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Venus Williams

 
Who2 Biography: Venus Williams, Tennis Player
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Venus Williams
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  • Born: 17 June 1980
  • Birthplace: Lynwood, California
  • Best Known As: Sister of Serena Williams and five-time winner of Wimbledon

Venus Williams dominated women's tennis in 2000, winning singles titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Sydney Olympics, and winning doubles titles at Wimbledon and Sydney with her younger sister Serena. (Her victory at Wimbledon made her the first black female champion there since Althea Gibson in 1957 and 1958.) Williams was already a famous figure in tennis for her size (6'1"), overpowering strength, and unusual tennis background: she and Serena learned to play on public courts in tough Compton, California, coached by their self-taught father Richard. After her breakthrough 2000 campaign she was named Sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine. In 2001 she repeated as Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion (defeating Serena in the U.S. Open finals) and she won again at Wimbledon in 2005, 2007 and 2008.

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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Venus Williams
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(born June 17, 1980, Lynwood, Calif., U.S.) U.S. tennis player. Venus and her sister Serena were taught by their father to play tennis when they were young. Venus turned professional in 1994, and Serena followed suit a year later. The sisters attracted attention in professional women's tennis because of their forceful ground strokes and obvious strength and endurance on the court. Venus won both the women's singles and (with Serena) the women's doubles gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. She won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001, but in 2002 Serena defeated her in the finals of the French Open, the U.S. Open, and Wimbledon. Venus went on to win Wimbledon in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Venus and Serena won a second women's doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

For more information on Venus Williams, visit Britannica.com.

Black Biography: Venus Williams
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tennis player

Personal Information

Born Venus Ebone Starr Williams, June 17. 1980, in Los Angeles, CA; daughter of Richard (a security-business owner and daughters' coach) and Oracene (a nurse) Williams
Education: Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, attending.
Religion: Jehovah's Witness.

Career

Played junior tennis until 1991; became professional tennis player, October, 1994; won women's doubles title (with sister, Serena Williams) at the French Open, 1999; won women's doubles title (with sister, Serena Williams) and singles' title at the U.S. Open, 1999; won Wimbledon, 2000; won women's doubles title (with sister, Serena Williams) at Wimbledon, 2000; won Bank of the West Classic, 2000; won the Acura Classic, 2000; won U.S. Open, 2000; won gold medals in singles and doubles (with sister, Serena Williams) at Olympic Games, 2000; won Ericsson Open, 2001; ranked second worldwide, World Tennis Association, 2001; ranked number one by WTA, 2002; won Wimbledon, 2002; won Wimbledon and U.S. Open, 2005.

Life's Work

When Venus Williams made her debut in professional women's tennis in 1994, the New York Times's Robin Finn called her "the most unorthodox tennis prodigy her sport has ever seen." Three years later, the seventeen-year-old, six-foot-two-inch athlete was an international celebrity: photographs of Williams with the beads in her cornrowed hair clicking through the air, her face a study in determination as her racket smacked the ball to her opponent, were some of the most memorable of the 1997 tennis season. Though she enjoyed success at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, her opponents were often younger and had been playing competitive tennis longer; moreover, the blunt remarks of Williams's outspoken father sometimes overshadowed her rising star.

Williams was born in the Watts area of Los Angeles in June of 1980, the fourth of Richard and Oracene Williams's five daughters. Richard Williams was part-owner of a security business, and her mother is a nurse. A few years later the family moved from Watts to nearby Compton. All five Williams daughters played tennis as youngsters, but the two youngest, Venus and Serena, were outstanding players from an early age. Compton was infamous for its troubles with gang-related activity, and the girls practiced the game at a court in a park that gang members frequented. Williams, in fact, lost a sister, Yetunde Price, in 2003 following a dispute with local residents. Venus Williams began entering competitions, went unbeaten in 63 games, and age ten had won the Southern California girls' title in the under-12 division.

A Female Michael Jordan

Both Sports Illustrated and Tennis magazine noticed Williams's talent, and ran stories on her in the summer of 1991 calling her "tennis's newest pixie" and "a prodigy." Her father contacted Rick Macci, a tennis coach in Florida, and asked him to come to Compton to meet his daughter and judge her potential. "I hear it all the time: 'I've got the next Jennifer [Capriati],'" Macci told Tennis magazine's David Higdon. "Richard said he'd like to meet me but the only thing he could promise me was that I wouldn't get shot. All I could think of was: 'Who is this guy?'" he recalled. Early one morning Richard drove the visiting Macci to the park. "There must have been 30 guys there already playing basketball and another 20 lying on the grass passed out," Macci recollected in Tennis magazine. He played a few games with Venus, and was unimpressed. Then, he remembered, she "asks to go to the bathroom and as she walks out the gate, she walks at least 10 yards on her hands. Then she went into these backward cartwheels for another 10 yards. I'm watching this and the first thing I thought was: 'I've got a female Michael Jordan on my hands.'"

The Williams family moved to Florida when Venus enrolled in Macci's tennis academy there. She also withdrew from junior tennis that year at the age of 11. Instead of mixing practice with the competition circuit, Williams stayed put, was schooled at home, and practiced six hours a day, six times a week. She did this for four years--a decision, Macci said, that Williams and her family had made based on her unique temperament. "Putting her in a traditional development system would be like putting her in prison," the coach told Finn in the New York Times. When she was thirteen, companies were already contacting Williams and her family to offer endorsement contracts if she did turn pro.

Remarkable Debut

Tennis-watchers wondered when Williams would succumb to the lure--some young women in tennis entered professional competition at the age of fourteen, dropping out of school and playing the tournament circuit, and earning large sums of money either by winning prize purses or the signing lucrative product endorsement contracts. It was a potentially disastrous situation for many young players. Richard Williams appeared on the ABC news program Nightline in the summer of 1994 after former preteen tennis prodigy Jennifer Capriati was arrested and faced drug charges, and declared he'd never allow Venus to turn pro at such a young age. He was criticized, however for wearing a hat and vest with both bearing the logo of a sports-energy food product during the television interview.

Surprisingly Williams turned pro just a few months later. Her debut came in October of 1994 at the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California. There, the fourteen-year-old beat the woman ranked number 59 in the world, Shaun Stafford, then went on to give Arantxa Sanchez Vicario--women tennis's Number 2 player--a good game before losing. "She's going to be great for women's tennis," Stafford told the New York Times's Finn. Some wondered, however, why Williams had suddenly entered the professional circuit, but new rules adopted by the Women's Tennis Council of the World Tennis Association at the time may have provided just cause. After the close of 1994, fourteen-year-olds were barred from turning pro, and young women under 18 who entered the competition level from 1995 onward were limited in the number of tournaments in which they could participate.

