Essay Sample about Serena Willams: A Brief Biography

Serena Jameka Williams, arguably the most famous and best female tennis player in the world, holds 23 Grand Slam titles, 4 Olympic gold medals, and has been ranked number one by the Women’s Tennis Association. While this is what most fans see of her life, Williams had many rough bumps and setbacks throughout her journey. Having grown up in crime-plagued areas, Williams was exposed to the ugly truths of life from a young age. On the contrary, Williams had a very supportive family, especially her father, who was a constant encouragement to Williams and never gave up on her even when she failed. Not to mention her sister, Venus Williams, who is both her sister’s doubles partner and singles rival. Serena Williams’ life and career were impacted by several factors such as her racial background, childhood, family, and gender.

The world’s most famous female tennis star, Serena Williams, was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan. Williams’ father, Richard Williams, had dreamed of raising his children to be tennis pros, so he learned the game to teach it to them. Serena Williams was introduced to tennis at the age of four by her father. Both Serena and Venus Williams were homeschooled from kindergarten to eighth grade, then attended Driftwood Academy, a private high school in Florida. The sisters were coached by their father on run-down courts to be reminded of where they came from. Their father specifically chose this setting to train the sisters so they would not take advantage of being homeschooled. “When the girls played on the courts in Compton, he paid the neighborhood kids to stand at the fence and shout obscenities and racial insults at them” (Edmondson 64). Williams knew that his daughters would face discrimination from society, so he wanted to prepare them for reality from a young age. Meanwhile, Rick Macci, a professional tennis coach, heard about the young Williams’ sisters playing very well in little leagues, so he came over to see them. After realizing their potential, Macci invited the sisters to his tennis academy for more training. A few years later, disagreements occurred between the sisters’ father and Macci over coaching methods. Soon, the sisters left the academy and their parents took over coaching duties. It would not be long before the sisters become world-famous pros, just as their father had dreamed them to be. Serena Williams’ early life and childhood played a major role in shaping her career and influences on society.

work weekSerena Williams was a rising young tennis player at the age of fourteen and made her professional debut at Bell Challenge in Canada, but in less than half an hour, Williams had lost to a virtually unknown opponent. “This did not keep her father from boasting that both Venus and Serena were eventually going to be number one-ranked stars” (“Serena Williams” Newsmakers). This shows Williams’ high hopes and perseverance towards his daughters. As a teenager, Williams had won her first singles championship at the finals of the Open Gaz de France in Paris, defeating Amelie Mauresmo. Williams has a long legacy of teaming up with and versing her sister, Venus Williams. Almost always, they were in neck-to-neck competition in the rankings. In 2002, Serena Williams defeated her sister at the French Open finals. Even after this major win, Williams was ranked as #6 with Venus still at #1. The sisters also make a powerful doubles team. They won the women’s doubles together at Wimbledon as well as the doubles gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Proceeding even further, the duo won another gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The sisters are the first African American doubles team to become champions at the US Open. Serena Williams herself has several accolades from various occasions throughout the years. She won her first Australian Open in 2003 and completed a Career Slam, where she won all four Grand Slams consecutively, but not in the same calendar year. Winning her twenty-third and most recent Grand Slam has made her the holder of the highest number of Grand Slam singles titles. She is also the second woman to win a Career Golden Slam, which is when an athlete wins all four Grand Slam titles along with an Olympic gold medal. Williams’ career journey has stunned many and earned countless admirers and fans.

work weekIn 2018, after giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Ohanian Olympia Jr., Williams resumed tennis, starting with the French Open. She wore a catsuit since she had experienced life-threatening pulmonary blood clots during her delivery. “The form-fitting garment drew applause from her fans, but a few months after the catsuit debuted, officials at the French Open announced such garments would no longer be permitted and a dress code was being developed” (“Serena Williams” Gale in Context). While Williams was scrutinized just for her outfit at the US and French Open, she was also subjected to racism and sexism along with her sister in earlier years. In 2001, the Williams sisters were subjected to racial slurs and boos at the Indian Wells tournament. They were described as masculine and referred to as Amazons by fellow tennis players. As a result, the Williams sisters decided to boycott the event for fourteen years continuously. During the 2009 US Open, Serena Williams was accused by the umpire of cheating from her coach’s hand signals from the stands. Williams strongly denied any cheating and expressed that the umpire was attacking her character. When she unreasonably lost that set of the match due to the umpire’s inaccurate calls, Williams smashed her racquet and was forced to pay a fine afterward for her outrageous behavior. While one may assume that Serena Williams’ career consisted only of tennis, Williams also authored and published a few biographies and an autobiography. In 2009, Williams published her autobiography, Queen of the Court, along with her biography, On the Line, written by Daniel Paisner in the same year. These books quickly became popular and sold several copies across the world. Williams was also a part of quite a few movies, with the latest being King Richard. Clearly, Serena Williams has impacted society in several ways; both positively and negatively.

work weekAs the world knows it, Serena Williams is one of the most reputable tennis players in history. Remarkably, she holds the highest number of Grand Slam titles as well as the most Olympic gold medals by any tennis player. Williams has been ranked number one by the WTA on several occasions and managed to maintain that rank for several weeks. It all started from the dreams of her father, Richard Williams, and just as he had promised, he made his daughters the aces of the courts. Even when the sisters were attacked with harsh racism and sexism, they kept their spirits high. That persistence, courage, and determination are what make them role models today. Although tennis is the first and only thing that comes to mind when thinking about Serena Williams, the driving force behind that is her early life, childhood experiences, and societal influences. One comes to know the real secret behind Williams’ spirit from her quote "I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall." After all, that is exactly what makes her a champion in the eyes of the world.

Works Cited

Biography.com Editors, editor. "Serena Williams Biography." The Biography.com Website, A&E Television Networks, 2 Apr. 2014, www.biography.com/athlete/serena-williams. Accessed 1 Dec. 2021.

Christopher, Matt. Legends in Sports: Serena Williams. New York City, Little, Brown and Company, 2017.

Edmondson, Jacqueline. Venus and Serena Williams. Westport, Greenwood Press, 2005.

"Serena Williams." Gale in Context Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Gale in Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/ZKRGOS390049835/SUIC?u=norr32240&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=b4a2e1ae. Accessed 30 Nov. 2021.

"Serena Williams." Newsmakers, Gale, 1999. Gale in Context: High School, link.gale.com/apps/doc/K1618002856/SUIC?u=norr32240&sid=bookmark-SUIC&xid=4b092625. Accessed 30 Nov. 2021.