23 Fascinating Facts About Serena Williams

As Serena chases her record 23rd Grand Slam singles title (and 38th Grand Slam title overall, to go with four Olympic gold medals), we take a look at 23 fascinating tidbits about this iconic tennis superstar ...

Michael Craig
Created by Michael Craig
On Mar 29, 2017
1

Double-act to the Max!

Her first-ever Grand Slam titles of any kind came as the mixed doubles partner of Max Mirnyi (Wimbledon and the US Open, 1998)

2

Jameka

Serena's middle name is Jameka, which is an unusual variant of Jamaica or Jamie

3

Show me the money!!

Serena was the highest paid female athlete in the world in 2016, earning a reported $28.9 million in prize money and endorsements

4

Sisters Undefeated

Serena has won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and three Olympic gold medals with sister Venus. They've never lost a Grand Slam or Olympic doubles final.

5

Mitten State beginnings

Serena grew up among the heat of Compton and Palm Beach, but she was actually born in Saginaw, Michigan

6

The Comeback Queen!

Serena has won three Grand Slam finals after saving match point, more than any other tennis player in history

7

Age is just a number

She is the only player in tennis history to have won all four Grand Slam titles after the age of 30.

8

Taking a stand

After winning the Indian Wells tournament in 2001, Serena boycotted for 14 years because of the way she and her family were abused by the crowd

9

Put a ring on it!

Serena recently got engaged to Reddit co-founder and 'mayor of the Internet' Alexis Ohanian.

10

Getting a piece of the action

Serena is a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins NFL team, and the UFC.

11

Unprecedented longevity

Serena has won nine Grand Slam singles titles after the age of 30. No one else in history has more than three.

12

Cartooning around

Serena's first ever appearance on prime-time television was as a character in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons, entitled "Tennis the Menace".

13

Amazing strike-rate

Serena has won more than a third of the Grand Slam tournaments she has entered over her twenty-year pro career (winning 22 out of 65 Grand Slams)

14

Don't wanna be an American Idiot...

Serena is a big fan of the punk rock band Green Day, karaoke-ing their songs, wearing t-shirts, tweeting often, and meeting the band backstage

15

From on-court queen to small screen

Since her debut on The Simpsons, Serena has appeared on a wide range of TV shows, including ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the Bernie Mac Show, MADtv, Punk'd, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians

16

Amo questo

Serena says her favorite city in the world is Rome

17

Raising the bar

Serena says her favorite sport to watch, other than tennis, is gymnastics

18

One icon to another

When Serena is sweating through a tough workout, she cranks up "Fame" by David Bowie.

19

Family tragedy

Serena's oldest sister, Yetunde Price, was murdered in Los Angeles in 2003.

20

Left on the cutting room floor

Serena was due to make her feature film debut in "Black Knight" (2001), but her scenes were cut.

21

Nailing it

In 2010, Serena became a certified nail technician in preparation for the launch of her nail collection with Hair Tech.

22

The children are our future

Serena was appointed an International Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF

23

Gotta have faith

Serena is a Jehovah's Witness

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