Though she had skated into the professional level exempt from these rules, Williams restricted her schedule anyway. She stayed in school and did not appear again on the pro circuit until an August 1995 event, the Acura Classic in Manhattan Beach, California; she lost in the first round. Some tennis analysts noted that because she lacked the junior-tournament experience, Williams had not learned to inject a competitive edge to her game. Her father has tried to rectify this, sometimes by rooting against her in public matches. Conversely, he told New York Times Magazine writer Pat Jordan, "Every time she loses, I pay her $50."

As the New York Times Magazine profile pointed out, however, the dedicated fathers of women's tennis are sometimes problematic: Steffi Graf's father was charged with tax evasion, and she herself was nearly arrested for complicity; an American teenage player, Mary Pierce, had to obtain a court restraining order against her father. Richard Williams was well aware of the dangers of the sport on young women, though, and controlled his daughter's career in order to avoid problems. He saw the lesson in Capriati, who turned pro at 14. "At 15, she lost her smile," he told Jordan in the New York Times Magazine. "At 16, there were problems. What happened? I want to make sure that doesn't happen to my kids," he added.

The Williams Family In the Media

Venus's younger sister, Serena, also showed great promise as a player. Richard Williams predicted that some day the pair would have to play against one another for the women's world title, but he often received more press than either of them. "Richard Williams has been called a 'liar' and 'genius' and everything in between," wrote Higdon in Tennis magazine. The senior Williams asserted that his family did not receive any endorsement money from wearing the logo-emblazoned clothing of one sportswear maker at public appearances, but a spokesperson for the company said they had indeed paid him a consultant's fee. Yet Williams has also been lauded for shepherding his daughter's career down a non-traditional path that kept the focus on her education and allowed her to mature outside of the competitive pressures of the pro circuit. Newspaper reportage about Venus often remarks on her self-assuredness and impressive vocabulary. Her father and Macci, Finn wrote in the New York Times, "have produced a player who appears to possess wit and wisdom beyond her years--with a serve, volley, and vocabulary to match."

Again Williams stayed out of the limelight for much of 1996, and in the spring of 1997 made her debut at the French Open. A month later, as she turned seventeen, she traveled to England for Wimbledon, perhaps the sport's most famous tournament. Serena and Oracene Williams came with her to lend support, but her father stayed home. She received a great deal of attention, but had a poor showing and lost to Magdalena Grzybowska. "By the time it was over.... Williams stood revealed as a huge talent with little idea of how to adjust to an opponent or adversity," wrote S. L. Price in Sports Illustrated. She remained imperturbable, though. "It's my first Wimbledon," she told reporters. "There will be many more," she added, according to Sports Illustrated.

Her father asserted that his daughter's "only weakness is she's overconfident," he said in the New York Times Magazine. Williams's U.S. Open performance in the late summer of 1997 went somewhat better: she advanced from 66th to 25th in the rankings in one day. "Williams's progress as a player was undeniable; almost overnight she had become a force every player but one fears," wrote Price in Sports Illustrated, referring to Martina Hingis, who would take home the title. Both young women were the same age, but Hingis had far more professional competition experience. Still, insiders predicted future greatness for Williams. Pam Shriver, a former U.S. Open titleholder, once played in a training match against Serena and Venus, and she told Higdon in Tennis magazine that Venus "didn't know tactically how to play points yet, but she had weapons and has this natural way of intimidating."

Unfortunately, Williams's U.S. Open showing was clouded by charges of racism. Her father, in a telephone interview, told journalists that some of the other players had directed racial epithets toward his daughter. Gracefully, the teenager tried to deflect attention from the potential furor at a press conference, but her father's comments caused some watchers of the sport to note this may limit her chances of obtaining endorsement contracts. Other African- American players have hinted that subtle discrimination does indeed occur in what has been called a "country-club" sport, and some of Williams's white competitors on the diva-rife circuit have accused her of not smiling, or of not being friendly enough. "Why don't you guys tell me what they want me to do?" she queried reporters at one press conference, according to Sports Illustrated. "They should come up to me and say, 'Venus, I want you to smile so I can feel better.'"

While the hints of racism continued to plague Williams, she nevertheless proved to be a fearless opponent. Over the next few years, Williams improved her game, lost weight and the hair beads--she'd been fined when they spilled on the court. Soon she won Wimbledon, becoming the first African-American female since Althea Gibson to do so. Both sisters also won the doubles' becoming the first set of sisters to do so. When the two faced off in the Wimbledon singles' semifinals, it had been over 100 years since a sibling showdown. In the same year, Williams also won two Olympic gold medals in singles and doubles with her sister, Serena, as her partner. She continued the success of her first Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open in 2000.

Won Both Wimbledon and U.S. Open--Again

After a stellar 2000 season, Williams needed to prove to the tennis world that she was going to continue to win championships. The first step on that road was to defend her Wimbledon title. Which she did to the amazement of most. Next in line was to defend her U.S. Open title. She battled it out through the semi-finals, until she met her opponent for the final--her sister, Serena. Both sisters made precedent yet again by being the first set of sisters to play against each other in U.S. Open history. Venus defeated Serena, winning her second back-to-back grand slam tournament game.

Williams would come out on top in December of 2001 when Reebok re-signed her to a $40 million contract that was believed to be the most lucrative and comprehensive endorsement deal ever created for a female athlete. Of Williams, Reebok said in Footwear News, "Venus Williams is arguably the most admired female athlete and among the most recognizable and exciting young women in the world,"

Williams has also won numerous honors and awards, including: being named Ms. Women of the Year (along with Serena), by Ms. Magazine in 2001. She was also named Female Player of the Year by Tennis Magazine. She expanded outside of tennis by designing a clothing line for clothing company Wilsons The Leather Experts. She has inked deals with not only Reebok, but also Wrigley gum, makeup giant Avon, and Nortel Networks. Many have criticized Williams for not being focused on tennis, including tennis legend, Martina Navritolova, who was quoted in Time as saying her outside interests shows "arrogance and lack of commitment to tennis." Even one family member feels Williams should choose between tennis or the distractions. Her father told the Florida Times Union, "If it was up to me, I told Venus two or three years ago that she should retire. I think she should."

Finally, in March of 2002, Williams reached the ultimate goal, earning the number one ranking from the Women's Tennis Association. In an interview with Jet she said, "I'm very excited about this achievement and look forward to building on it. I have worked hard for it. I hope I can keep it. But my priority is the Grand Slams." Despite the excitement of being a former tennis prodigy and the number one female player of the sport, Williams remained a rather ordinary, though somewhat extraordinary, intelligent and athletic young woman. Williams supports many social causes and speaks to many children on the value of an education. She participates in tennis clinics for would-be tennis players. Regarding the game of tennis, however, she does concede some recognition of her own ability. "I never thought anyone was better than me," she told Finn in the New York Times when she was still ranked No. 211. "Once you do that, you lose," she added.

