AP PHOTOS: Serena Williams, the athlete and cultural icon
Posted August 29, 2022 7:00 am
After winning 23 Grand Slam titles, Serena Williams begins what might be her final tournament Monday at the U.S. Open.
The 40-year-old announced this month that she plans to turn her focus toward having another child and her business interests as she readies to step away from tennis.
Her final singles match could be Monday against unseeded Danka Kovinic. Win, and Williams is likely to face No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the second round. She's also particpating in the doubles tournament with sister Venus Williams.
Williams, one of the most accomplished athletes in the history of her - or any other - sport, has seven titles apiece at Wimbledon and the Australian Open, six U.S. Open wins, plus three at the French Open, across a career remarkable for its peaks and its longevity. She also owns 14 Grand Slam doubles championships, all won with her older sister, Venus.
She has done plenty outside of tennis, too.
That includes forays into business with investment firm Serena Ventures and entertainment via past acting roles and executive produced 'œKing Richard,'ť the film about her father that was nominated for five Academy Awards. She launched a fashion collection in 2018 after collaborations with HSN and Nike, made multiple appearances on the red carpet at the annual Met Gala in New York and appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine.
All the while, Williams hasn't let the public forget that she's a Black American woman who embraces her responsibility as a beacon for her people.
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FILE - Serena Williams attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" exhibition on Monday, May 6, 2019, in New York. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams holds the championship trophy after beating Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, in the championship match at the 2012 U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012, in New York. Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. 'I'm turning 41 this month, and something's got to give,' Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams of the U.S. returns in the final of the French Open tennis tournament against Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic at the Roland Garros stadium, in Paris, France, Saturday, June 6, 2015. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams said Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/David Vincent, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams wears a creation as part of the Off-White Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Paris, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams, of the United States, makes a return to compatriot Lindsay Davenport during their semifinal match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Friday, Sept. 6, 2002, in New York. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams arrives for the "Fashion Rocks" event at New York's Radio City Music Hall, Wednesday Sept. 8, 2004. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams of the U.S. holds the trophy after defeating Maria Sharapova of Russia in the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams, of the U.S., celebrates as she defeats Russia's Maria Sharapova during the women's final match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium Saturday, June 8, 2013 in Paris. Williams won 6-4, 6-4. Serena Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/David Vincent, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams of the United States holds the trophy during a photo call after beating Justine Henin of Belgium, to win the women's singles final match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/John Donegan, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams attends the Gucci "Love Parade" fashion show on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021, in Los Angeles. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams of the United States screams in her match against her sister, Venus, in the women's singles final at the Australian Open Tennis Tournament in Melbourne, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2003. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Rick Stevens, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams acknowledge cheers after showing her Spring 2015 collection during Fashion Week on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014 in New York. Saying 'the countdown has begun,' 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams announced Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, she is ready to step away from tennis so she can turn her focus to having another child and her business interests, presaging the end of a career that transcended sports. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams holds her daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., and the ASB trophy after winning her singles finals match against Jessica Pegula at the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday, Jan 12, 2020. Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. 'I'm turning 41 this month, and something's got to give,' Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine. (Chris Symes/Photosport via AP, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams attends the Balmain Ready To Wear Fall/Winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Paris, Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. 'I'm turning 41 this month, and something's got to give,' Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP, FIle)
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FILE - Serena Williams holds up her U.S. Open championship trophy while posing for photographers in New York's Times Square, Monday, Sept. 8, 2008 in New York. Serena Williams says she is preparing to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. 'I'm turning 41 this month, and something's got to give,' Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine.(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
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FILE - Serena Williams holds her trophy after defeating her sister Venus during the women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. 'I'm turning 41 this month, and something's got to give,' Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
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FILE - In this July 3, 2010, file photo, Serena Williams celebrates winning a point against Russia's Vera Zvonareva during their women's singles final at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon. \Serena Williams says she is ready to step away from tennis after winning 23 Grand Slam titles, turning her focus to having another child and her business interests. 'I'm turning 41 this month, and something's got to give,' Williams wrote in an essay released Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, by Vogue magazine. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)
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