U.S. Olympic Athletes
Serena Williams
The Short List
- Ranked No. 1 in the world in 2002
- 2000 Olympic Games gold medalist in tennis doubles with older sister Venus
- 2002 Wimbledon Champion
- 2002 French Open Champion
- 2002 U.S. Open Champion
- 2008 Olympic Games gold medalist in tennis doubles with older sister Venus
Did You Know?
- Along with Venus, is coached and managed by their father, Richard.
- Was four and a half when she entered her first tournament. Her father claims that she then proceeded to win 46 of the next 49 tournaments she entered as a junior.
- In 1991, her father withdrew her from tournaments and sent her to Ric Macci's Florida Tennis Academy, whose past students included Jennifer Capriati and Mary Pierce.
- Along with Venus, was a guest voice on The Simpsons on February 11, 2001.
- Founded the Venus and Serena Williams Tutorial/Tennis Academy in Los Angeles for inner-city children. The Academy provides an atmosphere where all students can thrive, interact, and develop by offering tennis lessons, tutoring, seminars on how to complete
- Is enrolled at classes at the Art Institute of Florida.
- Appeared in rapper Memphis Bleek's "Do My" video featuring Jay-Z.
- Hobbies are surfing, skateboarding, watching cartoons and playing the guitar.
- Favorite author is Maya Angelou.
- Says she's allergic to peanuts and crazy people.
- Has a dog, Jackie Venus, a Jack Russell Terrier.
It's Every Day
Despite being the younger of a duo of tennis star sisters, Serena has never lived in her sister's shadow. Serena has reached her no.1 ranking by beating her sister in several Grand Slams and other tournaments in 2002. The two compete against and prevail over each other without jealousy, ill-will or resentment. In fact, after Venus lost the 2002 French Open she grabbed a camera and jumped in with the horde of photographers to capture her sister's moment. Serena, just 15-months younger, held her shimmering trophy with pride, as well as humility. "Hopefully, we can build a rivalry and we'll be able to do this a lot - Make a legacy, then retire champions.''