What Is Serena Williams’ Net Worth, Salary, and Career Earnings?
Serena Williams, a retired professional tennis player who achieved world-champion status, boasts a remarkable net worth of $300 million. Many regard her as one of the greatest female tennis players ever. She holds the title of the highest-earning female player, significantly outpacing her peers. Her total earnings from her on-court career exceed $95 million, and she has amassed more Grand Slam singles titles than any other player—male or female—in the Open Era. Additionally, she has claimed four Olympic gold medals and has a plethora of major title victories to her name.
Throughout her playing years, Serena typically earned around $40 million annually from a combination of on-court prizes and endorsements. For instance, from June 2019 to June 2020, she generated $35 million, with approximately $20 million being sourced from endorsements. After her retirement, she redirected her focus toward Serena Ventures, her investment firm.
A rundown of Serena’s most significant career achievements includes:
- Grand Slam singles titles: 23 (most by any player in the Open Era)
- Grand Slam doubles titles: 14 (most by any active player)
- Grand Slam mixed doubles titles: 2
- Olympic gold medals: 4 (in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles)
- WTA Finals titles: 7
- WTA Championships titles: 1
- Australian Open titles: 7
- French Open titles: 3
- Wimbledon titles: 7
- US Open titles: 6
- World No. 1 ranking: 319 total weeks (second-most by any female player; Steffi Graf leads with 377 weeks)
- Highest-earning female athlete of all time: $94.5 million
- Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame: 2022
Early Life
Born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, Serena Jameka Williams spent parts of her childhood in Compton, California. Early on, both she and her sister, Venus Williams, were guided towards tennis. The sisters were homeschooled to allow ample time for practice. Their father, Richard Williams, alongside their mother, Oracene Price, served as their primary coaches. Various mentors contributed to their early development in the sport, including another Richard Williams from Compton, who went on to establish The Venus and Serena Williams Tennis/Tutorial Academy. At the age of nine, Serena’s family relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida, to enroll her in Rick Macci’s tennis academy. However, by 1995, their father decided to withdraw the daughters from Macci’s academy, reclaiming his role as their coach.
Career
Serena Williams reached the world No. 1 ranking eight times and has collected more prize money than any other female tennis player in history, exceeding $94 million in total earnings. With 23 singles Grand Slam titles and 14 doubles titles alongside her sister, Venus, she also brought home gold medals from the Sydney, Beijing, and London Olympics.
Serena was just 14 when she participated in her first professional tournament in 1995. A notable moment occurred at the 1997 Ameritech Cup when the No. 304 ranked Serena managed to upset the No. 7 and No. 4 ranked players, though she was eventually defeated in the semifinals. These victories acted as a springboard for her career, allowing her to end 1997 ranked No. 99.
The subsequent year brought several notable accomplishments, including victories in Grand Slam doubles events like Wimbledon and the US Open, but she continued to pursue her first singles title. In 1999, Williams started to exhibit her early dominance, securing triumphs that would lay the foundation for her illustrious career.
With a remarkable string of top players surrounding her, Serena won her first Grand Slam singles tournament at the US Open.
In the early 2000s, Serena consistently reinforced her dominance, ultimately achieving the No. 1 ranking in 2002. That same year, she secured three Grand Slam titles: the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, triumphing over her sister, Venus, in the finals of all these competitions. Following this success, she added a fourth Grand Slam title to her resume in 2003 at the Australian Open, leading her to hold all four major Grand Slam titles simultaneously, coining the term “Serena Slam.” She would replicate this extraordinary achievement during the Grand Slam season of 2014-15.
The subsequent years presented challenges for Serena, as she dealt with health issues and personal tragedies, including knee surgery and the passing of her half-sister, Yetunde. Despite continuing her tournament victories, her ranking slipped out of the top 10, prompting many within the tennis world to speculate that both she and her sister, Venus, were no longer the dominant forces they once were. Nevertheless, by 2008, Williams had fought her way back to the top ranking and clinched several Grand Slam titles.
