The Unbeatable Records of Serena Williams

Yesterday, the best tennis female player in history, Serena Williams, announced her retirement as a professional. “I have been reluctant to admit that I have to stop playing tennis. It's like a taboo. It shows up and I start crying. I think the only person I've really talked about this with is my therapist," the athlete mentioned in an article she wrote that was published in Vogue magazine.

Among the reasons she cites for her retirement is her desire to be a mother, as well as her need to evolve her career and change as a person. For example, Serena has mentioned that a few years ago she founded a venture capital company and that she would like to dedicate herself to “growing that family”.

One of the most dominant athletes in the history of her sport, Williams sets a number of records that will be hard to match. Her combination of power and tactical prowess made her invincible at the peak of her career, and in many ways redefined women's tennis. Here we bring you a list of the impressive achievements she left behind.

39 total Grand Slam titles

Perhaps Williams' most impressive achievement are her 39 Grand Slams. Individually, the tennis player has won 23 Grand Slam titles, the most that any tennis player has won in the Open era. Additionally, she won 16 Grand Slam titles in the doubles category, the vast majority with her sister Venus Williams.

The best in the history of the Australian open

The warm weather and hard surfaces of the Australian Open were the courts where Williams was most dominant throughout her career. With 7 Australian Open trophies, Williams holds the record.

The Olympic gold queen

Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams are the only tennis players in history (men or women) to win four Olympic gold medals. Serena won the gold medal at London 2012 by herself and triumphed in the doubles with her sister at the 2000, 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

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Unmatched longevity

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Williams' career is that her dominance of the sport was not limited to his younger years. Serena won 10 Grand Slam titles after turning 30, an age by which most professional tennis players are already retired, either past their athletic peak, or because their body can no longer handle the rigors of the sport. Williams is also the oldest player to reach No. 1 in the world, a mark she achieved at age 35 in 2017. That same year, she also became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam, when she won the Australian Open.

For reference, Andre Agassi, one of the greats of the sport, retired when he was 36 years old, because the pain in his back was so unbearable that he had to inject himself with cortisone to be able to move on the court.