Serena Williams is an American tennis player who revolutionized women’s tennis with her powerful style of play and who won more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other woman or man during the open era. 

She was born Sept. 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan and she grew up with six siblings. She began playing tennis when she moved to Compton, California at the young age of four. Until the age of nine, Williams was homeschooled by her father; but fortunately, she had the opportunity to enroll in Rick Macci’s tennis academy. She then attended the Isenberg School of Management, at UMass Amherst. In 1995, she turned professional when she was just 14 years old, a year after her sister Venus. 

Although her stardom grew quickly, she also dealt with many difficult struggles at the same time. She had a challenging childbirth experience and went through postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter. In addition, she had physical injuries that required two surgeries which were not easy for her to endure. Although she recently retired, she says her chances of returning are very high. Her legacy is continued because she inspired many women to work hard in order to make it big.