Sports

Serena Williams

Coached by her father on public courts in Compton; won 23 Grand Slam singles titles.

Born: 1981 · Saginaw, Michigan, US (raised in Compton, California)
Roots: Black American
Family: Working class; Father ran a small security firm and coached his daughters himself, learning tennis from books and videos.
Education: Home-schooled during junior tennis; later studied fashion design
Started with: Public courts; Trained by her father on Compton's public courts.
Affiliations & societies: Jehovah's WitnessesDocumented; Raised in the faith and has described herself as a practicing member.; Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1984 · age 3
Starts tennis
Her father begins coaching her and her sister Venus on Compton's public courts.
1991 · age 9
Moves to Florida
The family relocates so the sisters can train at Rick Macci's academy.
1995 · age 14
Turns professional
1999 · age 17
First Grand Slam title$750K
Wins the US Open.
2003 · age 21
“Serena Slam”
Holds all four major titles at once; ranked world No. 1.
2017 · age 35
23rd Grand Slam title
Wins the Australian Open while pregnant.
2022 · age 40
Retires; Serena Ventures$111M fund
Her venture fund closes at $111M.

Sources

Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.