Serena Williams: Net Worth 2024, Family, and Career
Serena Williams’ Net Worth in 2024
Serena Jameka Williams’ role in revolutionizing tennis has cemented her place as a legend of the sport and as one of the richest athletes in the world. The younger Williams’ sister retired with $450 million in career earnings, which includes her on-court prize money of $94.8 million. It is the most by any women’s tennis player.
Besides her career prize money, Serena has earned over $350 million through her off-court endorsements. In 2023, the former world No. 1 player had racked up a net worth of $260 million, seeing a rise of 20 million in her net worth of $240 million in 2022. However, as of 2024, Forbes records a remarkable 30 million rise in Serena Williams’ net worth, making her one of the wealthiest women with a net worth of $290 million.
USA Today via Reuters
After leading the court for 27 years and making an unforgettable mark on women’s tennis, Serena Williams is now en route to conquer the business world. Williams’ venture capital fund, Serena Ventures, has invested in and supports multiple upcoming and innovative firms, approximately 60. Some of those ventures are futuristic, like Tonal, which combines fitness at home with AI. On the other hand, her venture has also invested in firms like Zigazoo that aim at making social media safe and fun for children in the technologically advancing world.
Serena Williams’ early life and family background
The 23-time Grand Slam champion hails from a humble background. Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, USA to Oracene Price and Richard Williams. However, the foundation of her aggressive tennis background was laid on the courts of Compton, California, with her sister Venus Williams. In addition to the support of Serena Williams’ parents and sister, she also had the unconditional support of her other siblings, Lyndrea Price, Isha Price, and the late Yetunde Price.
A glimpse of their childhood was shared in the Oscar-nominated movie King Richard. Serena Williams’ father and mother were her first coaches. Richard took her to public courts in Compton to play tennis at a very young age, 5 years old. Serena’s homeschooling gave her leverage, allowing her to spend more hours on the court. After dominating the courts locally, the Williams sisters moved to Florida to train under the aegis of Rick Macci at his academy.
Richard and Oracene wanted Venus and Serena to focus on school and enjoy their childhood. Hence, Serena and Venus did not participate in any major junior tournaments for a subsequent period. Despite skipping junior tournaments, like her younger sister, Venus Williams also has enjoyed an illustrious tennis career. She has won 7 Grand Slam titles, with five of those coming at Wimbledon.
Serena Williams’ connection with her sister, Venus Williams
Serena and her sister, Venus Williams, have an inspiring bond. Venus, her elder sister and the 7 time Grand Slam champion, paved the way for Serena in the sport. Serena describes it the best when she says in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, “There would be no Serena if there was no Venus.” Not only did their bond win them 14 major grand slam doubles titles together and overall 22 doubles titles, but it also prepped and boosted them to face life’s challenges.
via Getty
Although life on the court had been generous for the sisters, off the court, it has been another story. The sisters saw the passing away of their half-sister, Yetunde Price, in 2003. In 2011, Venus was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder, Sjogren’s syndrome. Not only that, but Serena also went through a health crisis with pulmonary embolism, clotting of arteries that carry blood to the lungs, which if it had remained undetected, could have been life-threatening. Later in 2017, during childbirth, the clotting of pulmonary arteries again posed challenges for Serena, however, she sailed through it well. With all the trying times that the sisters have been through together on and off the court, Serena justly and unhesitatingly called her sister “My Rock.”
The Williams sisters are unconditional supporters of one another. On court, Serena and Venus faced each other 16 times in major tournaments and the elder sister won 5 of those matches before Serena went on to become the ultimate champion, ranking #1 for 319 weeks. If Serena became the champion of tennis, Venus would go on to become one of the heart. After losing to Serena in the 2002 French Open, Venus was so delighted with her sister’s win that she was found getting off the podium and retrieving her camera to stand with the press photographers to take pictures of the moment.
Serena Williams’ professional career
After a sabbatical from junior tennis, Serena Williams made her professional debut in 1995, at the Bell Challenge in Quebec City. But it wasn’t until 1999 that the ‘Queen of the Court’ started her reign. Serena claimed her first Grand Slam title at the US Open in 1999. That same year, the Williams sisters also claimed the 1st of their 14 doubles Grand Slam titles. It was at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 that the Williams sisters claimed their 1st Olympic Gold, in the doubles event.
