In what city was Serena Williams born?

Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan. She was born there on September 26, 1981, before her family later moved to California and began shaping the tennis career that made her famous.

When Serena and Venus were young, their family relocated to Compton, California. Their father, Richard Williams, believed that training in Compton could help toughen the sisters for competitive tennis. Serena and Venus began practicing on public courts there, with Richard and their mother, Oracene Price, closely involved in their development.

Because Compton is so strongly associated with the Williams sisters’ origin story, it is often mistakenly given as Serena’s birthplace. It was her childhood home and an important part of her tennis education, but she was born in Saginaw.

The family later moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, when Serena was nine so that she and Venus could train at Rick Macci’s tennis academy. Those moves—from Michigan to California to Florida—trace the early path of her professional development.