Serena Williams is a women's tennis star who boasts 23 Grand Slam victories. Not surprisingly, court records and numerous advertising contracts have long turned her into one of the richest athletes in the world. Williams confirmed her high financial status in 2018, returning to duty after the birth of her daughter. At the same time, Forbes magazine named her the highest paid athlete for the third time, earning $ 18 million in 12 months. But what capital has the tennis player accumulated over the years of her career, and what brings her income at the present time?
Net worth of Williams and her husband
Estimating the total income of the greatest tennis player of our time, financial experts say that her personal fortune reaches 180-200 million dollars. Williams earned a significant portion of this amount as prize money on the tennis court. In addition, over the years of a brilliant career, she has turned her own name into a successful brand, with which both sporting goods manufacturers and companies from completely different industries are willing to cooperate.
Serena obviously manages her money rationally, trying to increase existing assets by investing in various projects. Not all of her endeavors turn out to be successful, but the athlete continues to look for opportunities for a profitable investment.
In terms of total income, the tennis player can be compared with the American football star Tom Brady. However, it is significantly ahead of football players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who earned more than $ 400 million each. But among women athletes, she remains the undisputed leader.
In November 2017, Williams married Alexis Ohanian, an internet tech entrepreneur. Before meeting the tennis player, her husband was known as the founder of Reddit, a social story site where users themselves publish and rate news content. Ohanian's personal fortune is about $ 9 million.
Tennis career
Williams certainly owes her fantastic wealth to her tennis game. The athlete's father, who holds the post of her coach, from an early age prepared his daughters Serena and Venus for future victories and championships. For these purposes, the girls were even transferred to home schooling, so sports have always remained a priority for them.
Williams made his professional debut in October 1995 at the age of 14. Just two years later, the young athlete managed to get into the prestigious WTA ranking, which includes the 100 best tennis players on the planet. And Serena won her first resounding victory in 1999 at the US Open Tennis Championships. After this triumph, she was among the ten strongest tennis players in the world.
For several years, her career continued to gain momentum, and in 2003 Williams managed to celebrate victories at all four Grand Slam tournaments. Moreover, in the final, her older sister Venus confronted her every time. In the wake of the phenomenal rise, Serena reached the top of the WTA rankings. However, the further development of success was prevented by numerous injuries and operations.
Only by 2007, the athlete was able to fully recover, returning to the conquest of tennis Olympus. In 2009, she again topped the WTA rankings and held the leadership position in 2013-2015.
Williams took a career break in 2017 due to pregnancy. In September of the same year, she gave birth to a daughter, Alexis, Olympia. In the spring of 2018, her return to the sport took place, which turned out to be ambiguous. During the season, Serena played twice in the final of the Grand Slam tournaments, but was unable to surpass her rivals. As of July 1, 2019, she remains at the 10th position in the ranking of the best tennis players in the world.
However, the current setbacks do not prevent Williams from remaining one of the outstanding female players in the history of tennis. And in terms of the amount of prize money earned, she is an unattainable leader. According to the WTA, the total winnings of the athlete are more than $ 88 million. After all, Serena has 23 victories in Grand Slam singles, 14 victories in doubles and 2 in mixed, as well as many titles of other, less prestigious competitions.
Advertising earnings
Many well-known companies strive to cooperate with the tennis star. Advertising contracts generate Williams $ 10 to $ 20 million in revenue annually. In 2004, she signed with Nike to manufacture her own sportswear line. The deal was worth $ 40 million. Under the name of the athlete, tennis apparel and the Air Force 1 footwear line are produced. Prior to this agreement, Serena represented the interests of another sports giant, Puma.
In addition, during her career, the sports star has advertised Pepsi drinks, Delta Air Lines, Aston Martin and Mini cars, Beats by Dre headphones, Swiss Audemars Piguet watches, Gatorade sports nutrition, OPI nail polish, Tempur mattresses, Chase Bank services. Intel, IBM and many other products.
Investment income
Serena seeks to multiply her wealth through profitable investments. Since her occupation is far from the world of business, the tennis player often makes mistakes along the way. For example, in 2012 she funded the promotion of the new social network Mobli. However, this project could not stand the competition with Instagram.
Williams' investment experience also contains more successful examples. Together with actress Gwyneth Paltrow and several other investors, she supports Daily Harvest, which specializes in the delivery of frozen organic produce. Serena also has a stake in the Mayvenn project, where stylists sell wigs and curls from natural hair to clients.
In addition, the tennis player relied on the LOLA subscription service, which offers the delivery of feminine hygiene products to clients. Together with Serena, actresses from the TV series Girls Lina Dunham and Allison Williams are participating in the launch of the project.
Due to his age, the tennis star is close to ending his sports career. Williams has repeatedly mentioned in interviews that she and her husband dream of expanding the family. Therefore, it is likely that the athlete will focus on the role of wife and mother for the foreseeable future. Moreover, having a multimillion-dollar fortune, she may not work until the end of her life.
