American tennis legend Serena Williams has become an ordained Christian minister following her baptism as a Jehovah’s Witness.
The 23-time Major champion who recently retired from tennis, was baptised on Sunday, January 8, 2023, during a Circuit Assembly held at the Jehovah’s Witnesses Assembly Hall in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA.
Social media posts and videos show an excited Serena Williams, 41, smiling before and after her immersion in the baptismal pool located at the assembly ground.
Raised as a Jehovah’s Witness by her family, Serena Williams never left anyone in doubt of her faith even though she was yet to get baptised.
For instance, during an interview with Vogue in 2017, she said: “Being a Jehovah’s Witness is important to me, but I’ve never really practiced it and have been wanting to get into it. Alexis didn’t grow up going to any church, but he’s really receptive and even takes the lead. He puts my needs first.”
The following year, ahead of the 2018 U.S. Open, Serena Williams surprised fans when she said she would not celebrate her daughter Alexis Olympia’s first birthday — or any, for that matter.
She told reporters at the U.S. Open press conference: “We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses, so we don’t do that.”
With her retirement from life as an active athlete, Serena Williams made it a priority to complete her Bible Study – a requirement for one to get baptised as a Jehovah’s Witness.
