Forbes Magazine has ranked American tennis Superstar, Serena Williams, as 79th world’s most powerful woman. It was the first time the former world number one would make the list.
The magazine stated that the 23-time Grand Slam winner’s singles trophies and $18.1 million earnings in 2017, qualified her as one of the 20 new entrants on their annual top 100 list.
The 37-year-old is rated as the highest paid female athlete for the third straight year. She made headlines this year after taking a stand on double standards against women in tennis during the final of US Open, which she lost to Japan’s Naomi Osaka.
The list includes the likes of Shonda Rhimes, Beyonce Knowles, Priyanka Chopra with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, ranked as number one.
The mother of one is not only known as a tennis star, but also for her business acumen. She launched her own clothing line, ‘Serena’, in May this year. Serena bought a stake in the Miami Dolphins with her older sister, Venus, in 2009.
The world number 16 also has a strong social media following, making it to the top 10 most tweeted-about athletes in the world along with LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, etc.
Serena has been running a campaign on working moms, discussing the challenges of working women who are mothers face. She is also helping to increase awareness on breast cancer.