The award ceremony will be held on October 24 in Oviedo, Spain

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Serena Williams, 2025 Princess of Asturias Award for Sports

American tennis player Serena Williams has been awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports 2025 in recognition of her extraordinary sporting career and her social impact as a world reference on and off the courts.

This award to Williams recognizes not only her brilliant career, but also her role as an agent of change, as a model of female leadership and as a strong voice in the fight for equality and human rights through sport. It represents recognition that her legacy extends far beyond the courts.

At the age of 43, Williams bids farewell to professional sport with an impressive record: 73 individual titles, 23 Grand Slam tournaments and four Olympic gold medals. Her competitive style, perseverance and ability to revolutionize women's tennis have made her a legendary figure. But the Award jury also highlighted her role as an advocate for gender equality and her contribution to women's empowerment.

Raised in Compton, a disadvantaged neighborhood in California, Serena Williams broke multiple social, racial and sporting barriers to reach the top of world tennis. Throughout her career she not only shined in sports, but also took strong stances on social issues, such as her 14-year boycott of the Indian Wells tournament in protest of incidents of racism. Another example of her determination was winning the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant.

Beyond records, Williams has become a global symbol of overcoming, leadership and activism. Her influence transcends sport, inspiring generations of women and girls to fight for their dreams and rights.

The award ceremony will be held on October 24 in Oviedo, presided over by the King and Queen of Spain, as is the tradition of the Princess of Asturias Awards.

A sporting and social legacy

The Princess of Asturias Award for Sports is one of the most prestigious international awards. It is awarded annually by the Princess of Asturias Foundation in Spain, and recognizes the work of individuals, teams or institutions whose work in sport has made an exemplary contribution at the international level, both in sporting and human terms.

This award is a distinction of great international prestige, just like the Nobel Prizes in its category, but focused on the field of sports. This award rewards sports performance and the values transmitted by the athlete: effort, self-improvement, solidarity, leadership and social commitment. In this sense, the award highlights the impact of sport as a tool for change, inclusion and example for society.

This year the Princess of Asturias Award has been given to Serena Williams because this athlete has marked a milestone in the history of tennis. With 23 Grand Slam titles (a record in the Open era) and four Olympic medals, among other achievements, her dominance and style of play have redefined women's tennis.

In addition to being a global benchmark athlete, Williams has also become a cultural icon by promoting social change through sport; inspiring millions of people; promoting mental health and diversity; she has been influential in debates about motherhood and competition; and throughout her career she has championed racial and gender equity, an activism that has helped bring visibility to the difficulties faced by women-especially black women-in sport and society.