Although Serena achieved groundbreaking results at the beginning of her career, consistency eluded the American tennis legend for the next few years. In 2002, she injured her ankle in the semi-final of the Sydney International tennis tournament. Despite the injury, she won the ‘SERENA SLAM’, starting from the 2002 French Open to the Australian Open in 2003.
The year 2003 proved to be relatively hard for the then-reigning US Open champion. She was unable to defend her title in Flushing Meadows due to a severe injury and had to undergo surgery to repair the partial tear of the quadriceps tendon in her left knee. This halted the successful reign of Serena, who had claimed 5 of the last 6 Grand Slams from 2002 to 2003.
In 2006, Serena opened up about her injury and mental health struggles after a shocking third-round exit at the Australian Open. Consequently, she stepped away from the WTA Tour, playing only a few matches and dropping to no.95 in the WTA year-end rankings. However, the 23-time Grand Slam champion made a terrific comeback in 2007, winning the Australian Open.
Serena continued her reign and claimed 6 more Major titles from 2007 to 2010 before suffering from Pulmonary Embolism in 2011. She had to rest for a year before making another remarkable comeback in 2012, claiming the Wimbledon and US Open titles. From 2012 to 2017, under the aegis of Patrick Mouratoglou, she added 10 more Major titles to her record. By doing that, she created history by breaking Steffi Graf’s record of holding the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era.
via Reuters
Her impressive run came to a halt after she claimed her 23rd Major title at the Australian Open in 2017. When Williams claimed her last Grand Slam title, she was 8 weeks pregnant. It was a tough journey to motherhood for Serena, due to DVT (deep vein thrombosis), which was also the cause of her pulmonary embolism. During childbirth, Williams suffered from another pulmonary embolism, which left her bedridden for weeks. Despite such adversities, she made a successful comeback in 2018, finishing as the finalist in the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open.
Post her entry into motherhood, Serena went on to play in four Grand Slam finals. However, luck evaded her, as she was unable to equal the all-time record for Most Grand Slam titles, currently held by Margaret Court. Along with her record-breaking Major titles, Serena has also spent an incredible 402 weeks in the top 2 of the WTA rankings (319 weeks at No.1 & 83 weeks at No.2). The US Open 2022 was Serena’s last Grand Slam tournament. Under the guidance of her new coach, she reached the third round before bowing out of her home Grand Slam for the last time.
Serena Williams’ honors and awards
In this era, Serena’s name is synonymous with Women’s Tennis. Serena Williams’ achievements are vast and memorable as she has won numerous accolades, awards, and honors. It would take a book to mention all of them. However, here are a few of the highlights of her 27- year-long career.
She has the most Grand Slam wins (23) in the Open Era and is in the second position overall. Serena is the only player to have won the Australian Open (7), Wimbledon (7), and US Open (6) six times and also won Slams 3 times after saving the match point. She pulled off this accolated in AO 2003, AO 2005, and Wimbledon 2009, respectively. In the 2012 Wimbledon, Serena’s constant, dynamic, and accurate serves were off the charts, making her deliver 102 aces in a single tournament, the most ever recorded. She has not only stood for 319 weeks at the rank #1 in the WTA list, but she has been also the most ranked #1 for consecutive weeks, 186 weeks, a record that she shares with Steffi Graf. Not only that, she also shares the record of holding 4 Slams simultaneously on two occasions.
via Reuters
Serena didn’t only battle it out in the Grand Slams, but also moved to the world’s largest sports stage, the Olympics, to make her mark. She won gold medals in both single and double matches, which she played alongside her sister Venus, in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Serena later goes on to win 2 more gold medals in 2008 and 2012, respectively.
For Serena, the list of her accolades doesn’t see an ending. At the age of 35, Serena goes on to make the record of winning a Slam (2017 AO) and holding the rank of World No. 1, the oldest player ever in tennis to make such a record. She concludes her accolades the best in her essay for Elle magazine, “(W)inning is now a desire and no longer a need.”
