Tennis icon Serena Williams is one of the most successful tennis players of all time, winning six US Open titles in a storied career.
Her first triumph at Flushing Meadows came in 1999 – her maiden grand slam victory.
She picked up more titles at the tournament in 2002 and 2008 before winning three consecutive US Opens from 2012 to 2014.
Now 42, Williams has moved away from playing. In 2022, she said that she was "evolving away from tennis, toward other things that are important to me" such as her young daughter who was born in 2017.
The Sporting News runs through Williams' career and her US Open record here.
MORE: Serena Williams' net worth
Is Serena Williams playing at the US Open 2024?
Williams is not playing at the US Open in 2024. Her absence marks the second consecutive year in which she will not compete at Flushing Meadows.
She last featured at the US Open in 2022, exiting in the third round.
When did Serena Williams retire?
Williams said she was "evolving away from tennis" in an article in Vogue magazine in August 2022, leading fans to assume that her subsequent appearance at the US Open would serve as her retirement tournament.
However, she also said that she had "never liked the word retirement" – and at a press conference two months later, she called the chances of her returning to action "very high".
"I am not retired," said Williams, adding that not playing for a competition "felt really weird". "You can come to my house; I have a court."
This will be the first Wimbledon Championships since 1997 that will not feature either Serena Williams or Roger Federer! 😲#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/QdG2dqgH08
— betway (@betway) June 30, 2023
In February 2023, Williams said she was "at peace" with her decision and "leaning in" to her commitment to family life which she said had been the primary motive for her inactivity from tennis.
"I'm like, 'oh my goodness. I gotta get out there'," she added to E News. "But it's hard for me to get out there. I did play the other day, and it's just like, 'there's no way I shouldn't be playing professional tennis'. There's literally no excuse.
"But I mean, I guess there is an excuse, right? It's hard because when I'm playing I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, I'm pretty good at this. I can continue to do this,' which not a lot of people can say."
Serena Williams grand slam history
Williams has won 23 grand slam titles, which is the most of any player in the open era. Margaret Court won 24 titles, straddling before and after the start of the open era (in 1968). Serena also played in 10 finals which she didn't win.
Singles finals
| Year | Tournament | Result | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | US Open | Win | Martina Hingis (6–3, 7–6(7–4)) |
| 2001 | US Open | Loss | Venus Williams (2–6, 4–6) |
| 2002 | French Open | Win | Venus Williams (7–5, 6–3) |
| 2002 | Wimbledon | Win | Venus Williams (7–6(7–4), 6–3) |
| 2002 | US Open | Win | Venus Williams (6–4, 6–3) |
| 2003 | Australian Open | Win | Venus Williams (7–6(7–4), 3–6, 6–4) |
| 2003 | Wimbledon | Win | Venus Williams (4–6, 6–4, 6–2) |
| 2004 | Wimbledon | Loss | Maria Sharapova (1–6, 4–6) |
| 2005 | Australian Open | Win | Lindsay Davenport (2–6, 6–3, 6–0) |
| 2007 | Australian Open | Win | Maria Sharapova (6–1, 6–2) |
| 2008 | Wimbledon | Loss | Venus Williams (5–7, 4–6) |
| 2008 | US Open | Win | Jelena Janković (6–4, 7–5) |
| 2009 | Australian Open | Win | Dinara Safina (6–0, 6–3) |
| 2009 | Wimbledon | Win | Venus Williams (7–6(7–3), 6–2) |
| 2010 | Australian Open | Win | Justine Henin (6–4, 3–6, 6–2) |
| 2010 | Wimbledon | Win | Vera Zvonareva (6–3, 6–2) |
| 2011 | US Open | Loss | Samantha Stosur (2–6, 3–6) |
| 2012 | Wimbledon | Win | Agnieszka Radwańska (6–1, 5–7, 6–2) |
| 2012 | US Open | Win | Victoria Azarenka (6–2, 2–6, 7–5) |
| 2013 | French Open | Win | Maria Sharapova (6–4, 6–4) |
| 2013 | US Open | Win | Victoria Azarenka (7–5, 6–7(6–8), 6–1) |
| 2014 | US Open | Win | Caroline Wozniacki (6–3, 6–3) |
| 2015 | Australian Open | Win | Maria Sharapova (6–3, 7–6(7–5)) |
| 2015 | French Open | Win | Lucie Šafářová (6–3, 6–7(2–7), 6–2) |
| 2015 | Wimbledon | Win | Garbiñe Muguruza (6–4, 6–4) |
| 2016 | Australian Open | Loss | Angelique Kerber (4–6, 6–3, 4–6) |
| 2016 | French Open | Loss | Garbiñe Muguruza (5–7, 4–6) |
| 2016 | Wimbledon | Win | Angelique Kerber (7–5, 6–3) |
| 2017 | Australian Open | Win | Venus Williams (6–4, 6–4) |
| 2018 | Wimbledon | Loss | Angelique Kerber (3–6, 3–6) |
| 2018 | US Open | Loss | Naomi Osaka (2–6, 4–6) |
| 2019 | Wimbledon | Loss | Simona Halep (2–6, 2–6) |
| 2019 | US Open | Loss | Bianca Andreescu (3–6, 5–7) |
Doubles finals
All doubles partnered with Venus Williams
| Year | Tournament | Result | Opponents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | French Open | Win | Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova (6–3, 6–7(2–7), 8–6) |
| 1999 | US Open | Win | Chanda Rubin and Sandrine Testud (4–6, 6–1, 6–4) |
| 2000 | Wimbledon | Win | Julie Halard-Decugis and Ai Sugiyama (6–3, 6–2) |
| 2001 | Australian Open | Win | Lindsay Davenport and Corina Morariu (6–2, 2–6, 6–4) |
| 2002 | Wimbledon | Win | Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez (6–2, 7–5) |
| 2003 | Australian Open | Win | Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez (4–6, 6–4, 6–3) |
| 2008 | Wimbledon | Win | Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur (6–2, 6–2) |
| 2009 | Australian Open | Win | Daniela Hantuchová and Ai Sugiyama (6–3, 6–3) |
| 2009 | Wimbledon | Win | Samantha Stosur and Rennae Stubbs (7–6(7–4), 6–4) |
| 2009 | US Open | Win | Cara Black and Liezel Huber (6–2, 6–2) |
| 2010 | Australian Open | Win | Cara Black and Liezel Huber (6–4, 6–3) |
| 2010 | French Open | Win | Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik (6–2, 6–3) |
| 2012 | Wimbledon | Win | Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká (7–5, 6–4) |
| 2016 | Wimbledon | Win | Tímea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova (6–3, 6–4) |
