22 Fun Facts About Serena Williams
— -- In 22 days, Serena Williams will begin her quest for her 22nd major championship to tie Steffi Graf for most in the Open era. To celebrate the epic career of the legendary Williams, who also will be aiming for tennis' first calendar Grand Slam at the U.S. Open since Graf did it in 1988, we give you 22 fun Serena Williams facts.
1. Her middle name is Jameka.
2. She has played in 60 Grand Slam tournaments in her career and has won 21 of them.
3. Her favorite city in the world is Rome.
4. Her favorite sport to watch other than tennis is gymnastics.
5. Williams and Chris Evert have each won six U.S. Open singles titles -- the most in the Open era.
6. Other than dogs, her favorite animals are tigers.
7. She cranks David Bowie's "Fame" to power through a tough workout.
8. Her go-to gadget in the kitchen is the toaster oven.
9. She has been ranked No. 1 for 253 weeks in her career. Only three players -- Graf (377), Martina Navratilova (332) and Evert (260) -- have enjoyed the top spot longer.*
10. She is No. 47 on this year's Forbes list of highest-paid athletes. She raked in a reported $24.6 million between June 2014 and June 2015.
11. She has competed at three Olympics and won four gold medals.
12. Her favorite water sport is tubing.
13. She has lost just nine matches in her 15 U.S. Open appearances. The only person to beat her twice is sister Venus Williams (2001 and 2005).
14. She won her first major title in 1999 at the U.S. Open, beating Martina Hingis in the final.
15. At 15 years between her first (1999) and most recent (2014) titles, Williams holds the record for most years between U.S. Open singles championships.
16. When she won her first U.S. Open, "The Sixth Sense" was finishing its fifth week at No. 1 in the box office.
17. The song she is somewhat embarrassed to admit that's on her phone is "MMMBop" by Hanson.
18. The strangest thing in her gym bag is Opi Nail Polish.
19. She has won 21 straight matches at the U.S. Open. Her last loss was to Samantha Stosur in the 2011 final.
20. Her favorite food after a workout is a Gatorade bar to replenish protein and carbs.
21. She has won 28 straight matches and four straight titles at Grand Slam events.
22. Her winning percentage at the U.S. Open is .898, the highest among singles players in the Open era.
*-- Includes rankings through Aug. 10, 2015.
Cristina Goyanes contributed to this report.