Tennis icon Serena Williams has been named to TIME magazine’s 2025 list of the world’s 100 most influential people for her multi-faceted empire, which has only continued growing since her tennis retirement three years ago.
The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion joined fellow athletes like Simone Biles, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, and entertainers like Demi Moore, Lorne Michaels and Snoop Dogg in being selected to the annual list of movers and shakers across world industries that was first published in 1999.
The foreward to Williams’ selection was written by Allyson Felix, the Olympic track star who related to Williams’ motherhood and postpartum athletic journey, and her selection came with a lengthy wrtten profile by Sean Gregory in which Williams discusses the business and pop-culture headlines she’s made in the last year; her appreciation for Jannik Sinner, whom she says is a “fantastic personality,” and her thoughts on his current doping controversy; and being “content” with the current state of her life, despite feeling like she could still physically compete on tour.
“I’ve given my whole life to tennis, and I would gladly give another two years if I had time. But it’s nice to do something different,” she said.
“Whether it’s through her venture-capital fund that invests in companies founded by women and people of color, or joining the ownership group of the Toronto Tempo, a WNBA expansion team, or dancing during halftime at the Super Bowl, she continues to show that we, as athletes, are so far from one-dimensional,” Felix wrote.
“She doesn’t have to do any of this. She could take a break from being in the public eye and raise her family. Instead, she continues to pave the way. So many female athletes see themselves in Serena. A win for her is a win for all of us.”
Williams’ inclusion also garnered praise from Coco Gauff, who in 2024 was named one of the publication’s “Women of the Year” on the heels of her first Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open.
“Most influential people of all time, I mean, that’s an incredible accomplishment that she deserves,” Gauff said after easing into the quarterfinals at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. “She probably influenced millions, and I’m one of them. Not only in tennis but worldwide, just to be strong women and especially women of colour.
“It’s well-deserved. I wasn’t surprised when I saw that. Her photos looked really good.”
