Serena Williams Awarded Major Honor by Spain for Lifetime Achievements in Tennis Career

Serena Williams was announced on Wednesday as the 2025 Princess of Asturias Award winner in the sports category, in recognition of her remarkable tennis achievements.

The Princess of Asturias Awards are annual prizes presented by the Princess of Asturias Foundation in Spain to those who have made significant contributions in various fields, including sports, arts, communication and humanities, international cooperation, literature, social science, and technical and scientific research.

Serena Williams Adds Another Feather to Her Cap With Spanish Award

Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in history. She retired from the sport in 2022 after competing at the US Open and ended her career with 39 Grand Slam titles to her name. This included 23 singles Grand Slam titles and 14 women’s doubles Major titles, all of which she won alongside her sister, Venus Williams. She also secured two mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.

During her career, Williams held the World No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles in the WTA rankings. Additionally, she won four Olympic gold medals for the United States – one in singles and three in doubles – among many other accolades.

Serena Williams is not the first tennis player to receive this honor; previous recipients include Martina Navratilova (1994), Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1998), Steffi Graf (1999), and Rafael Nadal (2008). The awards will be presented by Leonor, Princess of Asturias who is the heiress presumptive to the Spanish throne.

Spanish swimmer Teresa Perales announced the jury’s decision to award Serena Williams the 2025 award in the sports category. The jury honored Williams not only for her tennis achievements but also for her strong advocacy for gender equality in “sports and society.”

“She has been a staunch advocate for equality between women and men in sports and society,” the jury said as per RTVE.

Williams’ philanthropic efforts through her foundation also contributed to her selection for the award. “Serena Williams is an athlete committed to defending equal opportunities in education and helping victims of violence, dedicating resources to them through the Serena Williams foundation, through which she has built secondary schools in Kenya and Jamaica,” the jury’s statement added.

Serena Williams won the last Grand Slam title of her career in 2017 at the Australian Open, where she defeated her sister, Venus Williams, in the final. She later revealed that she was pregnant with her first daughter, Olympia, during the tournament. Olympia was born on Sept. 1, 2017.