The Most Influential Person on AIG this week is Serena Williams

Serena Williams is a Professional American Tennis Player. She was born in Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. on September 26, 1981. She transformed women’s tennis with her aggressive style of play and also won more Grand Slam titles (23) than any other player during her career.

She grew up in Couptom, California, with her family – Her mother; Oracene Price, a nurse, and with her father, Richard Williams, who founded a security Service, and older sister, Venus Williams, who also played tennis.

Serena and her sister, Venus were encouraged by their parents to play tennis, after having discovered their interest in the game. Serena and her sister were taught the game by their father, by taking them to the local public courts. He was a tough coach, and they often practiced for longer hours.

The Williams family relocated to Florida in 1991 so that Serena and Venus could enroll at a tennis academy. In 1995, one year after her older sister, Serena Williams began her career. They quickly attracted attention due to their excellent athleticism, strong serves, and groundstrokes. Serena achieved a milestone by winning the 1999 U.S. Open, contrary to popular belief that Venus would be the first Williams sister to claim a Grand Slam singles victory. The sisters won the doubles event at that competition, and throughout their careers, they paired up to win 14 Grand Slam doubles championships.

In addition, Serena Williams dominated the open era of tennis by winning 23 more Grand Slam singles titles than any other woman or man combined, starting with the U.S. Open victory in 1999.

Williams and Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, got engaged in December 2016. Williams and Ohanian got married on November 16, 2017, at the Contemporary Arts Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. They both have a daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr