Serena Williams came to professional tennis by a route that was different right from where it started, on the public courts of Compton, California. Serena began playing there at age four, coached by her parents, Richard Williams and Oracene Price, who continued to coach Serena and her older sister Venus through most of their careers. Growing up, Serena and Venus spent much less time on the junior circuit than their peers, but they were almost uniquely equipped to excel on their own, as each had in the other a practice partner who was also a best friend sharing the same experience and the same extraordinary athleticism.
Although Serena officially turned pro the month she turned 14 (September 1995), she played only one match that year and didn't play any in 1996. In 1997, Serena had one great tournament, in Chicago, where she reached the semifinal after defeating Mary Pierce (ranked #7) and Monica Seles (ranked #4), and she finished the year ranked #100.
1998 through 2001 saw Serena establish herself as a major contender in singles, but not yet a dominant force. In doubles, however, she and Venus quickly established themselves as one of the most best teams ever to compete. After a couple of WTA doubles titles in 1998, Serena and Venus won two major doubles titles in 1999, Roland Garros and the US Open, then Wimbledon and Olympic gold in 2000. In 2001, the sisters completed their career doubles Grand Slam by taking the Australian Open. Serena's best singles result during these years was her 1999 US Open title, but she was also runner-up there in 2001, and she made the semifinal at Wimbledon in 2000. She finished 1998 in the top 20 and 1999 through 2001 in the top ten.
2002 was Serena's standout year in singles, as she won Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open, defeating Venus in all three. In 2003, Venus was again the runner-up as Serena took the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Although the "all-Williams finals" were much noted as a historic phenomenon, they weren't good tennis, as the sisters' discomfort playing each other was quite evident in the quality of play. Serena's four consecutive, but not calendar-year, Grand Slams were dubbed the "Serena Slam," and with her #1 ranking at the end of 2002, she had clearly risen as a singles star. Her success was not entirely at Venus's expense though, as they teamed up for another Wimbledon doubles title in 2002 and an Australian Open in 2003.
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