Serena Williams
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Biography
Serena Williams is an American professional women's tennis player. She has won seven Grand Slam singles titles and was the World No. 1 in 2002. She is also famous as the younger sister of Venus Williams.
Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw Michigan to her parents, Richard and Oracene Williams. She grew up in a rough neighborhood in Los Angeles. Her father encouraged Serena to take up tennis hoping that stardom in the sport will get them out of the rough neighborhood. When Serena was just four and a half years old, she won her first tournament. By the time she was 10, she won 46 out of 49 matches.
In 1993, Serena started attending Rick Macci's Tennis Academy in Florida. Her family also shifted to Florida with her. In 1995, when she was 14, she turned professional. In her first major tournament at the 1995 Bell Challenge in Quebec, she lost within an hour in the first round.
However, Serena did not lose heart. It was almost two years before people started noticing her talent when she beat No. 7 Mary Pierce in the second round and No. 4 Monica Seles in the quarterfinals, at a 1997 Ameritech-sponsored tournament in Chicago. She ended that year at No.99.
In 1998, Serena finished in the WTA top 20. In her first Grand Slam singles event at the Australian Open that year, she lost in the second round to her sister, Venus. That year, pairing with Max Mirnyi, she won the mixed doubles events at Wimbledon and the US Open.
However, Serena bounced back the next year to win the US Open. She not only beat her sister Venus to it but also became the first African American woman to win a Grand Slam singles tournament since Althea Gibson in 1958. To top this, she paired with her sister Venus to win the doubles title the next day.
In 2000, Serena and Venus won the doubles gold medal at the Sydney Olympics.
In 2002, Serena won the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. She had to defeat her sister Venus in all the three finals. She was ranked number one that year.
In 2003, Serena won her fourth straight Grand Slam title at the Australian Open again defeating Venus in the finals. At the Wimbledon also, she defeated her sister to win her sixth Grand Slam title.
In 2004, Serena faced a severe knee injury and didn't win any title. However, in 2005, she silenced her critics when she won the Australian Open.
Serena has also ventured into acting. In 2001, she was seen on an episode of The Simpsons. She has also appeared in rapper Memphis Bleek's video Do My featuring Jay-Z.
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