Serena Williams, (born September 26, 1981, Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.), 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.
Serena Williams
Williams grew up in Compton, California. The family included her parents—Oracene Price, a nurse, and Richard Williams, who founded a security service—and Venus Williams, her older sister. Price also had three daughters from a previous marriage. While both parents encouraged Serena and Venus Williams to play tennis, it was Richard Williams who largely taught them the sport, taking the two girls to the public courts in the area. He was known as a strict coach, and the sisters spent long hours practicing. In 1991 the family moved to Florida so that Serena and Venus Williams could attend a tennis academy. Serena Williams turned professional in 1995, one year after her older sister. Possessing powerful serves and ground strokes and superb athleticism, they soon attracted much attention. Many predicted that Venus would be the first Williams sister to win a Grand Slam Singles title, but it was Serena who accomplished the feat, winning the 1999 U.S. Open. At that tournament the sisters won the doubles event, and, over the course of their careers, the two teamed up for 14 Grand Slam doubles titles.
Serena Williams poses with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women’s Singles final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (tennis, sports)
At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Serena and Venus Williams won gold medals in the doubles event. After several years of inconsistent play, Serena Williams asserted herself in 2002 and won the French Open, Wimbledon, and the U.S. Open, defeating Venus Williams in the finals of each tournament. At the latter tournament, Serena Williams also garnered attention by wearing a catsuit. Long interested in fashion, Williams became noted for bold outfits that highlighted her strength and challenged traditional—and typically conservative—dress codes. Displaying her trademark tenacity, Williams won the Australian Open in 2003 and thus completed a career Grand Slam by having won all four of the slam’s component tournaments. Later that year she was also victorious at Wimbledon; both of her Grand Slam wins in 2003 came after she had bested her sister in the finals. In 2005 Williams won the Australian Open again. Beset by injury the following year, she rebounded in 2007 to win her third Australian Open. Serena and Venus Williams won their second doubles tennis gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Later that year Serena Williams won the U.S. Open for a third time. In 2009 she captured her 10th Grand Slam singles title by winning the Australian Open. Later that year she won her third Wimbledon singles title, once again defeating her sister. Williams defended her titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2010. She subsequently battled various health issues that kept her off the court for almost a year.
In 2012 Williams captured her fifth Wimbledon singles title. A month later at the London Olympic Games, she won a gold medal in the singles event, becoming the second woman (behind Steffi Graf) to win a career Golden Slam. She also teamed with her sister to win the doubles event. Later that year Williams claimed her 15th Grand Slam singles title with a victory at the U.S. Open. In 2013 she won her second French Open singles championship and fifth U.S. Open singles title. Williams successfully defended her U.S. Open championship in 2014, which gave her 18 career Grand Slam titles, tying her with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova for the second highest women’s singles total of the open era. The following year she captured her sixth Australian Open. Williams then won the 2015 French Open—her 20th total Grand Slam singles championship. She continued her torrid streak at Wimbledon, winning a straight-set final to capture her sixth career Wimbledon singles title. Williams again won Wimbledon in 2016, giving her 22 career Grand Slam singles titles, which tied her with Graf for the most Slams in the open era for both women and men. Williams broke Graf’s record at the 2017 Australian Open, where she defeated her sister in the final.
Serena Williams and her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr.
Serena Williams and her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr.
Williams’s activities outside of tennis include ventures relating to fashion, beauty, and accessories. Her autobiography, On the Line (written with Daniel Paisner), was published in 2009.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.
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Martina Hingis
Swiss tennis player
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Martina Hingis
Martina Hingis
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Born:
September 30, 1980 (age 42) Košice Czechoslovakia
Awards And Honors:
French Open (1999) Wimbledon Championships (1999) French Open (1997) Wimbledon Championships (1997) U.S. Open (1997) Australian Open (1997)
Martina Hingis, (born September 30, 1980, Košice, Czechoslovakia [now in Slovakia]), Swiss professional tennis player who became the youngest person in the “open” era to win a Grand Slam singles title and the youngest to be ranked world number one. In her relatively short, injury-plagued career, she won five Grand Slam singles titles—the Australian Open (1997, 1998, 1999), Wimbledon (1997), and the United States Open (1997).
Hingis, who was named for the legendary tennis player Martina Navratilova, was introduced to sports by her mother, Melanie Molitor, a former top tennis player in Czechoslovakia, and her father, Karol Hingis, a tennis coach. The younger Hingis could ski and play tennis at three, and she began entering tennis tournaments at five. Following her parents’ divorce, she moved with her mother to Trübbach, Switzerland, at seven. Molitor then began coaching her daughter in tennis intensively, and Hingis improved rapidly. At 12 she became the youngest-ever Grand Slam junior titlist when she won the 1993 junior French Open. In 1994 Hingis won in France again and then became the youngest junior Wimbledon champion weeks later.
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In October 1994, shortly after her 14th birthday, Hingis turned professional. Three months later she became the youngest player to win a match at a Grand Slam event when she advanced to the second round of the 1995 Australian Open. Partnered with Helena Sukova, Hingis became the youngest player ever to win at Wimbledon when the pair took the doubles title in 1996. Hingis’s decision to turn pro at such a young age, however, was controversial. Soon after her pro debut, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) instituted new rules that prohibited 14-year-olds from regular tour events and limited the number of tournaments in which 15–17-year-olds could compete.
Awards And Honors:
French Open (1999) Wimbledon Championships (1999) French Open (1997) Wimbledon Championships (1997) U.S. Open (1997) Australian Open (1997)
Martina Hingis, (born September 30, 1980, Košice, Czechoslovakia [now in Slovakia]), Swiss professional tennis player who became the youngest person in the “open” era to win a Grand Slam singles title and the youngest to be ranked world number one. In her relatively short, injury-plagued career, she won five Grand Slam singles titles—the Australian Open (1997, 1998, 1999), Wimbledon (1997), and the United States Open (1997).
Hingis, who was named for the legendary tennis player Martina Navratilova, was introduced to sports by her mother, Melanie Molitor, a former top tennis player in Czechoslovakia, and her father, Karol Hingis, a tennis coach. The younger Hingis could ski and play tennis at three, and she began entering tennis tournaments at five. Following her parents’ divorce, she moved with her mother to Trübbach, Switzerland, at seven. Molitor then began coaching her daughter in tennis intensively, and Hingis improved rapidly. At 12 she became the youngest-ever Grand Slam junior titlist when she won the 1993 junior French Open. In 1994 Hingis won in France again and then became the youngest junior Wimbledon champion weeks later.
Green Tennis Ball on a tennis court
Britannica Quiz
Game, Set, Tennis! Quiz
In October 1994, shortly after her 14th birthday, Hingis turned professional. Three months later she became the youngest player to win a match at a Grand Slam event when she advanced to the second round of the 1995 Australian Open. Partnered with Helena Sukova, Hingis became the youngest player ever to win at Wimbledon when the pair took the doubles title in 1996. Hingis’s decision to turn pro at such a young age, however, was controversial. Soon after her pro debut, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) instituted new rules that prohibited 14-year-olds from regular tour events and limited the number of tournaments in which 15–17-year-olds could compete.
Although she denied having taken the drug, she received a two-year ban. Her career totals included 43 singles titles and 10 Grand Slam doubles titles (women’s and mixed doubles). In addition, she had been ranked number one for 209 nonconsecutive weeks. Hingis subsequently competed in seniors events.
In 2013 Hingis was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Later that year she returned to the WTA, playing doubles events. She won an additional 10 Grand Slam doubles titles before retiring for a third time in 2017.
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