Serena Williams is thought to have earned $90 million in prize money alone, twice that of any other female athlete.
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Serena Williams delighted a star-studded and packed Arthur Ashe Stadium with a straight-sets victory at the US Open.
The 40-year-old tennis pro had previously announced that this year’s tournament would be her last, and, after an error-strewn start, she made her way into the second round with relative ease, beating Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3.
But, who is Serena William, and how much is she worth? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who is Serena Williams?
Serena Williams is arguably the most famous and accomplished tennis player in history.
She is a seven-time Wimbledon champion, and one of the most famous athletes of all time.
Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, before she moved to Compton, California with her family and four sisters. By the age of three, her father had begun teaching her and her sister Venus to play tennis, and she quickly showed a talent for the sport.
In 1995, Williams became a professional player and, right away, she was seen as a rising star of the sport. In 1999, she won her first Grand Slam in singles, and, over the next few years, she dominated the sport, winning gold in the women’s tennis doubles in the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when she teamed up with her sister Venus.
In 2017, she won her 23rd Grand Slam, as well as announcing the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Jr.
Williams is married to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and the couple live in Florida.
How much is Serena Williams worth?
Williams has accrued a vast sum of wealth, with a net worth of hundreds of millions of dollars, thanks to her success in the sport. As of August 2022, Serena Williams’ net worth is estimated at $250 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. She is the world’s richest female tennis player, and one of the world’s richest, behind Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
Her net worth makes her substantially richer than her husband Alexis Ohanian, who co-founded Reddit and is worth $70million as of 2019. Throughout her career, Serena is thought to have earned $90 million in prize money, double that of any other female athlete.
She also has 20 corporate partners, as well as investments in 66 startups through Serena Ventures, according to the Sun.
She is also involved in various other ventures, including a 0.5 per cent stake in the Miami Dolphins, a first-look TV deal with Amazon Studios, investment in the NFT platform Bitski, and partnerships with big brands including Nike and Gatorade.
Is Serena Williams quitting tennis?
In a personal essay written for Vogue on August 9, 2022, Williams revealed that she was considering retiring from tennis.
In the essay, she wrote: “The best word to describe what I’m up to is evolution. I’m here to tell you that I’m evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me.
“But these days, if I have to choose between building my tennis résumé and building my family, I choose the latter...
“In the last year, Alexis and I have been trying to have another child, and we recently got some information from my doctor that put my mind at ease and made me feel that whenever we’re ready, we can add to our family.
“I definitely don’t want to be pregnant again as an athlete. I need to be two feet into tennis or two feet out,” shared Williams.
“I’m not looking for some ceremonial, final on-court moment. I’m terrible at goodbyes, the world’s worst,” commented the tennis queen.
“But please know that I am more grateful for you than I can ever express in words. You have carried me to so many wins and so many trophies. I’m going to miss that version of me, that girl who played tennis. And I’m going to miss you.”
