia Ruano Pascual
Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Paola Suárez
6-2, 7-5
10. September 24, 2002 Leipzig, Germany Image:Flag of the United States.svg Alexandra Stevenson Image:Flag of Slovakia.svg Janette Husárová
Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Paola Suárez
6-3, 7-5
11. January 13, 2003 Australian Open, Melbourne Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams Image:Flag of Spain.svg Virginia Ruano Pascual
Image:Flag of Argentina.svg Paola Suárez
4-6, 6-4, 6-3

[edit] Singles performance timeline

To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the Zurich Open, which ended for Williams on October 21,2007.

Tournament 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 Career SR Career Win-Loss
Australian Open A A A 2R 3R 4R QF A W A W 3R W 3 / 8 33-5
French Open A A A 4R 3R A QF W SF QF A A QF 1 / 7 29-6
Wimbledon A A A 3R A SF QF W W F 3R A QF 2 / 8 37-6
U.S. Open A A A 3R W QF F W A QF 4R 4R QF 2 / 9 40-7
Grand Slam SR 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 4 1 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 4 3 / 3 2 / 3 0 / 3 1 / 3 0 / 2 1 / 4 8 / 32 N/A
Grand Slam Win-Loss 0-0 0-0 0-0 8-4 11-2 12-3 18-4 21-0 19-1 14-3 12-2 5-2 19-3 N/A 139-24
WTA Tour Championships A A A A A A W F A F A A RR 1 / 4 9-4
Tokyo A A A A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 0 0-0
Indian Wells A A LQ A W QF W A A A A A A 2 / 4 14-2
Miami A A A QF F 4R QF W W W QF A W 4 / 9 41-5
Charleston A A A A A A A QF F 3R A A 2R 0 / 4 7-3
Berlin A A A A QF A A F A A A A A 0 / 2 5-2
Rome A A A QF QF A A W SF SF 2R A QF 1 / 7 18-6
San Diego A A A A A A A A A QF A A A 0 / 1 2-0
Montréal/Toronto A A A A A F W A A A 3R A A 1 / 3 10-1
Moscow A A 1R A A A A A A A A A F 0 / 2 6-2²
Zurich A A LQ A A A A A A A A A 1R 0 / 1 0-1
Tournaments Played 1 0 5 11 12 11 10 13 7 12 10 4 13 N/A 106
Finals Reached 0 0 0 0 6 5 4 10 5 5 1 0 3 N/A 38
Tournaments Won 0 0 0 0 5 3 3 8 4 2 1 0 2 N/A 28
Hardcourt Win-Loss 0-1 0-0 2-2 19-7 29-4 25-5 30-5 25-2 13-0 23-5 16-4 12-4 22-6 N/A 216-43
Clay Win-Loss 0-0 0-0 0-0 6-2 6-3 0-1 4-1 17-2 12-3 10-3 2-2 0-0 6-3 N/A 63-20
Grass Win-Loss 0-0 0-0 0-0 4-2 0-0 5-1 4-1 7-0 7-0 6-1 2-1 0-0 4-1 N/A 39-7
Carpet Win-Loss 0-0 0-0 7-3 0-0 5-0 7-1 0-0 7-1 4-0 0-0 1-0 0-0 0-0 N/A 31-5
Overall Win-Loss 0-1 0-0 9-5 29-11 40-7 37-8 38-7 56-5 36-3 39-9 21-7 12-4 35-10 N/A 352-771
Year End Ranking - - 99 20 4 6 6 1 3 7 11 95 7 N/A N/A
  • A = did not participate in the tournament
  • SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played
  • LQ = lost in the qualifying tournament
  • 1 If Fed Cup (3-0) participation is included, overall win-loss record stands at 355-77.
  • ² Won 3 matches in the 1997 qualifying tournament to reach the main draw.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Venus Williams
World No. 1
July 8, 2002–August 10, 2003
Succeeded by
Kim Clijsters
Awards
Preceded by
Venus Williams
WTA Newcomer of the Year
1998
Succeeded by
Kim Clijsters
Preceded by
Patty Schnyder
WTA Most Improved Player
1999
Succeeded by
Elena Dementieva
Preceded by
Martina Hingis &
Anna Kournikova
WTA Doubles Team of the Year
(with Venus Williams)

2000
Succeeded by
Lisa Raymond &
Rennae Stubbs
Preceded by
Jennifer Capriati
WTA Player of The Year
2002
Succeeded by
Justine Henin-Hardenne
Preceded by
Jennifer Capriati
ITF World Champion
2002
Succeeded by
Justine Henin
Preceded by
Jennifer Capriati
Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year
2002
Succeeded by
Annika Sörenstam
Preceded by
Amélie Mauresmo
WTA Comeback Player of the Year
2004
Succeeded by
Kim Clijsters
Women's Tennis Association | Top ten female tennis players as of December 17, 2007
1. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Justine Henin
6. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of Russia.svg Anna Chakvetadze
2. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of Russia.svg Svetlana Kuznetsova
7. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams
3. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of Serbia.svg Jelena Janković
8. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of the United States.svg Venus Williams
4. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of Serbia.svg Ana Ivanović
9. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of Slovakia.svg Daniela Hantuchová
 5. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of Russia.svg Maria Sharapova
10. Image:Straight Line Steady.svg Image:Flag of France.svg Marion Bartoli
bn:সেরিনা উইলিয়ামস

bg:Серина Уилямс da:Serena Williams de:Serena Williams es:Serena Williams fr:Serena Williams hi:सेरेना विलियम्स id:Serena Williams it:Serena Williams he:סרינה ויליאמס mr:सेरेना विल्यम्स nl:Serena Williams ja:セリーナ・ウィリアムズ no:Serena Williams pl:Serena Williams pt:Serena Williams ru:Уильямс, Серена simple:Serena Williams sk:Serena Williamsová sr:Серена Вилијамс fi:Serena Williams sv:Serena Williams tr:Serena Williams uk:Вільямс Серена wa:Serena Williams zh:塞雷娜·威廉姆斯

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