Venus Williams, who missed the 2003 U.S. Open because of an injured stomach muscle, won two tournaments in 2004; her furthest penetration into a Grand Slam event that year was the French Open, where she reached the quarterfinals.

In 2005, Williams and her sister Serena starred in a six-episode reality show on ABC Family. They also published a book, Serving from the Hip: 10 Rules for Living, Loving and Winning, with Houghton Mifflin. Serena Williams told Yanick Rice Lamb in Black Issues Book Review that the book "talks about a lot of stuff--every issue that preteens and teens might have to deal with. We consider ourselves role models, and we wanted to do something positive for kids." Venus Williams added, "It was something that we had to do to pass on our knowledge, what we've gone through." In the book, the sisters tell how they won so many tournaments, how they handled being injured, and how they dealt with the inevitable competitions against each other. The book also includes chapters such as "Why school is cool" and "Don't Rush a Crush."

That summer, Williams, who had slipped to the No. 16 spot in world rankings, perhaps because of the distractions of the book and television show, was knocked out of the French Open in the third round by 52nd-ranked Bulgarian player Sesil Karatantcheva. However, Williams fought hard and came back to win a third Wimbledon championship later in the summer. Her opponent, No. 1-ranked Lindsay Davenport, told S. L. Price in Sports Illustrated, "She just took it away from me. She just was...incredible." Williams said of her win, "I was just thinking, I've got to stay tougher. I've got to stay tougher than whoever's across the net.". Later in the season, Williams defeated her sister, Serena, in the fourth round at the U.S. Open in New York; it evened their record in head-to-head matches at seven victories apiece.

Williams, who is a voracious reader, continues to study fashion part-time, working towards her associate degree from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. She told Lamb, "My happiest moment will be when I graduate. I'm almost there."

Further Reading

  • Black Issues Book Review, September-October 2005, p. 22.
  • Footwear News, January 1, 2001.
  • Jet, July 23, 2001, p. 51; March 11, 2002, p. 48.
  • Ms. Magazine, December 2001, p. 40.
  • Newsweek, July 17, 2000.
  • New York Times, November 1, 1994, p. B10; November 2, 1994, p. B9; March 10, 1997, p. C2; September 7, 1997; September 9, 1997.
  • New York Times Magazine, March 16, 1997.
  • PR Newswire, December 21, 2001; March 14, 2002.
  • Source: SI.com, sportsillustrated.cnn.com, September 15, 2003; http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/tennis/04/18/bc.ten.familycirclecup.ap/, April 18, 2004.
  • Sport, February 1995, p. 14.
  • Sports Illustrated, June 13, 1994, p. 10; November 14, 1994, pp. 30-32; July 7, 1997, p. 26; September 15, 1997, pp. 32; September 17, 2001 pp. 40-43; July 11, 2005, p. 52
  • Star-Tribune, August 31, 2001, p. 01D.
  • Tennis, July 1997, pp. 46-55; February 2001, p. 28.
  • WTA Tour.com, May 2, 2004, http://www.wtatour.com/newsroom/stories/NewsArticle_4217_rx.asp (December 23, 2004).
  • WTATour.com, May 2, 2004, http://www.wtatour.com/newsroom/stories/NewsArticle_4217_rx.asp (December 23, 2004).
  • Yahoo! News, story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=577&ncid=577&e=2&u=/nm/20030822/sp_nm/wta_open_venus_dc, August 28, 2003.

— Carol Brennan, Ashyia N. Henderson, and Ralph Zerbonia

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Venus Williams
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Williams, Venus (Venus Ebone Starr Williams), 1980-, b. Lynwood, Calif., and Serena Williams, 1981-, b. Saginaw, Mich., African-American tennis players. Coached by their father, Richard, both sisters turned professional early, but neither played regularly until the late 1990s, when they began to dominate women's singles tennis with their power games. They have faced each other in Grand Slam finals several times, and have also teamed as winning doubles partners.

Venus turned pro at 14, reached the finals of the U.S. Open in 1997, and won her first Women's Tennis Association (WTA) singles championship in 1998. She captured her first Grand Slam events in 2000, winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, as well as the Olympic gold medal in women's singles. In 2001, Venus successfully defended her Wimbledon and U.S. titles. In the U.S. Open she defeated Serena in the first sisters' championship since 1884; it was the first time that two African-Americans competed for the title. Venus won Wimbledon again in 2005, 2007, and 2008, when she again faced her sister in the final.

Serena turned pro in 1995, and four years later she won her first WTA singles title. The same year she captured her first Grand Slam event, winning the U.S. Open. During the next two years Venus was in the ascendancy, but in 2002 Serena bested her older sister three times to win the French and U.S. opens and Wimbledon. In 2003, Serena defeated Venus to win her first Australian Open and second Wimbledon titles. Serena won the Australian Open again in 2005, 2007, and 2009, the U.S. Open in 2008, and Wimbledon in 2009, when she defeated Venus in the final.

Wikipedia: Venus Williams
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For this tennis player's detailed statistics, records, and other achievements, see Venus Williams career statistics.
Venus Williams
Venus at us open 2009-cropped.jpg
Country United States
Residence Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Date of birth June 17, 1980 (1980-06-17) (age 29)
Place of birth Lynwood, California, U.S.
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Weight 160 lb (73 kg)[1]
Turned pro October 31, 1994
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Career prize money US$25,066,990
(2nd all-time among women's tennis players)
Singles
Career record 550-132 (80.8%)
Career titles 41 (tied-11th in overall rankings)
Highest ranking No. 1 (February 25, 2002)
Current ranking No.6 (November 2, 2009)
Grand Slam results
Australian Open F (2003)
French Open F (2002)
Wimbledon W (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008)
US Open W (2000, 2001)
Major tournaments
WTA Championships W (2008)
Olympic Games Gold medal icon.svg Gold medal (2000)
Doubles
Career record 131–21 (84.6%)
Career titles 16
Highest ranking No. 3 (September 14, 2009)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open W (2001, 2003, 2009)
French Open W (1999)
Wimbledon W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009)
US Open W (1999, 2009)
Major doubles tournaments
Olympic Games Gold medal icon.svg Gold medal (2000, 2008)
Mixed Doubles
Career record 25-6 (80.6%)
Career titles 2
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open W (1998)
French Open W (1998)
Wimbledon F (2006)
US Open QF (1998)
Last updated on: September 14, 2009.

