In the tennis world, Serena Williams is the undisputed GOAT (Greatest Player of All Time). Not only did she dominate the women's game but she has also continuously contributed as an icon and trailblazer who defied many long-standing challenges. Since 1998, the tennis legend has topped the World rankings 10 times, holding the World No 1 for an incredible 319 weeks.

Despite injuries, the 23-time Grand Slam winner kept defying them and bounded back time and time again, showing her impressive fighting spirit. Given her impact on the sport, Serena Williams left many fans regretting after hanging up her racket. Following her retirement, Serena Williams is still focusing on sports endeavors by doing charity work. Below, we have compiled a collection of her most memorable moments over the years.

Richard Williams and Oracene Price welcomed Serena Williams into the world on September 26, 1981. Of the five girls, she is the youngest. At the age of four, Serena started studying the game with her father, Richard. In 1995, one year after her sister Venus, she began her professional career.

Serena made her Grand Slam main draw debut at the Australian Open at the age of 16. She beat sixth-seed Irina Spirlea but lost in the second round to sister Venus Williams - also one of the most influential figures in tennis.

Serena Williams won her maiden Grand Slam at the age of 17 in 1999, at the US Open. She overcame Martina Hingis, a powerful world No.1, and made her presence known to the tennis world. It's a wonderful full-circle moment for her to finish her extraordinary career at the same place where it began.

The Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, triumphed in doubles at the Olympic Games in Sydney, just 24 hours after Venus had already clinched the gold medal in singles. The American sisters defeated Dutchwomen Kristie Boogert and Miriam Oremans 6-1, 6-1 to finish the tournament by dropping just one set.

At the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, she earned a gold medal. Later, she won the 2003 Australian Open, 2002 U.S. Open, 2002 Wimbledon, and 2002 French Open. During this period, the world-famous 'Serena Slam' was achieved when she won four consecutive major singles championships.

Serena and Venus' careers will be inextricably intertwined for the rest of their lives, not that the two sisters enjoy being lumped together. The tennis media spent a lot of time attempting to create a rivalry between them before the sports world finally recognized the pair's sisterly closeness after they reached their 30s and just let them support each other.

In 2005, the tennis professional won the Australian Open once more. However, from 2005 through 2010, Serena continued to win titles while fighting ailments, always needing to reassure her supporters and detractors that her career was not in jeopardy. She continued to thrive, defying all the injuries and showing her relentless attitude.

Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova's rivalry was sorely desired by the tennis world. They portrayed Maria as a Russian blond bombshell whose attractiveness was meant to frighten Serena. She, on the other hand, beats Maria almost every time they encounter each other on the court. So far, Serena had a 20-2 record versus Sharapova.

Shortly after winning her fifth Wimbledon championship in 2012, Serena captured the gold at the London Olympics. She was the only female to have achieved the Gold Slam at the time. She performed the Crip-walk on the court to celebrate her victory, which sparked debate among tennis players.

Serena won her eighth and last Wimbledon singles title, dropping only one set throughout the tournament. Along with her sister Venus, the tennis legend won their sixth Wimbledon doubles title - their 14th Grand Slam trophy overall. That impressive feat helps Serena equal Steffi Graf's 186-week streak at the top of the WTA rankings.

Serena achieved her 23rd career Grand Slam by defeating Venus in the Australian Open singles match in January 2017. In April, just a few months later, Serena unintentionally tweeted a photo of her growing belly, indicating that she had been carrying the baby throughout her historic match with her sister. What an incredible feat!

Serena announced that she would miss the remainder of the season due to pregnancy in April 2017. She was then proposed to the co-founder of Reddit - businessman Alexis Ohanian. In September 2017, shortly after she delivered birth, they tied the knot.

Being Serena, a short documentary series featured Williams' account of the day Olympia, her daughter, was born. Williams underwent an emergency C-section, which was successful, but only a few hours later, she came dangerously close to passing away. She experienced pulmonary embolism symptoms, but again defied all odds and slowly recovered.

Serena Williams lost in straight sets to Naomi Osaka of Japan in the US Open final. Serena accused the chair umpire of being a ‘thief’ and is given a game penalty, which results in her shattering her racket and another code violation. 2018 also marked the year that Serena's on-court performance began to show serious signs of deterioration, signaling the end of a legend.

Williams sported a sleek, black catsuit at the 2018 French Open due to her health struggles with blood clots. However, the catsuit and similar ensembles were banned by French Open organizers because they were deemed too sexy for the tennis court. This sparked a discussion about how female athletes' bodies are continually policed by male-dominated boards and committees. Serena Williams once again altered the tennis world simply by being herself.

In 2021, King Richard, the narrative of the Williams sisters' father's history to become their first coach, was released. On the same night of the Oscar slap in 2022, Will Smith won Best Actor for his portrayal of Richard. The tennis icon gushed that she felt 'so emotional' after the movie was nominated for six Academy Awards on Tuesday. 'I woke up to this. Our film is really nominated for an OSCAR!!!!!!!”'the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion wrote on Instagram,.

When the four-time Olympic gold champion began to consider her post-tennis existence, she realized there was a void in the women's venture capital sector that needed her voice, so she founded Serena Ventures. Serena remarked in her Vogue retirement piece that when she discovered that 98 percent of VC money went to men, she felt she needed to initiate something bold. And that's how the tennis legend stepped into entrepreneurship.

Serena Williams announced her retirement from tennis in an interview with Vogue. The legend took part in her last professional tournament at the 2022 US Open, before making the decision after a remarkable 27-year career. She admits in the interview that she does not take retiring lightly because tennis has been her entire life, but she recognizes that it is now time for her to change into a new person. Her primary reason? She wishes to spend time with her family and focus on her entrepreneurship.