Serena Williams had 'wild' dating rule early on in her professional tennis career

Tennis superstar Serena Williams once revealed a 'wild' dating rule that she applied across her professional career.

Williams, 43, dominated the women's game for almost three decades, winning a whopping 13 Grand Slam singles titles in the process.

Alongside her sister Venus, the US star never shied away from the spotlight which naturally comes with being a sporting sensation.

But it is her approach to dating which caused quite the stir, with her comments from 2005 highlighting her unusual approach to her love life during her playing days.

You may not know but Williams is now married to to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

They married on November 16, 2017 and their ceremony was attended by stars such as Beyonce and Kim Kardashian.

But it hasn't always been plain sailing for the Michigan-born tennis sensation, having previously declared her tough views on dating.

"We don't believe in dating unless you're ready to get married," she told The Telegraph back in 2005.

"I've never dated anybody. It's good to get experience under your belt but you should never get wild or go crazy.

"If I can't see myself with this person for life - I can't be bothered. I can't waste my time.

"I have some really good men friends but I believe in no sex before marriage. No fornicating. Stuff like that. I really believe in that.

"I mean, I'm not perfect. It's hard to live by the Bible standards but I'm really comfortable with me."

Serena Williams at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony (Image: Getty)

Having retired from tennis back in 2022, Williams is said to be enjoying the down time along with her family nowadays.

She has two children named Olympia and Adira, with the former already taking professional tennis lessons to try and emulate her mother.

Williams won an estimated £74 million in earnings across her career to position herself as one of the most successful female athletes ever.

“I've gotten obsessed, more obsessed with diet and exercise,” Serena shared, speaking on life after retirement.

“I’m trying to compete – not compete, rephrase – trying to do a half-marathon.

"That’s my new goal. So it’s just like I have to do something competitive. I’m all about a healthy lifestyle.

“The more I don’t play sports professionally the more I think, ‘Okay, this is what I’ve done for literally my entire life and how do I optimise and keep it up?’”