Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes of all time, played her final match this past weekend in the U.S. Open.  Williams won her first Grand Slam at 18 years old in 1999 and has been the spotlight for the sport ever since.  She is an inspiration to people all over the world because of her dominance on the court and because of the obstacles she faced in order to get to where she is today. 

Serena Jameka Williams was born on Sept. 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan to Richard and Oracene Williams.  She grew up as the youngest of 5—Venus is her sister, while Yetunde, Lyndrea, and Isha Price, are her half sisters.  When she was four years old, her family moved to Compton, California, where, despite the poverty and crime, Serena first picked up a racket, and the rest is history. 

Serena Williams was homeschooled by her father, so most of her time was dedicated to tennis, especially when she moved to West Palm Beach, Florida at nine years old.  There she attended Rick Macci’s Tennis Academy until 1995, when her father took her and Venus out of the academy to coach them at home.  Serena was coached by her father until her first Grand Slam in 1998. 

Serena has arguably some of the most impressive achievements in not just tennis, but of all professional sports.  Williams has won 23 grand slam titles, including six U.S. Open Championships, seven Wimbledon Championships, seven Australian Championships, and three French Open Championships.  Additionally, Serena has won four Olympic gold medals (one in singles and three in doubles with Venus) and two major mixed doubles titles, both of which were in 1998.  

“These stats on top of the person she is demonstrate why she is considered one of the greatest athletes ever time and time again,” said freshman Leo Schindler.  

In 2016, Serena became the first woman in the modern era to win 60 career matches in all four Grand Slam titles.  In 2017, she became the first tennis player to win 80 matches in three of the four major Grand Slam titles.  Serena Williams has won twelve ESPY awards including Best Female Athlete, Best Tennis Player, and Sportswoman of the Year.  She even won the Australian Open without losing a set while being 20 weeks pregnant, an unbelievable accomplishment.  As of August 2022, Serena has a total net worth of $250 million, making her the wealthiest female athlete of all time.  

Serena Williams has made a very big impact, not just on tennis, but on society as a whole.  She was one of the first black female tennis stars and she helped pave the way for other female tennis stars such as Coco Gauff.  Williams is also a founder of the Priyanka Chopra foundation for Health and Education; she donates ten percent of her earnings to the organization.  She established the Yetunde Price Nursing Scholarship with the California Community Foundation and was even appointed to be a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, an organization that helps children who live in third-world countries.  

“Serena’s career is an inspiration to everyone, not only because of what she did on the tennis court, but also because of the barriers she broke on her way to the top,” said freshman Zach Nash.

Many stars and celebrities showed up in Flushing to watch Williams play in her final Grand Slam.  She won her first match pretty easily against an unranked opponent in Kovinic.  Her next matchup was against second ranked Kontaveit, which featured a battle all the way through. As well as Kontaviet played, Serena outplayed her and won a three set thriller.  However, her time was up in her third match after she lost in a hard fought three sets to Australian Tomljanovic.  Athletes around the world commend her accomplishments and appreciate the legacy in which she has left behind.

“Even though I don’t play or watch tennis often, Serena has influenced my perseverance as an athlete and will truly be missed on the court,” said freshman Russell Schwartz.