Spain: Serena Williams, Princess of Asturias Award for Sports
The tennis player was honored for her outstanding career, which includes 73 titles and 23 Grand Slam victories. She has been retired since 2022.
Serena Williams, during the 2022 US Open
(AFP) Retired American tennis star Serena Williams was awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports in Spain on Wednesday, in recognition of a career that has cemented her as one of the greatest players in history.
"Considered one of the greatest tennis players in history, with an unquestionable athletic record," Williams achieved "73 singles titles, including 23 Grand Slams and four Olympic gold medals" over the course of her career, which began by following in the footsteps of her older sister, Venus, the jury’s statement noted.
Born in 1981 in Michigan, Serena Jameka Williams began playing tennis at the age of five, imitating her older sister and training under the guidance of their father. By the age of 14, she had already turned professional.
Just three years later, in 1998, she impressed the tennis world by winning both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open mixed doubles titles alongside Max Mirnyi.
In 1999, she earned her first singles titles at the French Open Gaz and the U.S. Open, the latter marking her first Grand Slam singles championship.
That same year, Serena and Venus, who often competed together, won the women’s doubles title at Roland Garros.
The sisters would go on to achieve further success together, winning three Olympic gold medals in doubles—at Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008, and London 2012.
In 2017, at age 35, she became the oldest tennis player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
In 2022, she announced her official retirement from professional tennis.
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