serena williams before and after

Serena Williams before her tennis career was a young girl who, along with her sister Venus, was coached intensively by their parents to become professional tennis players. Turning professional in 1995, she quickly rose through the ranks, winning her first major singles title in 1999 at the US Open. Before her peak years, Williams made history by completing a career Grand Slam and achieving the "Serena Slam," holding all four major singles titles at once from 2002 to 2003. She was known for her power, athleticism, and also for breaking barriers in fashion and visibility for Black women in tennis. After an illustrious career with 23 major singles titles (the most in the Open Era), multiple Olympic gold medals, and being ranked world No. 1 for 319 weeks, Williams faced health challenges and injuries but made significant comebacks. In recent years, especially post-retirement from professional tennis, she has openly discussed her weight struggles postpartum and has used GLP-1 medication to lose over 31 lbs, leading to a healthier and confident physical state as shown in her recent posts and interviews in 2025. Thus, the "before" can be seen as her rise from a young, dedicated athlete to a dominant tennis figure, and the "after" includes her life post-tennis focusing on health, wellness, and self-confidence beyond the court.