1. Serena Williams BY TYLER ROLDAN

2. Serena’s Childhood  Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981  She was born in Saginaw, Michigan  She is the youngest of 5 sisters  Her father taught her and her sister, Venus, the game of tennis  She began playing tennis at age 3

3. Serena’s Tennis Achievements  Serena Williams turned tennis pro in 1995  In 1999 she was the first African American woman to win the Grand Slam Singles Tournament  In 2002 she became the worlds number one tennis player  Serena alone won 23 Grand Slam titles, including 10 doubles championships with her sister, Venus  Also in 2002 she won the French open, the US open, and Wimbledon  Serena Williams won 4 gold medals in the Olympics

4. Serena’s Hardships  In 2009 Serena got in trouble for threatening a lineswoman at a tennis game  She was forced to pay fines and was put on probation  In 2011 Serena suffered a health scare  Doctors found a blood clot in her lungs  She recovered quickly and began to play again later that year

5. Interesting Facts about Serena  Serena developed her own clothing line  Serena has a 12 million dollar deal with Puma shoes  In 2002 Serena was one of People magazine’s 25 most intriguing people  Essence magazine called Serena one of the country’s 50 most inspiring African Americans  Serena has been on TV shows and her voice has been on The Simpsons  Serena now lives in Palm Beach, Florida with her sister Venus and their two dogs, a Maltese and Jack Russel Terrier

6. Pictures of Serena