The 21st century
United States · born Saginaw, Michigan, 1981 · seven times Wimbledon singles champion · Olympic champion on grass, 2012
All playersBack to the rankings
7
Wimbledon singles titles, 2002 to 2016
11
Wimbledon singles finals, 2002 to 2019
98-15
Wimbledon singles match record, 1998 to 2026
6
Wimbledon doubles titles with Venus Williams
102
Aces at Wimbledon 2012, a tournament record
Born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1981, Williams grew up in Compton, California, coached with her sister Venus by their parents. She turned professional in 1995 and won her first major singles title at the 1999 US Open. She went on to win 23 major singles titles, the most of the Open Era, and 14 major doubles titles with Venus, who never lost a major doubles final alongside her. She held the No. 1 ranking for 319 weeks and won four Olympic gold medals. From the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open she won four majors in a row, each final against Venus. She stepped away after the 2022 US Open, then returned in June 2026, playing doubles at Queen's and Berlin and a singles wild card at Wimbledon, where she lost in the first round.
| Major singles titles | 7: Wimbledon (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016) |
|---|---|
| Major singles finals lost | 4: Wimbledon 2004, Wimbledon 2008, Wimbledon 2018, Wimbledon 2019 |
| Major doubles titles | 6 doubles (Wimbledon 6), 1 mixed (Wimbledon 1) |
| Wimbledon doubles | 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016, all with Venus Williams |
| Wimbledon mixed | 1998 with Max Mirnyi |
| Olympic gold on grass | 2012 London Games at the All England Club: singles, beating Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 in the final, and doubles with Venus Williams |
| Finals to remember | 2002: beat Venus Williams 7-6, 6-3 for her first Wimbledon title. 2012: beat Agnieszka Radwańska 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. 2016: beat Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 for her 22nd major singles title |
| Wimbledon 2026 | Singles wild card at 44; lost to Maya Joint 3-6, 7-6, 3-6 in the first round |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Mixed doubles | with Max Mirnyi |
| 2000 | Women's doubles | with Venus Williams |
| 2002 | Women's doubles | with Venus Williams |
| 2002 | Women's singles | |
| 2003 | Women's singles | |
| 2008 | Women's doubles | with Venus Williams |
| 2009 | Women's doubles | with Venus Williams |
| 2009 | Women's singles | |
| 2010 | Women's singles | |
| 2012 | Women's doubles | with Venus Williams |
| 2012 | Women's singles | |
| 2015 | Women's singles | |
| 2016 | Women's doubles | with Venus Williams |
| 2016 | Women's singles | |
| Olympic Games | ||
| 2012 | Women's doubles | with Venus Williams |
| 2012 | Women's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
"It all starts with Venus and Serena. The demonstration effect. The power of seeing two African-American girls with braids in the finals of the biggest tournaments in the world in a predominantly white sport."
The person behind the player.
Wimbledon 1998
On her first visit as a 16-year-old she strained a calf muscle and withdrew from a singles match two games in. She stayed on in the mixed doubles with Max Mirnyi, and the pair won the title, beating Mahesh Bhupathi and Mirjana Lučić 6-4, 6-4. They won the US Open mixed together later that summer.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 2002
She won her first Wimbledon singles title by beating Venus 7-6, 6-3 in the final. It was the second of four major finals in a row between the sisters, from the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open, the first time in the Open Era two players had met in four consecutive major singles finals. Serena won all four.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 2004
Two-time defending champion, she lost the final 6-1, 6-4 to Maria Sharapova, and lost to her again at the season-ending championships. It was the start of their rivalry and almost the end of Sharapova's wins in it: Williams won every match between them after that, including the 2012 Olympic final, 6-0, 6-1.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 2018
Ranked 181 after a year away to have her first child, she was seeded 25, a decision that drew criticism. She reached the final and lost to Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-3, then told the crowd: "To all the moms out there, I was playing out there for you today and I tried." Her version for her daughter, she joked, would probably change the ending.
Source: CNNBerlin 2026
Back on tour nearly four years after stepping away, she lost in the first round of the Berlin doubles with Karolína Muchová, then said she felt more nimble and quicker on grass. Told that a Wimbledon singles wild card was still available, she replied, "Oh my gosh, there are some left?" She received one.
Source: WikipediaWimbledon 2026
In her first Grand Slam singles match since 2022 she met Maya Joint, a 20-year-old Australian who had lost her previous 11 matches. Williams saved a match point at 5-6 in the second set and took it on a tiebreak, then faded and lost 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 in 2 hours 22 minutes. A knee injury kept her out of the doubles with Venus.
Source: WikipediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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