Serena Jameka Williams
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981)is an American professional tennis player currently holding the world No. 22 ranking. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked her world No. 1 in singles on eight separate occasions over the last 15 years from 2002 to 2017.
World No. 1
Serena became the world No. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002. On the sixth occasion, she held the ranking for 186 consecutive weeks, tying the record set by Steffi Graf for the most consecutive weeks as world No. 1 by a female tennis player.
In total, she has been world No. 1 for 319 weeks, which ranks her third in the Open Eraamong female tennis players behind Graf and Martina Navratilova. Some commentators, players and sports writers regard her as the greatest female tennis player of all time.
Australian Open
On January 28, 2017, Williams won the Australian Open for an Open Era record seventh time, defeating her sister, Venus. This was her 23rd Grand Slam singles title, surpassing Steffi Graf’s Open Era record of 22.
It was the first time in the Open Era that two players aged 35 or older competed in the final of a Grand Slam tournament. The win ensured her return to the No. 1 ranking. Williams subsequently withdrew from the Indian Wells and Miami Opens, citing a knee injury.
However, on April 19, 2017, she revealed that she was 20 weeks pregnant and would miss the remainder of the season.The timing means that she would have been roughly eight-weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open. In interviews, she maintained that she intended to return to tennis after her pregnancy, including setting the “outrageous plan” of competing in the 2018 Australian Open.
Engagement
Williams announced her engagement to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian on December 29, 2016. On April 19, 2017, Williams posted a sideways picture of herself on Snapchat focused on her mid-section. It had the caption “20 weeks”, sparking speculation that Williams was pregnant. Later that evening, her spokesperson confirmed that the couple was expecting. The fact that she was 20 weeks pregnant when announcing her pregnancy meant that she was 8 weeks pregnant when she won the Australian Open in January.
Williams gave birth to a girl
On September 1, 2017, Williams gave birth to a girl named Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. Despite being absent from the game, she ended the season ranked world No. 22.
Williams and Ohanian were married
She plans to move to San Francisco with Ohanian after the wedding. Williams and Ohanian were married on November 16, 2017 in New Orleans. Guests at the wedding included Beyoncé, Anna Wintour and Kim Kardashian West.
Serena Williams is returning to tournament
Serena Williams is returning to tournament play for the first time since the birth of her first child.
Williams will first be back for competitive tennis at the Fed Cup in February, when she’ll play for the United States as it opens defense of its Fed Cup crown against the Netherlands in Asheville, North Carolina, on Feb. 10-11.