The year 2011 marked a resurgence of health concerns when a blood clot was discovered in one of her lungs. Following procedures for treatment, questions arose about her possible return to competitive tennis. However, in the following year, she made a strong comeback, earning major titles and securing her first-ever women’s singles gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. She followed this with victories at the US Open in 2012, as well as the French, Australian, and US Opens in 2013, along with Wimbledon during that same year. She claimed more Wimbledon titles in 2014 and 2015, and continued her success at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2016. In 2018, Serena encountered a challenging season, with losses in two back-to-back US Opens and Wimbledons.
Despite injuries and taking time off to focus on motherhood, Serena Williams remained a formidable presence in women’s tennis. She has set numerous records, including 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Williams officially retired from the sport in September 2022.
Endorsements
Among the world’s most sought-after endorsement athletes, Williams earns between $15-20 million each year outside of tennis, representing prominent brands such as Nike and Kraft Foods. In 2004, she signed a notable $40 million deal with Nike to create her own fashion line.
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Activism
Utilizing her social media presence, Williams actively supports various causes, notably the Black Lives Matter movement and the LGBT community. She is also dedicated to promoting gender equality in and out of the tennis arena, openly discussing her experiences as a woman in the sport. For her activism, she has received numerous accolades, including the honor of the NAACP President’s Award.
Philanthropy
Known for visiting hospitals and participating in tennis matches to support Ronald McDonald House charities, both Serena and Venus have significantly contributed to charitable endeavors. They even had an entire ESPN special commemorating their charity tour back in 2004 and 2005. Additionally, Serena established the Serena Williams…
The foundation offers scholarships to universities for students from underprivileged backgrounds. Furthermore, it contributed to the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School located in Matooni, Kenya. Additionally, the foundation partnered with Helping Hands Jamaica to establish the Salt Marsh Primary School for children in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica.
Serena has been actively involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF since 2011. Along with Venus, she collaborates on the Williams Sisters Fund, working together on various charitable initiatives. In memory of their late sister, they established the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton, which provides assistance and services to families impacted by community violence. In 2017, Williams took on the role of Ambassador for the Purple Purse project by the Allstate Foundation. She also extends her support to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London as part of the NHS, the HollyRod Foundation, the Eva Longoria Foundation, among many others.
Other Ventures
Away from tennis, Williams has explored opportunities in television and voice acting. In a 2001 episode of “The Simpsons,” she provided her voice, and in 2005, she contributed voicework for Playhouse Disney’s “Higglytown Heroes.” Additionally, she has guest-starred in various episodes of “The Bernie Mac Show,” “ER,” and “Law & Order.” Serena also appeared in Common’s music video for “I Want You” in 2007, alongside Alicia Keys and Kanye West. Together, the Williams sisters wrote a book in 2005 titled “Venus & Serena: Serving From the Hip: Ten Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning.”
Serena established the self-funded clothing brand S by Serena. She holds minority investments in both the UFC and the Miami Dolphins, and is also a member of SurveyMonkey’s board of directors.
Personal Life
In November 2017, Williams married Alexis Ohanian, the Reddit co-founder, in a ceremony held in New Orleans. The event was attended by notable personalities including Beyonce and Kim Kardashian. In April 2017, Williams inadvertently disclosed her pregnancy in a Snapchat image she intended for personal use. Following a C-section delivery in 2017, necessitated by a pulmonary embolism during labor, she experienced significant recovery challenges, including being bedridden for six weeks due to a subsequent pulmonary embolism, which delayed her training. In August 2018, she shared her experience with postpartum depression. Later in 2023, news broke that Williams and Ohanian were anticipating their second child.
In January 2023, Serena Williams was baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness in Florida.
Real Estate
In 2017, Serena Williams acquired a mansion in Beverly Hills for $6.2 million. She also owns an apartment in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower. In 2015, she purchased a home in Palm Beach Gardens, South Florida, for $2.4 million. During their competitive years, she and Venus resided together in a mansion in Palm Beach Gardens, which they bought for over $600,000 in 1998 and later listed for sale 20 years down the line for $2.5 million.
Serena ultimately sold her Bel-Air residence, which she originally purchased in 2006 for $6.62 million, in 2019. After listing it at $12 million in October 2017, she reduced the price twice before the property was finally sold for $8.1 million two years later.