Born in Saginaw, Michigan as the youngest of five daughters, it seemed Serena Williams was destined for greatness at the start. At the age of three, after her family moved to Compton, California, she began to play tennis alongside her sister Venus Williams.
At the age of nine, their father removed them from school and began coaching them full time, after the sisters heard racial slurs and negativity at school.
Often teamed up with her sister during competitions, they won 13 Grand Slam double titles side by side.
In 2002 and 2003, she won all four of the Grand Slam tournaments, a rare win labeled the “Serena Slam”, gaining her a reputation as a tough person as well as player.
She won her sixteenth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2016, leaving her with a tie for the most major championships won in the open era of professional tennis.