Venus Ebony Starr Williams[2] (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) on three separate occasions; as of November 2, 2009, she is ranked World No. 6. She is the reigning Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open doubles champion and has won 19 Grand Slam titles: seven in women's singles, ten in women's doubles and two in mixed doubles. In addition, she has won three Olympic gold medals, one in women's singles and two in women's doubles.[3] In 2005 Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 25th-best player in 40 years.[4] Since this ranking however, she has won an additional three Grand Slam singles titles.

Williams reached the US Open finals at the age of 17, becoming the first woman since 1978 to reach a US Open final on her début and was the first unseeded female US Open finalist since 1958. After her breakthrough, Williams breached the top ten on the WTA world rankings for the first time in 1998 when she won the Lipton Championships in Miami. Between 2000 and 2001, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam tournaments she entered. Her 35-match winning streak remains the longest of the millennium. She became the World No. 1 for the first time in February 2002.

Williams suffered an abdominal injury in mid-2003 which prevented her from playing. Upon her return in 2004, she experienced inconsistent results. In 2005, she won her first Grand Slam title in four years at Wimbledon, but since then she suffered from a wrist injury and only played six events in 2006. Her world rankings suffered as a result, being World No. 54 in February 2006. However, Williams eventually won another Grand Slam title at the Wimbledon in 2007, becoming the lowest-seeded and lowest-ranked Wimbledon champion in history. Williams returned to the top ten later that year and has since competed in every Grand Slam event. She returned to the top three for the first time in six years in May 2009.

Williams is the elder sister of fellow and current World No. 1 professional female tennis player Serena Williams. The sisters have played each other in 21 professional matches dating back to 1998, with Venus winning 10 matches played between them as of July 2009. Their meeting in the final of the 2001 US Open was the first Grand Slam final contested by two sisters in the open era. As of July 2009, they have met in eight Grand Slam finals, with Venus winning two of those. Between the 2002 French Open and the 2003 Australian Open, the sisters met in all four Grand Slam finals, the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam finals.

Contents

Playing style

Williams is one of the most powerful baseliners on tour, equipped with an attacking all-court game. Her game is very well adapted to grass where she feels most comfortable, which is reflected in her Grand Slam results as she has five Wimbledon titles. Across her career, she has developed into a skillful volleyer and effectively utilizes her long 'wingspan' (1.85m) and agility around the net.[5] She stated during an interview at the 2008 Australian Open that she was working to improve her volley. Williams also has great court coverage using her long reach to play balls that most players would not be able to reach and is capable of hitting outright winners from a defensive position.[6]

She holds the record for the fastest serve struck by a woman in a main draw event. At the Zurich Open, she recorded 130 mph (210 km/h). She also holds the record for fastest serve in all four Grand Slam tournaments: 2003 Australian Open quarterfinal - 125 mph (201 km/h), 2007 French Open second round, 2008 Wimbledon final, 2007 US Open first round - 129 mph.[7] At Wimbledon in 2008, her average first serve speed was 115 mph (185 km/h) in the quarterfinal, 116 mph (187 km/h) in the semifinal, and 111 mph (179 km/h) in the final. She also had a higher average serving speed than then World No.1 Roger Federer as well as eventual men's champion Rafael Nadal.

Williams has always been a explosive hitter of the ball off the ground, but her backhand is the more consistently reliable of her groundstrokes. Her backhand is equally effective down-the-line or crosscourt (frequently for a set-up approach shot). Her forehand occasionally breaks down under pressure. However, it is still the more powerful of her groundstrokes and yields many winners, from a variety of court positions. Additionally, it is one the most powerful forehands in the women's game, frequently struck in the 85 - 90 mph (140 km/h) range. In the 2008 Wimbledon women's final, Venus struck a forehand winner measured at 94 mph (IBM/Wimbledon). Only a few women (notably Ivanović, Serena Williams, and Justine Henin) hit to these speeds off the ground.

Williams's best surface is grass: she has won Wimbledon five times and has at least reached the finals in eight of the last ten years. The low bounces that grass produces tend to make her first serve an even more powerful weapon. Her movement on grass is also among the best on the WTA tour. Clay is Williams's weakest surface: her movement is suspect and her powerful serve and groundstrokes are less effective. Still, she was won numerous titles on clay.

Professional career

1994–96: Professional debut

Already well-known in tennis circles at age 14, Williams turned professional on October 31, 1994. In her first professional tournament, the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, Williams won her first-round match. In the second round, Williams was up a set and a service break against World No. 2 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario before losing the match. That was the only tournament Williams played in 1994.

In 1995, Williams played three more events as a wild card, falling in the first round of the tournament in Los Angeles and the tournament in Toronto but reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament in Oakland, defeating World No. 18 Amy Frazier in the second round for her first win over a top 20 ranked player before losing to Magdalena Maleeva.

Williams played five events in 1996, falling in the first round four times but reaching the third round in Los Angeles, losing to World No. 1 Steffi Graf 6–4, 6–4.

1997–99: Early success

Williams began to play regularly on the WTA tour in 1997. At the Tier I State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California in March, Williams defeated World No. 9 Iva Majoli in the fourth round for her first win over a player ranked in the top 10. She then lost in the quarterfinals to Lindsay Davenport on a third set tiebreak. She breached the top 100 on the world rankings shortly after this. She made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam at the French Open, reaching the second round before losing to Nathalie Tauziat. She then lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Magdalena Grzybowska after winning the first set.

Aged 17 and as the World No. 66, Williams's breakthrough came at the US Open, where she made her first semifinal at any level, having defeated eighth seed Anke Huber en route. In the semifinals, she defeated 11th seed Irina Spirlea 7–6(5), 4–6, 7–6(7). During this match, Williams and Spirlea collided during a changeover, with Williams's father Richard claiming the incident was racially motivated.[8] In the final, Williams lost to World No. 1 Martina Hingis 6–0, 6–4. The remainder of Williams's year was highlighted by making the quarterfinals of two Tier I events, losing at that stage to Davenport at the Zurich Open and to Jana Novotna at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 22.

Williams started the year at the Medibank International Sydney, where she defeated World No. 1 Hingis for the first time in the second round. Williams went on to make the second final of her career at the event, where she lost to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. This run allowed Williams to break in to the top 20 on the world rankings for the first time. On her debut at the Australian Open, Williams defeated younger sister Serena in the second round, in the sisters' first professional meeting. Venus went on to make the quarterfinals of the tournament, where she lost to second seed Davenport.

