Serena Williams Net Worth

Serena Williams Net Worth

Have you ever wondered what the net worth of Serena Williams is? As arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time, she’s definitely built quite the resume.

You’d be surprised to learn, however, that the road has not always been smooth for Serena Williams.

Before becoming the successful superstar that she is today, she struggled financially.

As of May 2023, Serena Williams has a net worth of $210 million.

In this post, we’ll show you exactly how Serena Williams went from broke to a millionaire, and what you can learn from her story.

Early Life

Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan.

At the time, she was risen by parents Oracene Price and Richard Williams. The couple had five other siblings, in addition to seven paternal siblings.

Unfortunately, the family struggled to make ends meet in the small town of Michigan. By the time she was only four, Serena Williams had moved across the country to Compton, California.

Growing up, Serena and her sister Venus were taught at home. This is because their parents wanted them to fully dedicate their focus outside of school to tennis.

Sure enough, Serena was playing as early as the age of five! From a very early point in time, Serena demonstrated amazing tennis ability.

Given the family was not financially sound, they all saw this as their ticket out of poverty.

After developing her skills incredibly fast in the next few years, the Williams family thought it was time for a competitive change.

Surprisingly, the family packed their bags and moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, where Serena could now practice at the Rick Macci tennis academy.

This was a super prestigious academy for aspiring tennis athletes nationwide.

At that time, Williams had a 46–3 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour! This ranked her number one among under-10 players in Florida.

Career

Serena Williams net worth
Source: NBC News

Originally, Serena’s parents were worried that she and her sister were losing too much focus on school.

Because of this, they made the executive decision to hold their daughters off from competitive play until the age of sixteen.

This sparked huge debates between Serena Williams herself, her parents, and all of her coaches involved with her growth in the sport.

Eventually, in 1996, Serena Williams took place in her first semi-professional competition. After a stellar performance, Serena Williams’ name was officially on the professional map.

At the beginning of 1997, Serena Williams was ranked number 304 in the world.

But during the year’s Ameritech Cup, she surprised everyone when she beat number 7 and number 4 ranked players.

Although she lost in the semifinals, her performance during the tournament was a great motivation for her. By the end of the year, her rankings had jumped up to number 99.

The following year, Williams bagged quite a few high-profile wins, including notable events like the US Open and Wimbledon.

To date, she has won a total of 23 Grand Slam singles titles! Additionally, she won the Laureus Sportswoman of the Year award a record four times (2003, 2010, 2016, and 2018).

Endorsement Deals

Besides her salary from tennis, endorsement deals are Williams’ next biggest income earner.

In fact, she has earned more from endorsement deals, recently, than she ever has in her tennis career.

In a typical year, Williams earns anywhere from $15 to $20 million in endorsements alone.

One of Williams’ most notable endorsement deals is the $40 million contract that she signed in 2004 to create a fashion line with Nike.

Some of the other brands she has partnered with in the past include:

  • Aston Martin
  • Audemars Piguet
  • Beats Electronics
  • Chase Bank
  • Delta Air Lines
  • Gatorade
  • IBM
  • Intel
  • Kraft Foods
  • Mission Athletecare
  • Pepsi
  • Puma
  • Tempur
  • Wilson

Serena Williams Net Worth 2023

As of May 2023, Serena Williams has a net worth of $210 million dollars.

While her biggest income earner is undoubtedly tennis, you’d be surprised to learn the many other ways she has built her net worth.

Away from her tennis salary and endorsement earnings, Serena Williams has also pursued a career in acting, mostly as a voice actor.

She lent her voice to a 2001 episode of the television series The Simpsons.

Additionally, Serena Williams has had her hand at entrepreneurship. A few years ago, Serena Williams founded a self-funded clothing line.

On top of this, she also has a huge share of ownership in Mayyenn, a business that allows stylists to sell weaves and wigs to their clients.

Serena Williams also has a minority stake in both the UFC and the Miami Dolphins!

Lastly, she invested in the organic frozen food delivery company, Daily Harvest, alongside other celebrities like Snoop Dogg.

While tennis was her main income vehicle, Serena Williams has certainly proved to be much more than just a sports superstar!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is Serena Williams retiring?

Serena Williams says she has “not retired” from tennis and will likely return to the sport in the future, the latest sporting star to tease a comeback after indicating she would finish her legendary career on the court this summer after the U.S. Open to focus on her family.

Who is better Venus or Serena?

Both sisters have been ranked world No. 1 in singles: Venus for a total of 11 weeks, beginning in February 2002; Serena for a total of 316 weeks, beginning in July 2002. Venus has won 49 singles titles over the course of her career, and Serena won 73.

How old was Serena when she turned pro?

Serena was 14 years old when she turned professional.

Key Takeaways

Now that you know what the net worth of Serena Williams is and how she built it, let’s take a look at some of the most important lessons we can take from her journey.

Age Is Just A Number

Serena Williams has definitely defied expectations of age, both now and at the start of her career.

When she was 14 years old, she’d compete and beat top-level athletes ages older than her.

Today, at the age of 38, she is still outcompeting athletes much younger than her, believed to be in their prime.

If there’s one thing Serena Williams has shown us, is that age is just a number.

Don’t Stop Pushing

Serena Williams has had several setbacks in her professional career. The biggest of which were upsets in important title defenses.

Despite the low points in her career, Serena Williams has always continued pushing forward.

Similarly, we should strive to always keep going even when we feel the world has turned against us.

Only with this mentality, can we live to see the highs of our own careers!

Don’t Just Stop At A Salary

If there’s one business lesson we can learn from Serena Williams, it’s that it definitely pays to invest.

Similarly, we should aim to involve ourselves in as many investing/equity-creating activities as possible!

By doing so, we unlock the keys to achieving a larger net worth in our own lives!