Factbox: Serena Williams

Eurosport - Mon, 30 Nov 15:36:00 2009

All you ever needed to know about American Serena Williams, who has been fined £105,000 and put on probation for two years for her foul-mouthed tirade at the US Open in September:

2009 Serena Williams - 0

* Born in Saginaw, Michigan on September 26, 1981.

* Turned professional in September 1995.

11 GRAND SLAM SINGLES TITLES

* US Open 1999, 2002, 2008; French Open 2002; Wimbledon 2002, 2003, 2009; Australian Open 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009.

* Williams is seventh on the list of female Grand Slam title winners.

* Regained world number one ranking for the third time after capturing the 2009 Australian Open title.

* Is one of only five women, after Maureen Connolly, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf, to hold all four Grand Slam titles at same time. The non-calendar year achievement in 2002-03 was dubbed the 'Serena Slam'. She beat sister Venus in each of the four finals.

OTHER CAREER MILESTONES

* In 1997 became lowest-ranked player to defeat two top-10 players in one tournament, number seven Mary Pierce and number four Monica Seles, after entering Chicago event as a 304th-ranked wildcard.

* Won 1999 Paris Indoors on same day that Venus triumphed at Oklahoma City. The Williams duo became the first sisters in professional tennis to win singles titles in the same week.

* Broke into top-10 for first time in April 1999, ranked ninth.

* Lost 2001 US Open final to Venus. Flushing Meadow final was first meeting between sisters in a Grand Slam title decider since Maud Watson beat Lilian at Wimbledon in 1884.

* Took over from Venus as world number one in July 2002 after winning first Wimbledon title.

* In 2007 became only the second unseeded female to win the Australian Open in the professional era after Chris O'Neill achieved the feat in 1978. Ranked 81st in the world, she defeated top seed Maria Sharapova in the final.

* Set a single-season prize money record on the women's tour with earnings of $6,545,586 in 2009.

PERSONAL HEARTACHE AND CONTROVERSIES

* Has boycotted high-profile Indian Wells tournament since winning the title in 2001. Serena had to overcome a hostile crowd to beat Belgium's Kim Clijsters in the final, being jeered by fans who were upset Venus had withdrawn from semi-final against her younger sister two days earlier. Ever since the siblings have had to quell media speculation the move was hatched by their father and coach, Richard.

* Her sister Yetunde Price was killed in a shooting incident in Los Angeles in 2003.

* Lost controversial quarter-final to fellow American Jennifer Capriati at the 2004 US Open after being upset by a series of line calls which TV replays showed were wrong.

Incident sets wheels in motion for instant replay technology to be introduced.

FOUL-MOUTHED TIRADE

* Williams launched an expletive-laced rant at an official who called her for a foot-fault in 2009 US Open semi-final against eventual champion Clijsters.

* Organisers fined her $10,500, the biggest given to a female player since records began in 1990, at the end of the tournament for her unsportsmanlike behaviour.

* On top of fine of $175,000, which includes the smaller fine she received at the time, the Grand Slam Committee says on Nov. 30 that any further major offence at a Grand Slam in the next two years would see her suspended from the US Open in 2010, 2011 or 2012.

Eurosport

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  1. You are the most exciting player to watch in the­ women's game. Your physical strength, athleticism­ and sheer determination to win always keeps me riveted.­ Both yourself and your sister Venus are a true­ testament to what hard work, discipline and self­ believe can achieve. Against the odds you have both­ achieved so much. You have both been and continue to be­ an inspiration to so many people. Your support of each­ other as siblings has always been strong despite the­ media desire to cause dissention. Long may you reign as­ Queen of the tennis courts!

    From ronald.montaque, on Fri 29 Jan 3:13PM

  2. Serena is my female athlete of the decade
    Serena is­ possibly the best female player of all times
    Although­ Serena is an American, WHITE AMERICA boos her ,and­ cheers for white RUSSIAN and Belgian players whenever­ she plays at the US open .
    In 2004 Officials wrong­ called her so Capriati would win
    In 2009 Officials­ wrong called her so Clijsters would win.
    However Serena­ knows she has to overcome the odds and she always­ does.
    The hall mark of a true champion .
    love u Serena

    From courtney, on Wed 6 Jan 8:43PM

  3. I pray that more blacks join the wta race so that we­ see how exciting women's tennis turns out. any­ sports dominated by w_i_e p_g_ s is boring.

