Serena is credited with bringing a new era to women’s tennis with her aggressive style of play.
Serena won 23 Grand Slams in a two-decade-long career to become the most decorated female player in the Open Era.
Australian great Margaret Court has one more Grand Slam than Serena but 13 of her 24 titles came in the Amatuer Era.
Serena won all 4 Grand Slams in a calendar year twice — 2003 & 2015. The feat branded as ‘Serena Slam’.
She has won the Australian Open for a record 7 times, with the latest victory coming in 2017.
In 2017, Serena triumphed at the Australian Open when she was two months pregnant and expecting her first child, Olympia.
She won 6 Grand Slams without dropping a single set. Martina Navratilova is the only other player to achieve this feat.
Serena has four Olympic gold medals – a singles title in 2014 & 3 doubles wins with sister Venus.
Apart from Serena, Venus Williams is the only tennis player in history to win 4 Olympic gold medals.
Serena has not retired but the 41-year-old said last year that she was “evolving away from tennis.”