However, several weeks later, Williams defeated Davenport for the first time in the semifinals of the IGA Tennis Classic in Oklahoma City. Williams then defeated Joannette Kruger in the final to win the first title of her career. Williams won the second title of her career at the prestigious Lipton International Players Championships in Miami, defeating Hingis for a second time in the semifinals and Anna Kournikova in the final. Following this, Williams reached the top ten for the first time. In May, Williams made her first final outside of hard courts at the clay-court Italian Open in Rome, defeating sister Serena in the quarterfinals and Sanchez-Vicario in the semifinals before losing to Hingis in the final. Williams lost again to Hingis in the quarterfinals of the French Open.

Williams made the quarterfinals at Wimbledon before losing to eventual champion Jana Novotna. This run saw Williams breach the top five on the world rankings. She reached her fifth final of the year at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, defeating former World No. 1 Monica Seles in the semifinals before losing to Davenport. At the US Open, Williams defeated fourth seed Sanchez-Vicario in the quarterfinals before losing to second seed and eventual champion Davenport in the semifinals. Williams won her third title of the year at the Grand Slam Cup in Munich in September, defeating Patty Schnyder in the final. Her final big result of the year was a run to the final of the Tier I event in Zurich, losing there to Davenport. She had earned enough points during the year to participate in the year-ending Chase Championships; however, she withdrew from the tournament due to tendinitis in her knee. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 5.

Meanwhile, Williams won the mixed doubles titles at both the Australian Open and French Open with Justin Gimelstob. This completed the Williams sisters' sweep of the Grand Slam mixed doubles titles during the year, as Serena won at both Wimbledon and the US Open. Venus and Serena teamed up to win the women's doubles title in Oklahoma City, becoming the third pair of sisters to win a doubles title. They won another title together later in the year in Zurich.

Williams began 1999 by losing in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to top seed Davenport in straight sets. However, she rebounded at the Faber Grand Prix in Hanover, defeating 22-times Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf for the first time in the semifinals before losing in the final to Novotna. Williams then defended her titles in both Oklahoma City and Miami. In Oklahoma City, Williams defeated Amanda Coetzer in the final, and in Miami, she defeated Novotna and Graf in order to reach the final, where she defeated Serena in three sets in the first final on the WTA Tour to be contested by two sisters.

Williams won her first title on clay in April at the Betty Barclay Cup, defeating Mary Pierce in the final. Williams then went on to win another clay-court title at the Tier I Italian Open, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals and Pierce in the final. She then reached the fourth round at the French Open to extend her winning streak to 22 matches, but she then lost to World No. 125 Barbara Schwartz. Williams teamed up with Serena to win the women's doubles title at this event, the first Grand Slam title the pair had won together.

At Wimbledon, Williams defeated Kournikova in the fourth round to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, but then lost to eventual runner-up Graf. Williams rebounded in the summer to reach the final in Stanford, but lost there to World No. 1 Davenport. A fortnight later, however, Williams defeated Davenport in the semifinals of the TIG Tennis Classic in San Diego, before losing to Hingis in the final. However, Williams did win Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, Connecticut, defeating Seles in the semifinals and Davenport in the final. Following this, she entered the top three on the world rankings for the first time.

Seeded third at the US Open, Williams lost in the semifinals to top seed Hingis in three sets. However, she teamed up with singles champion Serena to win their second Grand Slam women's doubles title at the event. Venus then contributed to the USA's victory over Russia in the Fed Cup final, defeating Elena Likhovtseva in a singles rubber before joining Serena to win the doubles rubber. At the Grand Slam Cup, Venus defeated Hingis in the semifinals before losing to Serena for the first time in the final. Venus won her sixth title of the year at the Tier I event in Zurich, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the final. Making her debut at the year-ending championships, however, Williams lost to Hingis in the semifinals. She finished the year ranked World No. 3.

2000–02: Prime time

In 2000, Williams missed the first four months of the year with tendinitis in both wrists. She returned during the clay-court season, but failed to make a major impact at either of the French Open warm-ups she played, going into the French Open itself having won just two of four matches. There, she lost in the quarterfinals to eighth seed and former champion Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

Williams was seeded fifth at Wimbledon. She made the quarterfinals for the third consecutive year, where she defeated top seed Martina Hingis 6–3, 4–6, 6–4. Williams then defeated sister Serena 6–2, 7–6(3) to reach the second Grand Slam final of her career. There, she defeated second seed and defending champion Lindsay Davenport 6–3, 7–6(3) to win the first Grand Slam singles title of her career. She also teamed up with Serena to win the women's doubles title at the event.

Williams continued her success during the North American hard court season. At the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, Williams defeated Anna Kournikova in the semifinals and Davenport in the final. She defeated former World No. 1 Monica Seles in order to win both the Acura Classic in San Diego and Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, Connecticut. She went into the US Open as a strong favorite. There, she defeated top seed Hingis 4–6, 6–3, 7–5 in the semifinals and second seed Davenport 6–4, 7–5 in the final to win the second Grand Slam title of her career.

Williams's success continued as she picked up the gold medal for singles at the Sydney Olympics in September, defeating Seles in the semifinals and Elena Dementieva in the final. This marked her sixth consecutive tournament victory. In addition, Williams joined Serena to win the gold medal for women's doubles at the event. Venus went on to make the final at the Generali Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria to extend her winning streak to 35 matches. However, she then finally lost to Davenport. Williams then missed the year-ending Chase Championships due to anemia. She finished the season as World No. 3 and with six titles.

At the start of 2001, Williams reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time, but lost to top seed Hingis 6–1, 6–1. However, Venus teamed up with Serena to win the doubles title at the event, completing a Career Grand Slam in women's doubles for the pair. In March, Venus reached the semifinals of the Tier I Tennis Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells, California where she was due to play Serena, but she withdrew just before the match. Venus claimed that tendinitis in her knee prevented her from playing, but the withdrawal was very controversial, fuelling speculation that matches between the Williams sisters were fixed. The following day, when Serena was playing Kim Clijsters in the final, Venus and her father Richard were booed as they made their way to their seats.[9] Serena was subsequently booed during the championship match against Kim Clijsters and during the trophy presentation. Neither Williams sister has played this tournament since, in what has been termed the most famous boycott in modern tennis.[10]

Williams rebounded from the Indian Wells controversy to win the Tier I Ericsson Open in Miami for the third time, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals and Australian Open champion Jennifer Capriati in the final, after saving eight championship points. Williams rose to a new peak of World No. 2 on the rankings as a result of this victory. On clay, Williams won the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg, defeating Meghann Shaughnessy in the final. However, she lost surprisingly in the first round of the French Open to Barbara Schett in straight sets, marking only the second time in her career that she had lost in the first round of a Grand Slam.

