What Is Serena Williams’ Net Worth, Salary, and Career Earnings?
A retired professional tennis player and world champion, Serena Williams boasts a net worth of $300 million. Regarded by many as one of the greatest female tennis players in history, she stands out as the highest-earning female player. Her on-court earnings during her career exceed $95 million. With more Grand Slam singles titles than any player, male or female, in the Open Era, she is also a four-time Olympic gold medalist, achieving numerous other significant titles.
During her active years, she typically earned around $40 million annually from her winnings and endorsements. For instance, between June 2019 and June 2020, her earnings reached $35 million, with approximately $20 million originating from endorsements. After retirement, she shifted her focus to her investment firm, Serena Ventures.
Below is a compilation of Serena’s most notable career achievements:
- Grand Slam singles titles: 23 (the most in the Open Era)
- Grand Slam doubles titles: 14 (the highest for any active player)
- Grand Slam mixed doubles titles: 2
- Olympic gold medals: 4 (across 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 weeks total (second most for any female player, with Steffi Graf leading at 377 weeks)
- All-time highest-earning female athlete: $94.5 million
- Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame: 2022
Early Life
Born Serena Jameka Williams on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan, she spent parts of her childhood in Compton, California. Serena and her sister, Venus, were encouraged to pursue tennis from a young age, and both were homeschooled to provide ample time for practice. Her official coaches were her parents, Richard Williams and Oracene Price, while additional mentors, including a Compton man with the same name as her father, assisted her early on, ultimately founding The Venus and Serena Williams Tennis/Tutorial Academy. At age nine, Serena and her family relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida, to enroll in Rick Macci’s tennis academy. In 1995, their father withdrew the daughters from Macci’s academy to coach them himself.
Career
Serena Williams reached the number one ranking in the world eight times and accumulated the highest prize money of any female tennis player in history, totaling over $94 million. She secured 23 singles Grand Slam titles and 14 doubles titles with her sister, Venus, also earning gold medals at the Sydney, Beijing, and London Olympics.
Making her professional tournament debut in 1995 at just 14 years old, Williams generated buzz at the 1997 Ameritech Cup, where she, ranked No. 304, famously upset both the No. 7 and No. 4 ranked players before being eliminated in the semifinals. This success accelerated her rise, leading her to finish 1997 ranked No. 99.
The subsequent year brought several prestigious victories, including doubles titles at Grand Slam events like Wimbledon and the US Open, though her initial singles title remained elusive. However, in 1999, Williams began to establish her early dominance, achieving victories that would set the stage for her illustrious career.
winning her first Grand Slam singles tournament, the US Open, marked the beginning of a journey filled with success for a string of top players.
In the early 2000s, Serena further established her dominance, finally achieving the No. 1 ranking in 2002. That year also saw her clinch three Grand Slam titles: the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open, triumphing over her sister, Venus, in the finals of each. In 2003, she added her fourth Grand Slam title, the Australian Open, making her the simultaneous holder of all four major titles, a feat she dubbed the “Serena Slam.” She would later replicate this success during the 2014-15 Grand Slam season.
The following years were challenging for Serena due to health and personal issues, such as knee surgery and the loss of her half-sister, Yetunde. Although she continued to win matches, her ranking dipped below the top 10, leading many in the tennis community to speculate that both she and Venus were no longer the formidable forces they had once been. Nevertheless, by 2008, Williams had fought her way back to the top ranking and secured several Grand Slam titles.
In 2011, health issues reemerged when doctors discovered a blood clot in one of her lungs. She underwent procedures to address this serious concern, raising questions about her return to the sport. However, the subsequent year saw her reclaim significant titles, including her first women’s singles gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. She continued her winning streak with victories at the US Open in 2012, the French, Australian, and US Opens in 2013, and Wimbledon that same year, as well as Wimbledon in 2014 and 2015, along with successes at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2016. Her year in 2018 proved challenging, marked by losses at two consecutive US Opens and Wimbledons.
