THE SQUIZ

Before US champion tennis player Serena Williams completely “evolves away” from the game that’s made her an international superstar, she has the US Open ahead of her. Williams’ first round singles match against an enthusiastic Danka Kovinic on Flushing Medow’s Arthur Ashe Center Court in front of nearly 25,000 enthusiastic fans kicks off around 9am this morning Aussie eastern time. And look, we’re not suggesting that she’s going to bow out in that match – she’s shown time and again that she shouldn’t be underestimated… But we thought we’d get you ahead of the Festival of Serena that this grand slam tournament will likely become. 

OK, GIVE IT TO ME… 

At almost 41yo, her life story (and that of her family) is so epic, there are movies and documentaries and books and endless coverage of her upbringing and career. She’s been a professional player for 27 years and has wracked up 23 grand slam singles titles – that’s one fewer than Australia’s Margaret Court, who played in the 1960s and 70s. As far as Williams is concerned, she’s already broken the record – and there are many who point out that she has earned her titles in the ‘Open Era’ of tennis, which is more competitive than Court‘s time. That’s why Williams is widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Having been world #1 for 319 weeks across her career, Williams has recently struggled to overcome her injuries. So today, she goes into the US Open unseeded, ranked 413th, and having won one match since June last year. She also has $94,618,080 prizemoney under her belt, so that’s something… 

TELL ME SOMETHING I MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT HER… 

How about 3 things? 

• It’s no secret that Williams is known for her fashion on the court – and off it. Note: Vogue icon Anna Wintour helped pick her 3 (yes, 3…) wedding dresses for her nuptials with Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian. She’s also a mani/pedi devotee, and studied to become a nail technician in 2010. That’s not likely to feature in her next career step… 
• Nike and Williams have had an almost 20-year-long association – and the company has recently opened a new building named after her at its global headquarters in Oregon. And they’ve made some epic ads along the way… 
• As the younger sister, Williams credits watching her sister Venus for her early success. “I learned the lessons from Venus’s losses instead of the hard way.” As for their playing partnership, they have 14 grand slam doubles titles, placing them 2nd in the Open Era – and their 14-0 record in grand slam finals is unmatched. The pair are playing doubles at this US Open starting later this week, so look out for that.