Williams rebounded at Wimbledon, defending her title after defeating third seed Davenport in the semifinals and eighth seed Justine Henin 6–1, 3–6, 6–0 in the final. She went on to retain her titles in San Diego and New Haven, defeating Davenport and Seles to win the former, and Capriati and Davenport to win the latter. Seeded fourth at the US Open, Williams defeated second seed Capriati in the semifinals 6–4, 6–2. She faced Serena in the final in the first Grand Slam final to be contested by two sisters in the open era. Venus won 6–2, 6–4 to win the fourth Grand Slam singles title of her career. She was only the sixth woman in history to win the singles titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years, the others being Martina Navrátilová (twice), Steffi Graf (twice), Althea Gibson, Maureen Connolly Brinker, and Helen Wills Moody (twice). Williams did not play again during 2001.

Williams began 2002 by winning the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts in Gold Coast, Australia, defeating Henin in the final. However, she then lost for the first time in her career to Seles in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Williams then went on to win the Open Gaz de France in Paris when Jelena Dokic withdrew from the final, and the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium, defeating Henin in the final. As a result of her strong start to the season, Williams assumed the World No. 1 position for the first time on February 25, dislodging Capriati. Williams was the first African-American woman ever to hold the ranking. She held it for just three weeks before surrendering it back to Capriati.

Williams failed to defend her title in Miami after losing in the semifinals to Serena 6–2, 6–2. However, she made a strong start to the clay-court season, winning the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, defeating Henin in the final. A week after winning that tournament, she once again replaced Capriati as the World No. 1, before losing it again to Capriati after three weeks. During those three weeks, Williams had made the final in Hamburg, defeating Hingis in the semifinals before losing to Clijsters in the final. Seeded second at the French Open, Williams defeated former champion Seles to reach the semifinals for the first time. There, she defeated Clarisa Fernandez. In the final, Williams met Serena for a second time in a Grand Slam final, with Serena winning 7–5, 6–3. Venus once again replaced Capriati as the World No. 1 as a result of reaching the final.

As the top seed at Wimbledon, Williams defeated Henin in the semifinals 6–3, 6–2 to make the final for the third consecutive year. However, there, she lost to Serena 7–6(4), 6–3. This result meant Serena replaced Venus as the World No. 1. The Williams sisters teamed up to win the women's doubles title at the event, their fifth Grand Slam women's doubles title together.

Williams won the titles in San Diego and New Haven for the third consecutive year, defeating Davenport and Dokic to win the former and defeating Davenport in the final of the latter. At the US Open, Williams defeated Seles in the quarterfinals and Amelie Mauresmo in three sets to make the final. Playing Serena for the third consecutive Grand Slam final, Serena won once again, 6–4, 6–3. After that, Venus played just four more matches during the season. She reached the semifinals at the year-ending Sanex Championships after defeating Seles in the quarterfinals, but she then was forced to retire against Clijsters due to injury. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 2 having won seven titles, her best showing in both respects of her career.

2003–06: Injuries and losses

Williams started 2003 by defeating fifth seed Justine Henin to make the final of the Australian Open for the first time. In the final, however, she lost to sister Serena 7–6(3), 3–6, 6–4. This marked the first time in the open era that the same two players had met in four consecutive Grand Slam finals. Venus and Serena teamed up to win the women's doubles title at the event, their sixth Grand Slam title in women's doubles.

In February, Williams won the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium for the second consecutive year, defeating Kim Clijsters in the final. However, shortly afterwards, she began to struggle with injury. She reached the final of the clay-court J&S Cup in Warsaw before being forced to retire against Amelie Mauresmo. She then suffered her earliest exit at a Grand Slam in two years when she lost in the fourth round of the French Open to Vera Zvonareva.

At Wimbledon, Williams was seeded fourth, having been overtaken in the rankings by Henin and Clijsters while still trailing Serena. In the tournament itself, Williams defeated former champion Lindsay Davenport in three sets in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, against second seed Clijsters, Williams suffered an abdominal injury that required medical attention during the match. Williams lost the first set and was behind early in the second set before rain delayed the match. Once play resumed, Williams won the match 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, advancing to her fourth consecutive Wimbledon final, where she lost to Serena 4–6, 6–4, 6–2.

Wimbledon was Williams's last event of the year as the abdominal injury prevented her from playing again. While she was recovering from the injury, her sister Yetunde Price was murdered.[11] Yetunde was said to be close to both Venus and Serena, and her death is often cited as a reason for the Williams sisters' erratic form in the years that followed. Williams finished the year as World No. 11 due to her inactivity for much of the year. It was the first time in nearly six years that she had dropped out of the top ten.

In 2004, Williams came back to the tour and experienced inconsistent results. As the third seeded player because of a protected ranking, she reached the third round of the Australian Open, where she lost to Lisa Raymond. She then lost in the quarterfinals of her next three tournaments.

Williams began to find her form at the beginning of the clay-court season. At the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Williams defeated Conchita Martinez in the final to win her first title in over a year and the second Tier I title on clay of her career. She then went on to win in Warsaw, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final, before reaching the final of the Tier I German Open in Berlin, before withdrawing from that match against Mauresmo due to injury. Going into the French Open, Williams had the best clay court record among the women and was among the favorites to win the title; however, after making the quarterfinals to extend her winning streak on the surface to 19 matches, she lost to eventual champion Anastasia Myskina 6–3, 6–4. Despite her defeat, she re-entered the top ten after this.

At Wimbledon, Williams lost a controversial fourth round match to Croatian Karolina Šprem. The umpire of the match, Ted Watts, awarded Šprem an unearned point in the second set tiebreak. Upon the conclusion of the match, he was relieved of his duties.[12] This defeat marked the first time since 1997 that Williams had exited Wimbledon prior to the quarterfinals. After Wimbledon, Williams reached her fourth final of the year at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, where she suffered her first defeat to Lindsay Davenport since 2000.

As the defending champion at the Athens Olympics, Williams lost in the third round to Mary Pierce. She then lost in the fourth round of the US Open to Davenport, the first time she had ever lost at the US Open prior to the semifinals. Williams completed the year by losing in the quarterfinals of three indoor tournaments in the fall, a period that included defeat in her first meeting with 17-year-old Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova at the Zurich Open. Williams finished the year as World No. 9, meaning she did not qualify for the eight-woman year-ending WTA Tour Championships.

In 2005, Williams started the year by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Alicia Molik. She then reached the final in Antwerp, defeating Clijsters and Myskina en route. In the final, Williams was a set and a service break up against Mauresmo before eventually losing.

