The Grand Slam Champion Who’s Also a Qualified Nail Technician

Serena Williams has built her entire career on the idea that if you’re going to do something, you do it properly. It’s why she’s one of the most decorated athletes in history, and why she’s also managed to build a brand far beyond the tennis court.

Serena has always loved beauty especially nails and has spoken about how frequently she books in, saying she gets a manicure every 4 days and a pedicure every 7. So in 2010, she decided she wanted to learn the craft and become a qualified nail technician.

This wasn’t a quick “celebrity tries something new” headline. Serena actually signed up for a nail technician program in Florida that required 240 hours of training, the kind of time commitment you need to become properly certified.

One of the most memorable parts of the story is how quickly she was thrown into hands-on training. On her first day, Serena was already doing practical work including giving someone a pedicure. She even attempted a French finish and admitted she’d never done one before.

It’s also the kind of detail that makes the whole thing feel so real: nail training isn’t glamorous behind the scenes. It’s technique, tools, timing, hygiene, precision and getting comfortable working on someone else’s hands and feet.

Despite it being her first time, Serena apparently approached it calmly and methodically. The story goes that her classmates were surprised by how well she did and asked if she’d done it before.
Which, considering how often she’d been on the client side of a salon chair, makes sense. When you’ve watched a process hundreds of times, you absorb more than you realise.

Serena’s interest in nails wasn’t only personal. At the time, she was also preparing for a nail-related product collaboration, and becoming certified meant she could be involved with real understanding not just as a celebrity name attached to a collection.

It’s the difference between liking something and respecting it enough to learn the technical side. The products, the prep, the process, the standards — the things clients don’t always see, but professionals live by.

It also says something about the power of a beauty ritual. For Serena, nails weren’t just aesthetic. They were a routine, a reset, and a way to feel like herself in a career built on constant performance.