1. She Won a Grand Slam Before Venus
Because Venus was older and turned professional first, the media largely expected her to be the first Williams sister to win a major singles championship. However, Serena shocked the tennis world in 1999 when, at just 17 years old, she powered through the US Open draw and defeated Martina Hingis in the final. She became the first Williams sister to capture a Grand Slam singles title.
2. She Won the Australian Open While Pregnant
In 2017, Serena achieved one of the most astonishing physical feats in sports history. She competed in and won the Australian Open singles tournament without dropping a single set throughout the entire two-week event. It was only revealed later that she was eight weeks pregnant with her daughter, Alexis Olympia, during the grueling competition in the intense Melbourne heat.
3. She Is a Certified Nail Technician
Even while she was rising through the ranks of professional tennis, Serena wanted to ensure she had creative outlets and backup plans. Known for wearing elaborate and customized acrylic nails on the court, she actually took a 240-hour course in the early 2000s and became a legally certified nail technician in the state of Florida.
4. She Is a Secret Cartoon Voice Actor
Serena is an enormous fan of animation and cartoons, to the point where she actively sought out roles in some of her favorite shows. She provided the voice for a character named Ming in the hit animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and returned to voice a different character in the sequel series, The Legend of Korra.
5. The “Serena Slam” Happened Twice
Winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in a single calendar year is known as a Calendar Slam, but holding all four titles at the same time across two different years was dubbed the “Serena Slam.” Astonishingly, she achieved this impossibly rare feat twice in her career. She first held all four major titles simultaneously in 2002–2003, and then remarkably did it all over again in 2014–2015.
6. She Boycotted Indian Wells for 14 Years
In 2001, Serena won the Indian Wells tournament in California but was subjected to a barrage of racial slurs and aggressive booing from the crowd throughout the final match. Deeply hurt by the overt racism, she and Venus boycotted the massive, mandatory tournament for 14 straight years, sacrificing millions of dollars and ranking points to stand their ground until Serena finally returned in 2015.
7. She Co-Owns an NFL Franchise
In 2009, Serena and Venus Williams expanded their sports legacy far beyond tennis. They purchased a minority stake in the Miami Dolphins, making history as the very first African American women to hold an ownership stake in a National Football League franchise.
8. She Saved Her Own Life After Childbirth
Following the emergency C-section delivery of her daughter in 2017, Serena experienced sudden shortness of breath. Having a history of blood clots, she immediately recognized the symptoms of a pulmonary embolism. When the medical staff initially dismissed her concerns and refused her a CT scan, she aggressively advocated for herself, demanding the scan and blood thinners that ultimately saved her life.
9. She Sparked a Rebellion via Tutu
At the 2018 French Open, Serena wore a specialized, full-body “catsuit” designed to prevent blood clots following her life-threatening pregnancy complications. The French Tennis Federation controversially banned the outfit, claiming it did not respect the game. In a brilliant, highly publicized act of defiance, Serena showed up to her next major tournament, the US Open, wearing a custom-designed, aerodynamic ballet tutu.
10. She Speaks Fluent French
When she first started dominating the French Open, Serena realized she wanted to be able to connect directly with the Parisian fans on their own terms. She dedicated herself to learning the language and eventually became completely fluent, regularly conducting her post-match interviews at Roland Garros entirely in French, which endeared her massively to the local crowds.
11. She Studied Fashion Design
Serena’s love for fashion goes much deeper than on-court style. During her early twenties, while already an established tennis superstar, she enrolled at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale to formally study fashion design. She used this education to launch her own independent, highly successful clothing line, S by Serena, which focuses on empowering and dressing diverse body types.
12. She Built a Venture Capital Empire
Realizing that less than 2% of venture capital money goes to women and minority founders, Serena decided to change the financial landscape herself. She quietly founded Serena Ventures in 2014. Her firm has since invested in over 60 companies, with a massive percentage of her portfolio strictly dedicated to funding businesses founded by women and people of color.
13. An Undefeated Olympic Doubles Record
While she holds a gold medal in women’s singles, her doubles record at the Olympics with her sister Venus is statistically flawless. The pair have entered the Olympic Women’s Doubles tournament three times together (2000, 2008, and 2012). They have never lost a single Olympic match as a team, taking home three gold medals and cementing themselves as the greatest doubles team in Olympic history.
14. She Started on Pothole-Filled Public Courts
Before she was playing on the pristine lawns of Wimbledon, Serena learned the game in the tough neighborhood of Compton, California. Her father, Richard Williams, famously taught his daughters to play on unkempt, cracked public courts littered with broken glass. He deliberately used this rough environment to forge his daughters’ mental toughness and resilience.
15. The Open Era Grand Slam Record
Serena Williams holds the ultimate record in modern tennis history. By winning the 2017 Australian Open, she captured her 23rd Grand Slam singles title. This victory officially pushed her past Steffi Graf’s record of 22, making Serena the undisputed record holder for the most major singles titles won by any man or woman in the Open Era of tennis.