In March, at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami, Williams defeated sister and Australian Open champion Serena in the quarterfinals, the first time she had defeated Serena since 2001. Venus went on to lose in the semifinals to World No. 3 Sharapova. In May, Williams won her first title in over a year at the clay-court Istanbul Cup, defeating Nicole Vaidišová in the final. However, at the French Open, she lost in the third round to 15-year old Sesil Karatantcheva.

Williams was seeded 14th at Wimbledon. In the quarterfinals of the tournament, she defeated French Open runner-up Pierce 6–0, 7–6(10) to make the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in two years. There, she defeated defending champion and second-seeded Sharapova 7–6(2), 6–1, to make the Wimbledon final for the fifth time in six years. Playing top-seeded Davenport in the final, Williams saved a match point en route to winning 4–6, 7–6(4), 9–7. This was Williams's third Wimbledon singles title, her fifth Grand Slam singles title overall and her first since 2001. It was the first time in 70 years that a player had won after being down match point during the women's final at Wimbledon.[citation needed] In addition, Williams was the lowest-ranked (World No. 16) and lowest-seeded (14th) champion in tournament history.[citation needed] Williams returned to the top ten following the victory.

Following Wimbledon, Williams reached her fourth final of the year in Stanford, where she lost to Clijsters. At the US Open, Williams achieved her second consecutive win over Serena in the fourth round, but then lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Clijsters 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, after being up a break twice in the second set. Williams did not qualify for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships because of an injury sustained during the tournament in Beijing. She finished the year ranked World No. 10.

Venus Williams prepares to serve during the 2006 J&S Cup in Warsaw.

In 2006, Williams was upset in the first round of the Australian Open by Tszvetana Pironkova 2–6, 6–0, 9–7, which was her earliest loss at that tournament. After that loss, she did not play again for three months due to a wrist injury. She returned in late April on clay in Warsaw, where she defeated former World No. 1 Martina Hingis in the second round before losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. Several weeks later, she lost to Hingis in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia. Wiliams completed the clay-court season by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open, where she lost to Nicole Vaidisova 6–7(5), 6–1, 6–3.

Williams was the defending champion and one of the favorites to win the singles title at Wimbledon. She defeated Lisa Raymond in the second round after Williams was two points from defeat. Williams then lost in the third round to 26th-seeded Jelena Janković 7–6(8), 4–6, 6–4. After the loss, Williams said that she was having pain in her left wrist, although she admitted that the injury was not the cause of her loss. Williams did not play in the US Open series or the US Open itself due to the wrist injury. During her first tournament in almost three months in October, she reinjured her wrist at the tournament in Luxembourg and lost in the second round to qualifier Agnieszka Radwańska. Williams finished the season as World No. 46, her lowest finish since she began to play on the WTA Tour full-time in 1997.

2007–09: Return to form

Williams withdrew from the 2007 Australian Open, the second consecutive Grand Slam that she had missed due to her recurring wrist injury. She returned in February at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, USA, defeating top-seeded Shahar Pe'er in the final, her first singles title since her victory at Wimbledon in 2005. Williams then reached the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, where she lost to World No. 2 Maria Sharapova 2–6, 6–2, 7–5, after being two points away from victory.

At the beginning of the clay-court season, Williams reached the semifinals of the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, where she lost to Jelena Jankovic on a third set tiebreak. She also lost to fourth seed Jankovic in the third round of the French Open 6–4, 4–6, 6–1, her third consecutive loss to Jankovic. During her second round win over Ashley Harkleroad, Williams hit a 206 km/h (128.8 mph) serve, which is the second fastest woman's serve ever recorded and the fastest ever recorded during a main draw match.

Williams was ranked World No. 31 going into Wimbledon and was seeded 23rd at the tournament. Williams was a game away from defeat in both her first round match against Alla Kudryavtseva and in her third round match against Akiko Morigami, but eventually won both 7–5 in the third set. In the fourth round, Williams overpowered second seed Sharapova 6–1, 6–3. Williams then defeated fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–3, 6–4 and French Open runner-up Ana Ivanovic 6–2, 6–4 in order to reach her sixth Wimbledon final. There, she defeated 18th seed Marion Bartoli 6–4, 6–1. Williams thus became only the fourth woman in the open era to win Wimbledon at least four times, along with Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. She also became the lowest-seeded Wimbledon champion in history, breaking the record she herself set in 2005. Williams returned to the top 20 as a result of the win.[13]

At the US Open, after setting a Grand-Slam record 129 mph (208 km/h) serve in the opening round,[14] Williams beat fifth seed Ivanovic in the fourth round 6–4, 6–2, and third seed Janković in the quarterfinals 4–6, 6–1, 7–6(4). In her first Grand Slam semifinal outside of Wimbledon since 2003, Williams lost to eventual champion Justine Henin 7–6(2), 6–4. The tournament resulted in Williams's ranking moving up to World No. 9. Williams then won her third title of the year at the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul, South Korea, defeating Maria Kirilenko in the final, before then losing in the final of the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo to Virginie Razzano. Williams had earned enough points during the year to qualify for the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in Madrid; however, she withdrew because of continuing problems with anemia.[15] Williams finished the year as World No. 8 with three titles, her best performance in both respects since 2002.

Venus Williams serving to Ivanović in their semifinal match at the Zurich Open

In 2008, as the eighth seed at the Australian Open, Williams reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003. However, she then lost to eventual runner-up Ivanovic 7–6(3), 6–4. Williams made her first semifinal of the year at the Bangalore Open in Bangalore, India, where she met sister Serena for the first time since 2005. Serena won the match 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(4), after Venus had held a match point in the third set.

Williams missed two tournaments at the beginning of the clay-court season due to undisclosed medical problems.[16] Williams returned to the tour at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she lost in the quarterfinals to fourth-seeded Jankovic 5–7, 6–2, 6–3. At the French Open, Williams was seeded eighth but was eliminated by 26th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta in the third round 7–5, 6–3.

Williams was the defending champion and seventh-seeded player at Wimbledon. Without dropping a set, she reached her seventh Wimbledon singles final after defeating fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva in the semifinals 6–1, 7–6(3). Venus then won her fifth Wimbledon singles title, and seventh Grand Slam singles title overall, by beating Serena in straight sets, 7-5, 6-4. This was the first time since 2003 that Venus and Serena had played each other in a Grand Slam final and was the first time since 2001 that Venus had won a Grand Slam final against Serena. Venus and Serena then teamed to win the women's doubles title, their first Grand Slam doubles title together since 2003.

Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the Beijing Olympics to Na Li. She did, however, earn a gold medal along with Serena in women's doubles, their second gold medal as a team, having won together at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. At the US Open, Williams lost to eventual champion Serena 7–6(6), 7–6(7), after failing to capitalise on any of 10 set points during the match.

