With 41 Grand Slam titles and four Olympic golds, Serena Williams is one of the greatest names in tennis. The American has 23 singles, 14 doubles, and four mixed doubles majors in her cabinet. She is one half of the Williams sisters, alongside Venus Williams, who battled each other consistently and are two of the most successful athletes in the Open era.

The Australian Open has always been a favoured hunting ground for the American. She has lifted the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup a record seven times. She has also been crowned the victor of the doubles title at the Australian Open four times.

From her Grand Slam debut in 1998 to her achieving a career slam and holding all four titles simultaneously to winning the title while pregnant to becoming the oldest female athlete to win a Grand Slam to winning her final Major, the Australian Open has always held a special place in the American’s heart. Here are four unforgettable Serena Williams moments at the Australian Open.

#1 First main draw appearance at the 1998 Australian Open

Having made her professional tennis debut at just 14 years old in 1995, Serena Williams wouldn’t play after her debut till the 1997 Ameritech Cup in Chicago, Illinois. Entering the tournament as a 304th-ranked wildcard, she would announce herself to the world by beating then World No. 7 and No. 4 Mary Pierce and Monica Seles as she blazed through to her first WTA semifinal, where Lindsay Davenport would knock her out.

Soon after, Williams would triumph over Davenport just a week before the Australian Open in Sydney and soar to a then personal-best 53rd in the WTA rankings. She would make her first Grand Slam appearance at the 1998 Australian Open as a 16-year-old. Her first-round matchup was against sixth-seed Romanian Irina Spirlea – one no one expected her to win. She would begin by losing the first set in the tiebreak but come back strong to win the next two sets and record her maiden win at a Grand Slam finals 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1.

Serena would go on to face sister, Venus Williams, in the first of their 31 professional encounters, including nine Grand Slam finals. But in this one, Venus would ease past her younger sister as she beat Serena in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.

Despite her early exit, the eventual seven-time Australian Open champion had made her mark at The Happy Slam, a sign of things to come.

#2 Serena Williams wins the “Serena Slam”

Serena Williams won her first Major at the 1999 US Open. She would not emerge victorious at a Grand Slam again until the 2002 French Open as her older sister Venus would have a purple patch in 2000 and 2001, winning at Wimbledon and the US Open in both years.

At the 2002 Roland Garros, Serena would meet Venus in the final of a Grand Slam for the second consecutive time following her loss to her sibling at the 2001 US Open final. This time, the tables would be turned as Serena reigned supreme by trouncing Venus 7-5, 6-3 in straight sets to take home her first French Open and second Major.

The duo would meet in the finals of the next three Grand Slams in the 2002 Wimbledon final, the 2002 US Open final, and the 2003 Australian Open final. Serena would proceed to triumph in all three clashes, marking the achievement of her first career slam while simultaneously holding all four Majors at the same time – a feat she would dub the “Serena Slam”.

#3 Comeback victory at the 2007 Australian Open

Serena Williams staged a comeback for the ages in 2007. Following a two-year winless streak and a long spell on the sidelines due to injuries, the American returned to action at the 2007 Australian Open, ranked 81st in the world, far off her best.

She would power through the draw to face top seed Maria Sharapova in the final. Having last won a major exactly two years ago at the Rod Laver Arena, Serena resoundingly beat the five-time Grand Slam champion 6-1, 6-2 for the loss of a mere three games.

#4 Record-breaking triumph at the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant

Serena Williams cruised to victory at the 2017 Australian Open as she beat her sister Venus in the final en route to her 23rd and final Grand Slam in her star-studded career. Impressively enough, she did not drop a single set throughout the tournament.

This also took Williams past Steffi Graf as the female tennis player with the most Majors in the Open Era with 23 titles, and at the age of 35, became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam.

More impressive than any of this, however, is that Serena Williams would later reveal to the world that she achieved victory while in the early stages of pregnancy with her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr.