“Victory is temporary, but joy is eternal. Grateful for all of the joyful moments, big and small.” Serena Williams

Be inspired by these incredible trailblazers, who have taken the globe by storm with their humanity, skill, style and creativity.

When it comes to sports, we’re giving a serious hands up to one of the most famous tennis players in the world, Serena Williams, known not only for her incredible sporting achievements, but her effortless sense of style on and off the court.

Serena is a trailblazer in the world of sport and is known as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. She’s won 23 Grand Slam singles titles (winning all four major tennis titles in one calendar year) and has been ranked world number one (the best tennis player on the planet!) on eight separate occasions between 2002 and 2017.

Did you know…

Serena started playing tennis aged just four, in Compton, California.
As well as her Grand Slam titles, Serena has won four Olympic gold medals – a record she shares with her big sister, Venus.

In 2002, she won her first Grand Slam singles title against her sister Venus without dropping a single set. It meant she was ranked World Number One for the first time ever, and was only the third African American woman to hold that ranking.

She won her 23rd Grand Slam tournament in 2017 while eight weeks’ pregnant with her daughter Olympia.

She’s known for making serious ‘comebacks’ ie, winning a match even when she’s far behind. In fact, she’s won three Grand Slams after saving match points (being just one point away from winning) from her opponent.

Serena also has her own fashion line, and has appeared on the front of magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Time.

Serena loves nail art too, and is a certified nail art technician.

Quick-fire tennis quiz

Think you know your tennis trivia? See how many of these you can answer…

What’s the correct name of the “bat” players use to hit the ball with in tennis?

What’s the name of the person who watches over a tennis match and calls out the points?

What word is given to a serve that can’t be returned?

“Deuce” means what score?

How many points does a player have if their score reads “love”?

In which city is the famous Wimbledon tournament held?

“Sometimes I just have to tell myself, “Baby I got you. Don’t forget to believe in YOU.” Serena Williams

Get the look

Quiz answers

Racket

Umpire

Ace

40-40

Zero

London