40 Under 40

Rank
7
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Serena Williams

2017 Australian Open - Day 13
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 28: Serena Williams waves to the crowd as she leaves the court with the Daphne Akhurst Trophy after winning the Women's Singles Final against Venus Williams of the United States on day 13 of the 2017 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 28, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)Scott Barbour — Getty Images
  • Age
    35
  • Title
    Living tennis legend
  • Company

If you're a sports fan, or even if you're not, this has been the year of Serena Williams. In addition to setting the new record for number of Open-era grand slam titles (23) and being the highest-paid female athlete ($27 million over the past 12 months from June), the tennis pro has flexed her muscles on and off the clay court (and done it while pregnant to boot). In May, she joined the board of online survey giant SurveyMonkey, a month later she expanded her portfolio by investing in food startup Daily Harvest, and has spoken out forcefully for equal pay for women of color.

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