Early career
Serena Williams’s professional debut was in 1995, and she quickly climbed the rankings: in 1999, at just 18 years old, she won the U.S. Open and was ranked number four in the world.
Serena Williams won three more Grand Slam titles in 2002. After her French Open victory in 2002, she climbed to number two behind only her sister, Venus.
Sibling success
The Williams sisters were the first siblings ever to occupy the top two spots in the world rankings at the same time. On July 8, 2002, Serena overtook Venus in the rankings for the top spot. In 2003, Serena Williams won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, beating her sister in the finals.
In 2012, she won her fifth Wimbledon singles title and fourth U.S. Open title. In 2013, she won her second French Open singles championship and fifth U.S. Open title. She successfully defended her U.S. Open championship in 2014. Serena again won Wimbledon in 2016, increasing her Grand Slam singles titles to 22. In 2017 she earned her record 23rd Grand Slam singles title, with a victory over her sister in the finals of the Australian Open.