6 Reasons Serena Williams Is One Of The Greatest Athletes Ever

5. She Has Won Multiple Gold Medals At The Olympics

Serena Williams not only won a gold medal for her individual play at the 2012 Summer Olympics, she has also won three gold medals for doubles tennis at the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Paired with her sister Venus, Serena Williams has proven to be a strong doubles threat as well as a dominant singles tennis player. In fact, Serena has 13 grand slam doubles titles to go along with her 21 singles grand slam titles—for a combined 34 grand slam trophies. Serena and Venus Williams have won doubles tennis titles at all the major tournaments—the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Put this together with her four Olympic gold medals and you get a clear sense of how dominant Serena Williams has been in the sport of tennis.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/olympics/more_olympics.html Source: Azcentral.com

4. She Overcame Long Odds To Reach The Top

Like many all-time great athletes, Serena Williams overcame long odds to reach the pinnacle in the often elitist and cloistered world of tennis. Raised in Compton, California, one of the most violent and dangerous neighbourhoods in the United States, Serena Williams was homeschooled by her father, who has also coached her exclusively since she was in ninth grade. Serena Williams was also pulled from the junior tennis circuit as a youngster because of racist remarks and threats made by rival parents of white children. And Serena’s sister Yetunde, was fatally shot to death in Compton, California, in 2003 when Serena Williams was 22 years old and her tennis career was taking off. And in 2011, Serena suffered a pulmonary embolism that almost killed her. Yet despite an unconventional and poor upbringing, as well as tragedy in her family, Serena has beat the odds and gone on to excel in her sport of choice.

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3. Her Ranking As The World Number One Tennis Player

Currently, Serena Williams holds the world number one ranking for a woman tennis player, and has since February 18, 2013—more than two calendar years. She was first ranked world number one in 2002 and has reached the top position now on six separate occasions. Serena Williams is the oldest female tennis player ever to be ranked number one in the world. This is a testament to Serena’s dominance on the court. For more than a decade she has commandeered the top spot in women’s tennis and held that spot like no player before her. Serena Williams is also the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four grand slam singles titles simultaneously—in 2002–03 and, again, in 2014-15. And having more than double the points of the second-ranked Maria Sharapova, Serena shows no signs of relinquishing the world number one ranking any time soon.

http://www.parismatch.com/People/Sport/Maria-Sharapova-vs-Serena-Williams-c-est-la-guerre-519432 Source: Parismatch.com

2. She Has Been The Face Of U.S. Tennis

American men’s tennis has been in a rut since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi retired from the sport. The last U.S. man to win a grand slam title was Andy Roddick in 2003. In the intervening years, Serena Williams has become the face of U.S. tennis—male or female—and has dominated the sport like no American male ever has. Consider that Serena Williams has more grand slam titles than John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors combined, and you get a sense of her prowess. Serena has also burnished her image in the minds of American tennis fans through numerous endorsements, celebrity events and charitable work. When people in the U.S. think about tennis now, they think of Serena Williams and look to her as the standard bearer for the country’s tennis program.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/gdp5036/blogs/english15/2010/09/celebrities-just-do-it-for-advertisements.html Source: Personal.psu.edu

1. She Transcends The Sport

Think of basketball and the first name that comes to mind is Michael Jordan. Hockey and its Wayne Gretzky. Boxing and Muhammad Ali comes to mind. Golf and it’s natural to think of Tiger Woods. Men’s tennis and the name Roger Federer likely jumps out. And women’s tennis it is Serena Williams. Like all great athletes, Serena Williams transcends her sport. She has dominated and won to the point that she has become synonymous with women’s tennis. She is an icon and a living legend. And while there have been great female players in the past, none have become linked to the sport like Serena Williams. In an age when tennis players are fitter, stronger and better than at any time in the past, Serena Williams has been the dominant force in the sport. And like all legends, she has accomplished everything there is to in her sport. With a win in this year’s U.S. Open, Serena will achieve her last remaining challenge—a calendar grand slam. But win or lose in New York this September, Serena Williams is already the greatest tennis player of all time.

http://nypost.com/2015/01/31/serena-williams-beats-sharapova-for-australian-open-title/ Source: Nypost.com