10 Stats That Prove Serena Williams is the GOAT
As Serena Williams eyes retirement, here are 10 stats that prove she's the best to ever do it. Stream the U.S. Open beginning Aug. 29.
Serena Williams isn’t the Michael Jordan of tennis. Michael Jordan is the Serena Williams of basketball.
With this week’s announcement that Serena is “evolving away from tennis,” it’s a good time to reflect on the career of arguably the most dominant athlete of the 21st century. Although she hasn’t matched Margaret Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles (which Court claimed before the “open era” began in 1968), Serena has been the dominant force in women’s tennis since winning her first major in 1999.
That victory came in the U.S. Open, which Serena plans to play in when it gets underway on August 29. With complete coverage on the ESPN family of networks, Sling TV will carry all of her matches. After dealing with an injury that kept her off the court for almost a year, Williams was forced to withdraw in the first round at Wimbledon, and while Serena admits that doesn’t “know if I’ll be ready to win in New York,” she says “I’m going to try.” A record-tying 24th grand slam title would be an incredible way to cap her career, but as the 10 stats below illustrate, her legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all-time – male or female – is already secure.
Check out 10 of the craziest stats from Serena’s iconic career below, and use the link at the bottom of this page to subscribe to Sling Orange with ESPN to watch all of the U.S. Open action from August 29 to Sept. 11.
- With $94,588,910 in career prize money, Serena has more than twice the career earnings of the second-ranked female tennis player (her sister Venus Williams, who has made $42,285,378).
- Serena isn’t just the highest earning female tennis player; she’s the highest earning female athlete period. In 2017, she was the only woman to appear on Forbes’ list of the Top 100 highest-paid athletes.
- Serena has 39 total grand slam titles, the most among all active players, male or female. These include 23 in singles titles, 14 in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles.
- Serena wasn’t dominant for just a short period. According to Eurosport, Williams holds the record for the longest time between first reaching No. 1 in the world and the last time she held that position: 14 years, 10 months, and six days (July 8, 2002 to May 14, 2017).
- She has also won a record 10 grand slam titles since turning 30, so her success wasn’t just front loaded either.
- On top down under: Her 7 Australian Open titles are the most in the Open era. During her 2017 victory, she won the title without losing a set (in fact, six of her grand slam wins came without losing a set, another record).
- Speaking of crushing her opponents, at the 2012 Olympics in London, Serena lost the fewest games (17) in history en route to winning a gold medal. In fact, she never lost more than 3 games in any set.
- Surefire on any surface: Williams is the only woman to have tallied more than 65 wins at all four majors, and she won four straight grand slams twice in her career (2002-03 and 2014-15).
- Serena is the only tennis player ever to have won three of the four majors (US Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon) six or more times.
- Her career record stands at 855-153 (84.82 winning percentage). Amazingly, her record at high-pressure majors is even better: 365-54, a winning percentage of 87.11 percent.
More FAQs About Serena
What is Serena Williams' Net Worth?
According to Sportico, Serena has made $450 million in career earnings. That includes more than $350 million in endorsements and $94.6 million in prize money.
How Old is Serena Williams?
Born on Sept. 26, 1981, Serena is 40-years-old.
Who is Serena Williams' Husband?
Serena Williams is married to the tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit. They were married in New Orleans on Novemeber 16, 2017 and share a daughter, Alexis "Olympia" Ohanian Jr., who was born on Sept. 1, 2017.
Are Venus Williams and Serena Williams related?
Yes, Serena is the younger sister of Venus Williams, who was born on June 17, 1980.