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34 Reasons Why We Love Serena Williams, For Her 34th Birthday

Long live the queen of the (tennis) court.
Juliet Spies-Gans
By 

The Huffington Post

Saturday is an important day in the sports world. No, it's not the Super Bowl. Or the Wimbledon championship match. Or the Masters. Instead, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015, marks the 34th birthday of one Serena Williams -- 21-time Grand Slam winner, two-time Serena Slam crown holder and the G.O.A.T. of the women's tennis world.

Calendar-year Grand Slam or not, Williams has had a remarkable season. So to commemorate Queen Serena's special day, we put together 34 of the reasons why we love her.

1
Because she gave this response when a reporter asked her why she wasn’t smiling
YouTube/Serena Williams Videos
(Start at 5:30 in the video.) “Um, it’s 11:30. To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t want to be here. I just want to be in bed right now, and I have to wake up early to practice, and I don’t want to answer any of these questions, and you guys keep asking me the same questions, so it’s not really making it super enjoyable. Just being honest.”
2
Because she wears the best hats after winning Wimbledon
YouTube
3
Because she, somehow, got known-automaton Novak Djokovic to dance and be happy after they both won Wimbledon
4
Because she was just 21 when she notched her first Serena Slam
What is a Serena Slam, you ask? It's when Williams wins the four major tournament championships -- the Australia Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open -- in consecutive fashion.
5
Because she said this prior to speaking with a group of young women in Lagos, Nigeria on that same public service tour:
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
"We were able to break the [mold] and win a lot of grand slams and change the face of tennis ... when tennis was very dominated by white people. It doesn't matter what your background is and where you come from, if you have dreams and goals, that's all that matters."
6
Because on July 7, 2012, she managed to win both the Wimbledon singles title (her fifth, because of course), and the Wimbledon doubles title, playing with her sister
Instagram
7
... and because she won that singles title by tallying four consecutive aces (!) in the final set
YouTube
8
Because she always finds the silver lining. And, often, her silver lining is a pretty damn good one
In July, when asked about her bid for the 2015 calendar-year Grand Slam, she said: “Worst case scenario, I have another Serena Slam.” That's right -- and it's her second one at that.

Mic drop.
9
Because even John McEnroe called her “the greatest player … that ever lived”
Eugene Gologursky via Getty Images
High praise from another great.
10
Because even after severely spraining her ankle in the middle of a match in 2012, she simply refused to lose
YouTube
She was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to the seriousness of the injury. After she won the match.
11
Because she’s inspiring even the youngest tennis fans to want to be like her
YouTube
12
Because she showed off how hard she’s worked in the photo shoot for her recent New York Magazine cover story
Instagram
Read her cover story: "The Unretiring Serena Williams"
13
Because her tennis-celeb selfie game is better than yours
Instagram
Together, Williams and Roger Federer have won 38 Grand Slam titles. Not bad.
14
... or anyone else’s, for that matter
Instagram
The male and female No. 1s, Novak Djokovic and Williams.
15
Because of this one-legged forehand that she just happened to execute on clay
Go to 0:40 for some Grand Slam final magic.
16
Because she inspired us with this video
17
Because she’s just one major championship away from tying Steffi Graf for the most Grand Slam titles in female tennis history
Evan Agostini via Getty Images
Graf, center, has 22. Williams will look to match and eclipse that record next year.
18
Because she won the first of those Grand Slams when she was just 17, at the 1999 U.S. Open
New York Daily News Archive via Getty Images
After winning her first at age 17, she has collected 20 in the last 17 years.
19
Because she may or may not be dating Drake
Jean Catuffe via Getty Images
And she may or may not care who knows. Drake was seen cheering on Williams at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, pictured above, this year.
20
Because she once chose to practice her serve by hitting oranges, not tennis balls
Vaughn Ridley via Getty Images
According to New York Magazine, her dad wasn't too pleased about that.
21
Because it’s been over 30 months since she became the oldest No. 1-ranked female tennis player ever, at 31
Instagram
And now, on her 34th birthday, she is still, unequivocally, No. 1.

Happy birthday, Queen Serena. You have become The Greatest.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this piece said Williams danced before her Olympic match began. She danced afterward.

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