    From Alfred, on Sun 3 Jan 7:12PM

  4. Tennis is white man's ideology of entertainment.­ When they see good players of ethnic background, it­ upsets them simply because the big money goes to them.­ This is whiteman's idea about slavery.. African­ should wake up to the challenge and improve their­ lots.. don't you ever believe in Gordon Brown's­ idea of free health for the commonwealth while Britains­ locks it's door and open it to EEC menbers...

    From Augustine A, on Wed 2 Dec 4:59PM

  5. It is strange that the decission for her to pay­ £105,000 was taken in Europe were all the top 50 female­ players are from, am not surprised that you were told­ to pay such an amount am just happy they did not tell­ you to pay more than that, but it is all good, the good­ Lord that has been your strenght will give you a trophy­ that it's prize money will be enough for you to­ cancell out the £105,000. I wish you the best in 2010.

    From stine147, on Tue 1 Dec 6:35PM

  6. I agree with you ellen v

    From Aleksandar, on Tue 1 Dec 3:57PM

  7. Eurosport, why you did not mention the result of the TV­ reply of the linewoman called footfault of Serena­ Williams in the US open 09, Is it because you don't­ want the whole world to know the truth or otherwise the­ wrong imposed of the penalty to the player,
    How about­ the linewoman who called it a footfault but it­ wasn't, Did they get any
    punishment for calling it­ out, footfault, Etc, Etc, THIS KIND OF RULING IS BAD,­ Player
    can lost their game by calling it out or­ footfault, We seen it all the time at the WTA and ATP,­ the Umpire should get suspension as well when they get­ it wrong, the Lineperson should get penalty as well for­ not doing their job good enough, remember this­ Lineperson or Umpire can make the player lost in their­ way, you investigated a player in suspicious of trowing­ the game, how about this Linepersons and Umpires they­ can trow games as well you know.

    From ellen v, on Tue 1 Dec 6:45AM

  8. She is a brave fighter. Victory favours the brave. Make­ next year the year u show the "comebacks"­ that you are still world no. 1!

    From Bblee, on Tue 1 Dec 1:43AM

  9. i agree with u siaquah she has pass through hell in the­ womens tennis. i wonder why the reporter did not say­ exactly what happend at the indian wells and was beatn­ about the bush. the fans were actually using racial­ abuse at her , the family and venus. which any nnormal­ human being would mot bother a second visit. i dont­ know what she has done that they hate her. may she is a­ fighter and an ahtlete with 11 grand slam and doesnt­ tolerate cheatn. serena slam 2010 is on the way watch­ ITF. i think they gonna give those money to the line­ judje to take to her country or feed poor people. go­ serena

    From hettybebex, on Mon 30 Nov 8:58PM

  10. i agree with u siaquah she has pass through hell in the­ womens tennis. i wonder why the reporter did not say­ exactly what happend at the indian wells and was beatn­ about the bush. the fans were actually using racial­ abuse at her , the family and venus. which any nnormal­ human being would mot bother a second visit. i dont­ know what she has done that they hate her. may she is a­ fighter and an ahtlete with 11 grand slam and doesnt­ tolerate cheatn. serena slam 2010 is on the way watch­ ITF. i think they gonna give those money to the line­ judje to take to her country or feed poor people. go­ serena

    From hettybebex, on Mon 30 Nov 8:56PM

  11. It is no wonder she sometimes easily gets offended: the­ killing of a sister, a victim of wrong calls, a jeering­ crowd! She must be courageous to have bagged all of­ those titles! What a champion of our time!!!

    From Siaquiyah, on Mon 30 Nov 7:30PM

  12. We love you You Serena willians .

    You Rule the WTA­­ wether they like it or not.

    Stuff the IFT Fine.They­­ are full of racist monster from America and the rest­ of­ Europe.

    You are the Best in the World.

    From­­ India!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    From Kana, on Mon 30 Nov 7:12PM

  13. What a very pretty young lady indeed..........and what­ an achievement!

    From sanchez.santos, on Mon 30 Nov 4:52PM
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