Serena Williams Biography: Family, Career, Sister, Retirement & Age

Serena Williams is American former tennis player. She came into limelight after she upsetted world number 7 and 4 at the 1995 competition in Quebec. Serena Williams set this receid despite being ranked number 304 in the world. Little did she know that she would break and set new records in her professional career before retirement.

Well, Serena Williams didn’t have a final farewell she would wish for. As she ended her career in tennis by being stunned by Ajla Tomljanović. Despite the disappointment, Oprah Winfrey gave a performance to remember after her show.

In this article, you will be reading a detailed information about Serena Williams. Also, details about Serena Williams childhood, career, age, education would also be covered. Let’s get started already.

Profile Breakdown

Full Name: Serena Jameka Williams
Date Of Birth: September 26, 1981.
Age: 44.
Nationality: American.

Serena Williams Family

Serena Williams parents are Oracene Price and Richard Williams. She has four other sisters with the notable sister being Venus Williams. Venus Williams happens to be an American former tennis player.

Serena Williams Childhood

Serena Jameka Williams was born on the 26th of September, 1981. She was born in Saginaw, Michigan in the United States. However, while still a child her family relocated to Compton, United States. It was in that city that she started to play tennis.

Serena Williams and her sister, Venus Williams developed love for tennis at a young age. Subsequently, their father and mother, began to coach them. It was later that a man also named after there dad, Richard Williams developed faith in them.

Serena Williams Education

Serena Williams attended the prestigious Driftwood Academy. Later, he love for fashion made her to attend the fashion studies at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

Serena Williams Career

Serena Williams professional career began in 1995 when she gained entry into the Bell Challenge in Quebec through a wildcard spot. However, she got knocked out by 18-year old American teenager, Annie Miller. In 1997, Serena Williams the participated at the Ameritech Cup after securing first main-draaw match. Despite being ranked No.304 before that competition, Serena Williams knocked out No.7 Mary Pierce and No. 4 Monica Seles.

This career win became Serena Williams first win over top top 10 players and becoming the lowest ranked player to defeat two top 10 opponent in the course of the tournament. However, her journey was cut short in the semi finals when she lost to No. 5 Lindsay Davenport. Eventually, they year ended and Serena Williams was ranked No. 99 in the world.

In 1999, Serena Williams recorded her first professional title when she defeated Amelie Mauresmo in France. Later, in California, Serena Williams won her first WTA 1000 by defeating Stefgi Graf at the final. In these competitions, Serena Williams recorded an impressive winning streak while on course to win the titles. Her winning streak was eventually cut short at the Miami Masters even she encountered her sister at the final. This event marked a record of the first all sister final in WTA history.

The year came to an end after Serena Williams alongside her sister participated as teammates to win the French Open doubles event. The following year, Serena Williams was unable to defend her French Open title due to injury. She eventually recovered but lost to Venus Williams at the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships. The Sydney Olympics was her time to regain her form as she and her sister combined in the doubles event of the competition to win the gold medal.

After several injuries and comebacks, Serena Williams came back to the court in 2008. She began her campaign by winning the Hopman Cup alongside Mardy Fish. She then competed at the Australian Open but lost in the quarterfinals of the singles tournament. Serena Williams then came back with highly motivated and won the next three titles that she completed in.

The titles also included her first clay cup title at the Family Circle Cup which was her first clay cup since 2002. However, her hopes were shattered in Berlin when she was defeated by Dinara Safina. This defeat makes the end of her 17-game winning streaks.

Fast-forward to 2016, Serena Williams was on course to equal and break Graf record. Serena Williams recorded the second longest streak in WTA history by ranking No. 1 on the chart. However, series of defeat in that year denied Serena Williams the Miami Open, French Open, and Wimbledon Open.

Serena Williams announced in December 2021 that she would be missing the Australian Open in 2022 because of a leg injury. In June 2022, she finally returned to the court, this time at the Eastbourne International alongside Ons Jabeur. After Jabeur suffered an injury, the pair was able to secure two wins before pulling out of the competition. Later that summer, Serena participated in Wimbledon’s singles tournament but lost to Harmony Tan, ranked 113th in the world, in the opening round. Serena’s world ranking at the end of the year was No. 320.

Serena Williams Retirement

Serena Williams announced her intention to retire from professional tennis after the 2022 U.S. Open. She stated that she wanted to concentrate on expanding her venture capital business and spending more time with her family. As a result, Serena Williams defeated Danka Kovinić of Montenegro to start her singles campaign at the U.S. Open. After the game, Serena participated in an on-court interview with Gayle King, and the audience was treated to an emotional tribute video hosted by Oprah Winfrey.

Serena Williams Age

Serena Williams is 43 years old as of 2025. She was born on the 26th of September, 1981.

Is Serena Williams still alive?

Serena Williams is still alive. She recently made an appearance at the U.S Superbowl 2025. On stage with Kendrick Lamar, she was recorded dancing to his hit song, “Not Like Us”. So, this evidence prove that Serena Williams is very alive and hearty.