Serena Williams

Born in Saginaw, Michigan on 26th September 1981, Serena Williams was the youngest of five girls, with three half sisters and one full sister (fellow tennis star Venus). Having first picked up a tennis racket at the age of four, it was clear that Serena had talent, and by the age of nine her family had moved to Florida to allow her and Venus to attend the Rick Macci tennis academy. 

Williams' enrollment at the academy was short-lived, however, and her father, Richard, soon took over coaching duties himself. This move away from the normal route into tennis stardom could have prematurely ended Williams' rise to the top of the game but instead it gave a window into the future and was the first demonstration of how the Williams sisters were prepared to turn convention on its head. 

One of Richard Williams' motivations for removing Serena and Venus from Macci's academy had been a feeling that his daughters were treated differently by other parents because they were African-American. This lack of tolerance continued to affect both sisters as they moved into the top ranks and, whilst there have been no incidents of overt racism, Richard Williams has suggested that his daughters have received different treatment on occasion because of their colour. Whilst black champions were not unheard of in tennis before Serena and Venus, they were certainly never a dominant force and the rise of the Williams sisters forced many people to reconsider their views of tennis as a traditionally middle-class, white sport.

Serena Williams' game is dominated by power. Indeed, her serve is the second fastest women's serve on record (behind only her sister). When first arriving on the WTA scene, Williams' strength and the ferocity of her forehand and double-handed backhand were like nothing ever seen before in women's tennis. In order to compete, the other players were forced to become stronger and taller, and faster and more muscular women came to the fore. Women's tennis was no longer the genteel, poor relation to the men's game; it was now faster and more exciting and could compete for TV viewers.

Serena Williams won her first Grand Slam singles title at the US Open in 1999, and rose to the top of the World Rankings for the first time in July 2002. It remains to be seen whether she will go down in history as the greatest female tennis player of all time but what can't be denied is the impact that she has had on the sport. Whether it be breaking down racial barriers, changing the pace of women's tennis or the style of the players on the court, Serena has always challenged convention and women's tennis will never be the same again.

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