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Serena Williams named to 'World's Greatest Leaders' list

Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Serena Williams can add another accolade to her long list of accomplishments after landing on Fortune Magazine's annual ranking of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders.

The tennis star came in at No. 15 on the list, joining the likes of Bill and Melinda Gates, Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, French president Emmanuel Macron, and the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who claimed the top spot.

"Williams spent much of 2017 off the court while pregnant with her first child. But taking a break from tennis didn't stop her from leading," Fortune wrote. "After complications with her pregnancy, she focused a spotlight on women's health issues - including the fact that maternal mortality rates for African-Americans are three times as high as those for white women."

Williams was bedridden for six weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr., via emergency C-section. As she revealed in an op-ed for CNN in February, the near-death experience gave her a new perspective on the challenges other women around the world face.

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