Off Court as well Serena has achieved many awards and honours. One of them being for her fashion on and off court. For her fashion statements, she was honored with the Council of Fashion Dеsignеrs of America Fashion Award (CFDA) in 2023. Not only is she an icon on the tennis court but also in the fashion industry.
All you need to know about Serena Williams’ husband
Serena Williams’ husband is a renowned tech entrepreneur and the co-founder of Reddit, Alexis Kerry Ohanian. He founded the organization 776 to fight inequality worldwide. Besides all this, he is also a business dad and a paternity leave advocate.
via Getty
The couple met spontaneously in Rome when Ohanian sat down next to Williams during breakfast at the Cavalieri Hotel in 2015. Subsequently, after dating for a few months, the couple got engaged in 2016 and had their first child in 2017 before tying the knot. The couple got married in a ‘Beauty and the Beast’ themed wedding ceremony in New Orleans, Louisiana. Apart from the $1 million wedding ceremony, Serena’s wedding outfit and gems cost a whopping $3.5 million.
Ohanian has stood by Serena through thick and thin; from being a supportive husband to supporting his wife from stands and walking the red carpet. Above all, Ohanian’s dedication to his family is evident from his simple Sunday tradition: cooking pancakes for the family. Before meeting Ohanian, Williams was rumored to have dated the renowned rapper, Drake. The Canadian rapper, last year, included Ohanian in his song, Middle of the Ocean. A line calling Ohanian a groupie received widespread criticism.
What were Serena Williams’ life-threatening experiences?
Serena suffered through two life-threatening incidents, once back in 2011 and another during childbirth. The underlying cause for these episodes was a condition called pulmonary embolism.
In 2011, during an Oscar party, the 6-time US Open champion had difficulty breathing and went for a check-up on the insistence of the physiotherapist present there. It was revealed that Serena had blood clots in both lungs, which left her incapacitated for almost a year.
Similarly, during childbirth in 2017, Pulmonary Embolism again threatened her life and left her bedridden for 6 weeks.
Serena Williams’ pregnancy complications
Serena Williams enjoys being a mother, and in 2017, she liked the experience of being pregnant. She delighted in the “positive attention” she got from the press. Serena highlighted how this experience was “different.” However, her glee turned into a crisis when her feet started to feel numb soon after childbirth. She insisted on getting herself tested and it was found that her long-standing condition of pulmonary embolism resurfaced. The diagnosis resulted in Williams having 4 surgeries, one being a c-section.
During her tests, Serena remembers feeling anxious, “They were trying to talk to me, and all I could think was, ‘I’m dying, I’m dying. Oh my God.’” However, after 6 weeks on the road to recovery, both Serena and her child, Olympia, were healthy and out of any health risks.
Complete details on Serena Williams’ life post-maternity
Life has been anything but easy for the 23-time Grand Slam champion post-pregnancy. She was bedridden for 6 weeks after the birth of Olympia. Post her return to tennis after giving birth, Serena marked her comeback at the French Open in her iconic black catsuit. It inspired new reforms in the WTA’s dress code policy like the introduction of a special ranking rule and no penalization on wearing leggings or compression shorts without skirts, dresses, or shorts over them.
After returning to the tennis circuit in 2018, Serena made it to 4 Grand Slam finals and 2 semifinals. However, her 24th Grand Slam title eluded her. Serena was not alone in her journey to parenthood. Her husband, the Reddit co-founder, took paternity leave to support his wife and spend time with his newborn.
Serena Williams’ daughters: Olympia and Adira River
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian welcomed their first child, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. on Sept 1, 2017, in West Palm Beach Florida. What’s special about Olympia’s name is the fact that her initials (AO) are the same as the Australian Open, which her mom won. Olympia got her own Instagram account when she was just a few weeks old. Since then, her parents have shared her fun-filled moments with their fans and followers.
Olympia’s doll, or rather her daughter, Qai-Qai, is a black doll made by Serena for Olympia.
