Record-breaking, trend-setting, polarizing, and controversial, Serena Williams often sparks conversation and debate. The 23-time Grand Slam champion has a team, an entourage, celebrity groupies, and a band of fans who call themselves Serenas army. When not winning titles, Williams finds time to run her own fashion line, endorse luxury and financial brands, and fund schools for girls in Africa and Jamaica. Serena Williams transcends sports.

More than a biography,Serena Williams: Tennis Champion, Sports Legend, and Cultural Heroinenot only tells the story of her upbringing and remarkable career but also looks at Williams as a sports pioneer. Merlisa Lawrence Corbett explores Williams influence on cultural and political issues such as body shaming, gender equality, and racism in sports and society. Corbett also analyzes Williams impact on discussions of feminism, the sports celebrity, and the marketing of female athletes. Williams is one of the most intriguing and influential figures in sports, and this book is the first to provide a fully-rounded portrait of a tennis icon.

Merlisa Lawrence Corbett is a tennis columnist and veteran sports journalist whose work has appeared in Bleacher Report, TennisView, Yahoo Sports, and London-basedLiveTennis.Com. She is a former reporter forSports Illustrated.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1:Serenas Country Club Upbringing

2:Queen of the Court

3:Sisterly Love

4:Galvanizing Girl Power and Black Girl Magic

5:Digital Age Activist

6:International Fame and Global Giving

7:Fashion Forward

8:Brand Serena

9:Second Act: Iconic

10:Conclusion

Appendix: All-Time Records

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author