Serena Williams: From ashes to stardom!

The story of the World No. 1 Serena Williams is no less than a storyline of a cult movie. There is adventure, there is struggle, there is drama, there is action, there is the fall of the protagonist, and then a dramatic rise too! Serena Williams is and has always been the talk of the town since she began her career in 1995! Here is a look at her story:

#1 The sweet family

American tennis star, Serena Jameka Williams was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan. The youngest daughter of Richard and Oracene Williams, began to dominate the sport of tennis for more than a decade now. This is a picture of Serena and Venus with their father, Richard Williams. It was difficult for the sharecropper Richard to make ends meet during those hard times when Serena and Venus has just begun the game, but he persevered cherishing just one dream – to see his daughters become champions one day.

#2 The grooming of a champion

Serena Williams practiced for two hours each day with her sister Venus and her father, just when she was three years of age. Serena’s dad Richard, a sharecropper from Louisiana taught himself the art of tennis from videos and books before he began to coach his daughters. The family moved to Campton, California from Michigan where Serena practiced and polished her skills.

#3 The head-turner

The family had relocated to Compton because Richard Williams wanted the Williams sisters to face the realities of life. Richard had to make them realise that hard work and a good education was an escape from such harsh realities. So the sisters persevered on courts that were filled with potholes and sometimes, even missing nets. Times were tough but the hard work paid and it paid well. Serena turned pro in 1995. But heads started turning towards her in 1998 when she beat the then World No. 2, Lindsay Davenport in Sydney.

#4 The big hit

In February 1999, Serena Williams won her first WTA title in France. She also upset Steffi Graff in March at Indian Wells to win another tournament. History was created when Serena played her sister Venus in the finals of Lipton Championships. Though she lost the final against her elder sister, this was the first time two sisters played in the final of a WTA event.

The first big win for Serena came in 1999 when she clinched the US Open title by beating Martina Hingis in the final. She was just 17 then.

#5 The special triumph

2002 began with a slow start for Serena, as she was suffering from an ankle injury and thus she could not compete at the Australian Open. After she recovered, Serena began winning titles at Arizona, Florida and Italy. She won her second Grand Slam title when she beat her sister Venus at the French Open in 2002. She replicated her victory just a few weeks later in London, beating Venus again in the final to take the Wimbledown title. The victory also made her the World No. 1.

#6 Career Slam

In 2003, she won the Australian Open title in Melbourne, completing her Career Slam.By this time, it appeared that this young lady was on a ride to conquer all that the tennis world has to offer and there was no stopping her!

#7 The tough times

2004 was a barren year for Serena, as she failed to win any Grand Slams. Her best performance came at Wimbledon, where she reached the final. In 2005, she came back to win the Australian Open title but her rest of the season was very inconsistent. She was struggling with injuries and was clearly not playing her best tennis. For the first time after breaking the top 10, Serena finished the year outside the mark, finishing as World No. 11.

#8 The worst year

2006 was possibly the worst year in her career so far. Suffering from depression, defending champion Serena was knocked out in the third round of the Australian Open.

She spent six months away from the courts and her ranking fell to 139. She played sparingly in the second half of the year and finished the year at 95.

As they say, the fall from the top hurts even more and so it was for Serena. But, the American did not quit. She inspired herself by watching old tapes of her matches to motivate and make a return to the game.

#9 The phoenix rises from the ashes

After recovering from depression in 2006, Serena came back and shocked the tennis world when she clinched her 8th Grand Slam title in Melbourne when she beat Maria Sharapova in the final of the 2007 Australian Open.Since then, there has been no looking back. She has won 18 Grand Slam titles so far and has dominated the tennis world, even at the age of 33.

#10 The brand called \'Serena Williams\'

Serena Williams is currently the World No. 1 in women’s singles. She has got a signature style both on and off the court and has overwhelmed opponents with her sheer power and athletic ability.

She is much more than just a clout on the tennis court and is more of a style icon outside court with her own clothing line called ‘Aneres’.