Article; Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player who was born on September 26, 1981. The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has placed her as the world No. 1 in singles for 319 weeks, including a joint-record 186 weeks in a row, and she has closed the year as the top player five times. She holds the most Grand Slam singles championships of any player in the Open Era, and the second-most all-time (after Margaret Court’s 24).
Venus Williams was the two-time Wimbledon winner in 2002. It would also be her final year of holding more Grand Slam championships than her younger sister. Serena had just won her second Grand Slam title (beating Venus) in the 2002 French Open, and the confidence that we associate with Serena today was only beginning to blossom.
Serena won her first Wimbledon title and the second Grand Slam of her “Serena Slam” against her sister, 7-6, 6-3. Serena would also claim the World No. 1 position for the first time, following her victory at Wimbledon in 2002.
Despite the fact that this was not a Grand Slam title, Serena’s victory over legendary Steffi Graf at the age of 18 was impressive and foreshadowed her first U.S. Open title later that year. Graf was still playing well at the end of her career (and actually won the French Open a few weeks later).
Serena’s mental toughness improved dramatically as a result of this encounter. She’d win the first set, lose the second, and find herself at 5-5 in the third set against the best player in the world at the time. Her ability to concentrate and her desire to win would win her the following two games, the tournament, and an unforgettable victory over a true great.