Despite injuries and taking time off to embrace motherhood, Serena Williams remained a fierce competitor in women’s tennis. She holds numerous records, including that of 23 Grand Slam singles titles. In September 2022, Williams announced her retirement from professional tennis.
Endorsements
Recognized as one of the most marketable athletes globally, Williams generates annual earnings of $15-20 million off the tennis court through endorsements with brands such as Nike and Kraft Foods. In 2004, she signed a significant $40 million agreement with Nike to launch a fashion line.
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Activism
Using her social media platforms, Williams advocates for various causes, mainly supporting Black Lives Matter and the LGBT community. She is also a strong proponent of gender equality, both on and off the court, and speaks openly about her experiences as a woman in the tennis arena. In recognition of her activism, she has received multiple accolades, including the NAACP President’s Award.
Philanthropy
Serena and her sister Venus frequently visit hospitals and host tennis matches to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House charities. Their charity tour received dedicated coverage from ESPN in 2004 and 2005. Additionally, Serena established the Serena Williams Foundation,
The foundation offers scholarships to universities aimed at underprivileged students. Additionally, it played a vital role in funding the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School located in Matooni, Kenya. Furthermore, the foundation collaborated with Helping Hands Jamaica to establish the Salt Marsh Primary School for children in Trelawny Parish, Jamaica.
Having closely partnered with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A., Serena has served as an international Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF since 2011. Together with Venus, they established the Williams Sisters Fund, working on various charity projects collectively. In memory of their late sister, they founded the Yetunde Price Resource Center in Compton, which offers support and services to families impacted by community violence. Williams took on the role of Ambassador for the Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse project in 2017. She is also an advocate for several organizations including the Elton John AIDS Foundation, NHS’s Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London, the HollyRod Foundation, the Eva Longoria Foundation, among others.
Other Ventures
Apart from her on-court achievements, Williams has ventured into television and voice work. She contributed her voice to an episode of “The Simpsons” in 2001 and provided voicework for Playhouse Disney’s “Higglytown Heroes” in 2005. She has made guest appearances in “The Bernie Mac Show,” “ER,” and “Law & Order.” In 2007, Serena appeared in the music video for Common’s “I Want You,” alongside Alicia Keys and Kanye West. The sisters co-authored a book in 2005 titled “Venus & Serena: Serving From the Hip: Ten Rules for Living, Loving, and Winning.”
Serena is the creator of the self-funded clothing brand S by Serena. She holds minority shares in both the UFC and the Miami Dolphins and is also a board member of SurveyMonkey.
Personal Life
In November 2017, Williams wed Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit, in a ceremony held in New Orleans. Among the attendees were high-profile guests including Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian, among others. In April 2017, an accidental revelation of her pregnancy occurred when Williams posted a photo on Snapchat intended for her private records. She gave birth to her daughter in 2017 via C-section after experiencing a pulmonary embolism during labor. Following the birth, she faced another pulmonary embolism, which confined her to bed for six weeks, delaying her training. In August 2018, Williams disclosed her struggles with postpartum depression. In 2023, news emerged that Williams and Ohanian were anticipating their second child.
Baptized as a Jehovah’s Witness in Florida, Serena Williams underwent the ceremony in January 2023.
Real Estate
In 2017, Serena purchased a mansion in Beverly Hills for $6.2 million. Additionally, she owns an apartment in Paris that boasts views of the Eiffel Tower. In 2015, she acquired a home in Palm Beach Gardens, South Florida, for $2.4 million. During their competitive years, she and her sister Venus lived together in a mansion in Palm Beach Gardens, bought for over $600,000 in 1998 and later listed for sale for $2.5 million two decades later.
In 2019, Serena sold her Bel-Air home, initially acquired in 2006 for $6.62 million. Although it was first listed at $12 million in October 2017, the price was reduced twice before the property ultimately sold for $8.1 million two years later.