Serena Williams dominated the WTA Tour for several years, beating her rivals at the sport’s biggest tournaments.
Few players have stronger claims to the ‘Greatest of All Time’ moniker than Williams, who impressed on and off the court throughout her legendary tennis career.
When she retired from tennis upon the conclusion of the 2022 US Open, she did so as the most successful player in the history of women’s tennis, having won a record 23 Grand Slam titles
The American star won Major titles in three different decades, clinching her first at the US Open in 1999, her 11th at Wimbledon in 2009, and her 23rd and last, at the 2017 Australian Open.
Building her legacy as the greatest player the WTA Tour has ever seen, Williams continued to break records and make history.
Perhaps her most impressive record-breaking achievement came at the Olympic Games in 2012, as she achieved something that may never be repeated.
Serena Williams became the first player to complete the ‘Career Golden Slam’ in singles and doubles
Williams entered the 2012 Olympic Games searching for Gold, the one title that had eluded her in her career to date.
Determined as ever, the American dominated on her way to the final, as she set-up a mouth-watering clash with one of her greatest rivals.
- 1R – Serena Williams beat Jelena Jankovic, 6-3, 6-1
- 2R – Serena Williams beat Urszula Radwanska, 6-2, 6-3
- 3R – Serena Williams beat Vera Zvonareva, 6-1, 6-0
- QF – Serena Williams beat Caroline Wozniacki, 6-0, 6-3
- SF – Serena Williams beat Victoria Azarenka, 6-1, 6-2
Having dropped just 16 games in her first five matches, Williams faced off against Maria Sharapova with a Gold Medal on the line.
Her domination continued in the final, as the Russian failed to take a game off Williams in the first set, losing 0-6.
An early break for Williams in the second made the rare 6-0, 6-0 scoreline seem possible before Sharapova finally held serve at 3-0, taking her first game of the match.
It was to be her last, however, as Williams clinched her first singles Olympic Gold Medal with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Sharapova in London.
The result saw Williams become the first player in tennis history to complete the ‘Career Golden Slam’ in both singles and doubles.
In the 13 years that have followed, no-one has matched the achievement, which involves a player winning ten of the sport’s biggest titles.
How Serena Williams completed the Career Golden Slam in singles and doubles
- (Singles) Australian Open – 2003
- (Singles) French Open – 2002
- (Singles) Wimbledon – 2002
- (Singles) US Open – 1999
- (Singles) Olympic Gold – 2012
- (Doubles) Australian Open – 2001
- (Doubles) French Open – 1999
- (Doubles) Wimbledon – 2000
- (Doubles) US Open – 1999
- (Doubles) Olympic Gold – 2000
During her post-match press conference, Williams was asked where the win ranked among her many successes.
“Oh, my gosh, this one is so high up there, being Olympic Gold champion, being Golden Slam champion singles and doubles, that’s pretty awesome,” she said.
“Hey, I did something nobody’s done so I’m really excited about it, I haven’t even had time to think about it.”
Having only dropped 17 games throughout the event, Williams revealed whether her performance at the Olympic Games was the best of her entire career.
“Probably,” she said.
“I was very consistent in this tournament from my first match to my last match, singles and doubles I’ve been pretty consistent, playing well.
“So, yeah, in a tournament, yeah.”
Are any active WTA players close to completing the ‘Career Golden Slam’?
Very few players in the modern game compete in singles and doubles, with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini a rare exception to the rule, having reached Major finals in both disciplines last year.
Williams’ record seems fairly untouchable in that regard, but there aren’t many players close to completing the ‘Career Golden Slam’ in singles either.
Williams and Steffi Graf are the only two players to have won all four Majors and Olympic Gold, and the current roster of WTA stars still have some way to go if they want to add their names to the list.
| Player | Australian Open | French Open | Wimbledon | US Open | Olympic Gold |
| Iga Swiatek | X | Won | X | Won | X |
| Aryna Sabalenka | Won | X | X | Won | X |
| Naomi Osaka | Won | X | X | Won | X |
World number one and two Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek look most likely to but still need to add three big titles to their collections if they are to do so.
They’ll have to wait another three years at a minimum, as they search for Olympic Gold once more at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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