Inside Serena Williams' winning property portfolio

When Serena Williams departs tennis after the US Open, so she will have another passion that she may want to focus on.

Property is one of the formidable 41 year-old’s fortes.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner and mum purchased her first home more than two decades ago, with sister Venus.

The pair are back playing in a supreme doubles act Flushing Meadow this year, but could turn their hand to property styling and development.

Handily, Venus’ love of real estate would prove useful for Serena’s final property purchase, a Miami mansion which Venus’ interiors firm designed and made headlines for its trophy room.

Back to the beginning

Serena bought a one-acre parcel of land in Palm Beach Gardens in Florida for $US525,000 ($748,000) in 1998, Architectural Digest reported.

This amount is more than $US940,000 ($1.3 million) in today’s money.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist purchased the lot of land with older sister, Venus.

The famous siblings spent two years creating a 790 square-metre, six-bedroom estate complete with a cinema and resort-style backyard with a private lake.

They sold the property in 2019 for more than US$2.3 million ($3.3 million).

The baby blue mansion

In 2006, Serena reportedly spent more than $US6.6 million ($8.54 million) on a 2.7-acre Bel Air estate that boasted six bedrooms and seven bathrooms.

Despite the estate’s spacious grounds it did not have a tennis court but instead featured a salon and a poolside loggia – more commonly known as a partially covered corridor or gallery.

The home was distinct from the her first mansion; this was more in the art deco style and, befitting her bubbly personality, was painted baby blue.

Serena sold the property in 2019 for more than $US8 million ($11 million).

City of Lights

Over the years the sports star and businesswoman has expanded her property portfolio to include residences outside the US.

In 2007, she bought a two-bedroom apartment in the Paris’ 7th arrondissement.

Serena gave fans a tour of the apartment in 2016 in a video posted to her Snapchat.

There are no online listing photos of the spread, but it is understood to be classically Parisian, with a decorative fireplace, a provincial-style kitchen and a small bathroom.

In her Snapchat, she affectionately referred to the wardrobe as a “small space” and showed off the bar cart and home comforts she had added.

Return serve

In 2015, Serena again bought in Florida’s Palm Beach Gardens, spending $US3.6 million ($5.12 million) on a Georgian-style mansion in the gated community.

She quietly sold the home, with a striking outdoor zone, in 2020 for almost $US4 million ($5.6 million).

With marble floors, an outlook over a canal in an super private area, and a huge main bedroom suite, it was prepped perfectly for the prestige market.

Serena allowed Vogue to photograph her in the house around the time of her marriage to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Spanish styling

Serena added to her property portfolio again in 2017 when she bought a 1347-square-metre Spanish-Mediterranean mansion.

Real estate agent Sam Real at Nest Seekers International, who did the deal for the couple, told Elle Decor he believed the security provided by the Summit Hills address – another gated community – is what drew the couple to purchase.

The interior designer who crafted the home, Sharon Taftian, told Elle that she imbued it with Spain-meets-California looks.

“My initial vision for the house was to do a modern interpretation of a Mediterranean design. I translated that into the selection of the finishes. For example, in the secondary bathroom we did a Moroccan vibe with the encaustic tiles,” she told the magazine.

Serena listed it for $7.5 million after she was defeated by Naomi Osaka in the semi-final of the Australian Open in 2021, but later that year, she removed it from the market.

Knock-down job

But soon, Serena was again in a buying mood. She picked up the former Florida mansion of professional baseball player Yadier Molina for more than US$8 million ($11 million) in 2021.

Agent Michael Leibowitz of Leibowitz Realty Group, who has been party to Serena’s property deals on a number of occasions, handled the transaction.

Soon after the purchase, paperwork was filed to demolish the mansion. The documents were lodged by tennis star’s business name, which the home was bought under.

Despite the plans to knock it down, the estate itself was grand, although dated in its design, with eight bedrooms, a swimming pool, guest house, tennis court and basketball court.

Saving the best for last

The crowning glory of the portfolio is her custom-made Miami mansion.

This is where fans will find her now famous “trophy room”, and where she will chill in retirement.

And she turned to none other than her sister Venus, who has a design firm named V Star, to create the home.

The property has a hidden karaoke room, a trophy room, an pool and a wine cellar Architectural Digest called “the size of a small NYC apartment”.

The home is shown in the V Star portfolio online – simply dibbed “private residence, South Florida” – and was completed in July 2020.