Tennis icon Serena Williams has built an incredible business empire after almost three decades at the top of the sport and a host of lucrative commercial deals
Serena Williams has achieved almost every feat imaginable on the tennis court. 73 career titles in singles, 23 doubles titles and four Olympic gold medals to top if off. However, it’s not just on the court where the 41-year-old has excelled. The tennis icon has a jaw-dropping business portfolio and range of philanthropic ventures that comes from years of hard work and planning.
Serena retired from the sport with $450 million (£361m) in career earnings, $94.8m (£76.14m) of which was generated by her on-court prize money alone. Serena officially turned professional back in October 1995, the beginning of an era where staggering endorsement contracts for athletes where coming to prominence.
Setting unprecidented records, she quickly became one of the most marketable sportspeople in the process. Her on-court achievements were unmatched by an other female tennis player. This added to Serena’s global appeal which earned her a whopping $350m (£281m) in off-court sponsorships deals.
With the vast majority of that wealth now coming from endorsement contracts, as she has retired from professional tennis, Forbes claims Williams is now worth around $290m (£232m). Her Venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, alone raised $111 million (£89m) for an early-stage venture capital fund to support founders hailing from underserved communities in the tech industry.
Williams has worked with an impressive list of partners which includes AbbVie, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Audemars Piguet, Block Inc, DirecTV, Ford, Gatorade, Gucci, Hanesbrands, Nike, Subway, Tonal, and Wilson Sporting Goods to name but a few.
In addition to these partnerships, Williams also launched her own clothing brand S by Serena. The 41-year-old even holds a minority stake in NFL team, Miami Dolphins, and the NWSL team, Angel City FC.
Property is another string to Serena’s bow. The tennis icon owns a 14,500-square-foot Spanish Mediterranean–style home situated in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida with her husband and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
The various properties also come complete with a fleet of luxury sports cars. An Aston Martin Vanquish worth $315,000 and a Lincoln Continental are among the most impressive vehicles.
It’s not just about luxury for the seven-time Wimbledon champion. Williams has devoted her time and fortune to philanthropic efforts including work with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and has been an international Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF since 2011.
Serena also supports the NHS’s Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London, the HollyRod Foundation, the Eva Longoria Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. In 2017, she also became an ambassador for the Allstate Foundation’s Purple Purse project.