Photo: Edwin Martinez, CC BY 2.0

Serena Williams

1981 – present · age 45^[1][2]

Sports

Fun Facts About Serena Williams

• Serena Williams won the 2017 Australian Open, her record 23rd Open Era Grand Slam singles title, while she was already pregnant.^[1]
• Williams became a certified nail technician in 2010 to prepare for her own nail collection.^[1]
• Williams is the only player, male or female, to complete three career Golden Slams: one in women's singles and two in women's doubles.^[1]
• Williams boycotted the Indian Wells tournament for 14 years before returning in 2015.^[1]
• Williams appeared on stage during Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl LIX halftime show, doing a crip walk among the background dancers.^[1]
• In June 2026 Williams came out of retirement to play doubles at the Queen's Club Championships, her first professional appearance in 1,375 days.^[1]
• Serena Williams was alive at the same time as Salvador Dalí — their lives overlapped for 8 years (1981–1989).^[1][2][3][4]
• Serena Williams shares a birthday with T. S. Eliot: both were born on September 26.^[1][2][5][6]

Serena Jameka Williams is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Williams won 73 WTA Tour–level singles titles, including 23 major women's singles titles—the most in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. She is the only player to accomplish a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.^[1]

Contemporaries

Noam Chomsky

45 yr overlap

Wole Soyinka

45 yr overlap

Dalai Lama

45 yr overlap

Woody Allen

45 yr overlap

Francis Ford Coppola

45 yr overlap

Bob Dylan

45 yr overlap

Billie Jean King

45 yr overlap

Aung San Suu Kyi

45 yr overlap

Steven Spielberg

45 yr overlap

Oprah Winfrey

45 yr overlap

Rigoberta Menchú

45 yr overlap

Ai Weiwei

45 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Serena Williams

When was Serena Williams born?

Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981, and is alive today.

How old is Serena Williams?

Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981, and turned 45 on September 26, 2026.

What is Serena Williams known for?

Serena Williams is known for: Greatest female tennis player of all time. Serena Jameka Williams is an American former professional tennis player. She was ranked as the world No. 1 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) for 319 weeks, and finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Williams won 73 WTA Tour–level singles titles, including 23 major women's singles titles—the most in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time. She is the only player to accomplish a career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles.

Who was alive at the same time as Serena Williams?

Serena Williams's closest contemporary was Noam Chomsky. Their lives overlapped for 45 years.