Jennifer Poux - Amazing Women in Sports

THE SCOOP! DEETS

BORN: September 26, 1981

SIGN: Libra

BIRTHPLACE: Saginaw, Michigan

MIDDLE NAME: Jameka

PARENTS: Oracene Price and Richard Williams

HUSBAND: Alexis Ohanian

DAUGHTER: Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. (called Olympia)

HEIGHT: 5'9"

COACHES: Parents and Patrick Mouratoglou

DIET: Vegan

There can only be one queen in any sport. In tennis, that seat indisputably belongs to Serena Williams. You can argue that she might soon be dethroned by one of the young phenoms nipping at her Nike heels. (More on them later!) But even in the throes of a Grand Slam loss, Serena still reigns supreme as the best and most famous female tennis player in the worldand the richest. She is the ultimate competitor. And shes the most glam superstar of her sport, of any sport really. Serena Williams is a role model for women who value strength, excellence, and success. (And look good doing it.) And on top of all that, now shes a role model for working moms.

What makes Serenas story unique is that, unlike most of the tennis stars who preceded her, she comes from humble beginnings. Tennis was a country club sport for the white, privileged set until the Williams family smashed that tradition. Serena and her older sister, Venus, werent born with golden rackets in their hands. They started training on public tennis courts in Compton, California. Yup. The Compton of movie and music fame.

We literally took the globe and shook it, me and Venus, because we came from Compton. We came from nothing. And in tennis you kind of have to be... you have to have something.

Serena and Venus were born in Saginaw, Michigan, to Richard Williams and Oracene Price. Richard has children from previous marriages and Oracene has three additional daughters. When Venus and Serena were little girls, their dad saw a tennis match on television and was blown away by the size of the winners check, so he decided to teach himself the game. And then he decided to teach his daughters.

Heres the SCOOP! Mr. Williams wrote a 78-page plan to teach his daughters tennis. Serious props to Dad!

When Serena was nine, the Williams family moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, where the girls could train at Rick Maccis tennis academy. But Serena and Venus didnt spend much time on the junior circuit like the other players. Their father believed they should spend more time on schoolwork. And they had witnessed some racism: He heard white parents saying nasty things about his daughters.

Turns out they didnt need to spend a lot of time on the junior circuit. When Venus was fourteen, she won her first professional match. And just three years later, she made the finals of her first US Open. With Venus suddenly getting national attention, Richard Williams told people Serena was the better player.

He was right.

Serena would eventually overshadow her big sis. When she was sixteen, she started playing professional tournaments. And by the time she was eighteen, she won the first Williams family Grand Slam title at the US Open.

Did it get weird between them once Serena became the better player and bigger star? Maybe. Theyve both admitted its awkward when they play each other. Someone has to win, and more times than not, its advantage Serena. But theyve played and won many doubles tournaments together as teammates. And Venus is always supportive of Serena, saying her first responsibility is as big sister. Serena has said, Familys first and thats what matters most. We realize that our love goes deeper than the game.

Family goals!

But that doesnt mean Serena doesnt love the game. Puh-lease! The woman is passionate about tennis, and she has twenty-three Grand Slam wins in her crown to prove it! Thats the most by any man or woman, post 1960s. She also holds the most singles, doubles, and mixed doubles tournament wins combined of any other tennis player playing today.

Serena Williams married Alexis Ohanian, one of the cofounders of Reddit, in New Orleans on November 16, 2017. Their wedding was the stuff of fantasies and fairy tales, fit for a queen. The theme: a French ball, in the style of Beauty and the Beast. (There was even a carousel brought in for the day!) And the queen herself wore a fantastic strapless princess ball gown and cape made by the couture house Alexanderwait for itMcQueen.