The Greatest of All Time: A Look at Serena Williams' Career Amid Her Upcoming Retirement Serena Williams is playing in what could be her final tournament at the US Open in New York. Here is a look at her incredible career.
By Emily Rella
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Serena Williams is in the midst of the US Open, the major she proclaimed will be her last tennis tournament before she retires.
Her career has been a highly successful one, arguably the most successful in the sport. And such success does not come without major profit.
Williams has won 23 grand slam singles titles (including Wimbledon and the Australian Open seven times each), 73 career singles titles, 23 doubles titles, and two mixed doubles titles over the course of her professional career that began when she was just 14 years old.
Williams won her first major title at age 17 against Martina Hingis at the US Open in 1999, and it's only fitting that she close out her career at the tournament where it all began for her.
What is Serena Williams' Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Serena William's net worth is an estimated $250 million. Her sister (and often her doubles partner) Venus Williams has a net worth of an estimated $95 million.
How Much Does Serena Williams Get Paid From Tennis?
Williams entered her first professional tennis tournament when she was 14 in 1995 and has been playing the sport professionally ever since.
Through prize money from tournaments won, Williams has earned more than $94 million as of the end of 2021. This makes her the number one ranked player in terms of prize money earnings in the sport.
How Much Did Nike Pay Serena Williams?
Williams' biggest endorsement was with Nike. In 2003, she signed a deal worth an estimated $40 million, which would extend to $55 million if Williams hit "all of her performance incentives."
"Serena Williams is more than a world-class tennis player -- she is a world-class athlete,'' Marketing Director of Nike, Riccardo Colombini, said at the time of the deal. "Working with Serena will give Nike valuable insights.''
That deal was followed by her Puma contract which was worth an estimated $13 million that she signed for the first five years of her career.
Williams also has made deals with other big-name companies like Wilson, Gatorade, Chase Bank, Pepsi, Beats by Dre, and multiple others.
Who is Serena Williams' Husband, Alexis Ohanian?
Serena Williams is married to Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian. The pair share a daughter, Olympia, age 5. Alexis Ohanian's net worth is an estimated $40 million.
"She fought for her life, for our child, for recognition, for equal pay, for women's rights. She never gives up," Ohanian has said about Williams. "She's passionate and unrelenting and the most inspiring person I know."
What is Serena Williams' Venture Capital Firm, Serena Ventures?
Williams currently runs her own Venture Capital company aptly named "Serena Ventures," which she founded eight years ago. Williams has said that Serena Ventures is something she plans to turn her full attention to upon her retirement.
The tennis star has invested millions in several start-up companies, such as Selena Gomez's Wondermind and supply chain operating system Calico.
"The balance has been slowly shifting toward Serena Ventures. I always say that I'm a sponge: At night I go to bed and I squeeze myself out so that the next day I can take up as much new information as I can," Williams penned in her Vogue essay that detailed her retirement. "This year we raised $111 million of outside financing, from banks, private individuals, and family offices. Seventy-eight percent of our portfolio happens to be companies started by women and people of color because that's who we are."