Venus Williams at the 2008 WTA Tour Championships

At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany in October, Williams defeated a player ranked in the top three for the first time that season by defeating World No. 3 Dinara Safina to reach her third semifinal of the year. There, she lost to Jankovic 6–7(8), 7–5, 6–2. A fortnight later, Williams won the Zurich Open, defeating Ivanović in the semifinals before defeating Pennetta in the final to claim her second title of the year and secure a position in the year-ending 2008 WTA Tour Championships in Doha, Qatar. There, Williams defeated World No. 2 Safina, World No. 3 Serena and World No. 5 Dementieva in the preliminary round-robin stage. In the semifinals, Williams defeated World No. 1 Jankovic 6–2, 2–6, 6–3, before winning the year-ending tournament for the first time by defeating Vera Zvonareva in the final. She ended the year ranked sixth in the world with three titles.

As the sixth seed at the 2009 Australian Open, Williams lost in the second round to Carla Suarez Navarro after holding a match point in the third set. However, she teamed up with Serena to win the women's doubles title at the event, their eighth Grand Slam doubles title together. Venus rebounded in singles play in February at the Premier 5 (formerly Tier I) Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating defending champion and World No. 4 Dementieva in the quarterfinals and World No. 1 Serena in the semifinals on a third set tiebreak. The latter win meant that Venus led the head-to-head in career matches with her sister for the first time since 2002. Venus went on to defeat Virginie Razzano in the final. This win meant Williams was ranked in the top five for the first time since 2003, while it also marked her 40th professional singles title, only the twelfth player in the open era to achieve the feat.[17] Williams won another title the following week at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico, defeating Pennetta in the final. This was her first title on clay since 2005.

Williams lost in the semifinals of Miami in April to Serena in three sets. On European clay, Williams reached the semifinals in Rome before losing to World No. 1 Safina 6–7(3), 6–3, 6–4. This run meant Williams breached the top three on the world rankings for the first time since 2003. Seeded third at the French Open, Williams saved a match point in defeating Lucie Safarova in the second round. However, she then lost to Agnes Szavay 6–0, 6–4 in the third round, the third consecutive year she had exited at that stage.[18]

Williams was seeded third at Wimbledon. She reached the semifinals without dropping more than four games in a set. She then overpowered top seed Safina 6–1, 6–0 to advance to the eighth Wimbledon final of her career. Meeting Serena in the final of the tournament for the fourth time, Venus lost 7–6(3), 6–2. The Williams sisters teamed up to win the doubles title at the tournament for the fourth time.

In Stanford, Williams defeated Maria Sharapova to advance to the semifinals. There she crushed Elena Dementieva 6-0, 6-1. She would lose to Marion Bartoli in the final 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. With her sister, she also played doubles and won the title, defeating Monica Niculescu and Yung-Jan Chan in the finals 6-4, 6-1.

Venus fell to Flavia Pennetta in the third round at Cincinnati. She then played at 2009 Rogers Cup in Toronto where she lost in her first match in the second round to qualifyer Kateryna Bondarenko. At the 2009 US Open, as the third seed, Venus was pushed to the edge in the first round, defeating Vera Dushevina 6-7(5), 7-5, 6-3. Having advanced to the fourth round, she faced Kim Clijsters. The two split the first two sets 6-0, but it was Clijsters who pulled off the upset 6-0, 0-6, 6-4. Venus then teamed up with Serena to play doubles at the open, where they won the title over defending champions and world no.1s in doubles, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, by 6-2, 6-2, clinching their third grandslam doubles title in 2009.

At the 2009 Toray Pan Pacific Open, in Tokyo, Venus bypassed the first round and in the second round she fell to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in straight sets 7-6, 7-5. On September 29, 2009, Venus and Serena became the second qualified team to compete at the 2009 Sony Ericsson Championships at Doha, Qatar. In her next tournament at the Premier Mandatory China Open in Beijing, Williams suffered her second successive defeat to Pavlyuchenkova in as many weeks, losing 3–6, 6–1, 6–4 after committing 51 unforced errors and 14 double faults.

Venus' last tournament in 2009 was the 2009 WTA Tour Championships, the year end championships, where she was the defending champion in singles. She was in the maroon group which includes her sister Serena, along with Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova. She lost her first match against Dementieva, by 6-3, 6(6)-7, 2-6, despite leading 6-3, and 3-1 in the second set. She then lost her second match against Serena 5-7, 6-4, 7-6(4). In her third and final RR match, Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in 3 sets, 6-2 6-7 6-4. Because of Dementieva's lost to Kuznetsova in their round robin match, Venus advanced to the semifinal of the championships. In her semifinal match, she defeated Jelena Jankovic of Serbia by 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 to advance to her second consecutive final in the tournament. In the final, she was defeated by her sister Serena by 2-6, 6(4)-7. In doubles, Venus teamed with Serena as the second seed. However, they lost to Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in the semifinal. Their doubles records throughout the year stood at 24-2.

Venus finished 2009 ranked world number 6 in singles and world number 3 in doubles with Serena, in spite of playing only 6 events together in 2009.

2010

As the defending champion, Venus is scheduled to play the exhibition tournament Hong Kong Tennis Classic 2010 from January 6 to 9. She is a member of Team Americas and will play along with Gisela Dulko and Michael Chang. Her first scheduled match is against Team Europe's Caroline Wozniacki on January 7.

Venus' scheduled first WTA tournament in 2010 is the 2010 Medibank International Sydney[citation needed] as a warming up tournament before the 2010 Australian Open. Venus will also play doubles in Sydney with her sister Serena[citation needed].

Rivalry with Serena Williams

Main article: Williams Sisters rivalry

Venus has played her sister Serena 23 times in professional women's tennis. Their head-to-head series is at 10–13 to Serena. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. They have met in a total of eight Grand Slam finals, ahead of the number of finals played by Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and by Helen Wills Moody and Helen Jacobs but behind the record of fourteen finals set by Chris Evert and Martina Navrátilová.[19]

Fight for equal prize money

Despite years of protesting by tennis pioneer Billie Jean King and others, in 2005 the French Open and Wimbledon still refused to pay women's and men's players equally through all rounds. In 2005, Williams met with officials from both tournaments, arguing that female tennis players should be paid as much as males.[20] Although WTA tour President Larry Scott commented that she left "a very meaningful impression", Williams's demands were rejected.

The turning point was an essay published in the The Times on the eve of Wimbledon in 2006. In it, Williams accused Wimbledon of being on the "wrong side of history", writing:

“

I feel so strongly that Wimbledon's stance devalues the principle of meritocracy and diminishes the years of hard work that women on the tour have put into becoming professional tennis players.

I believe that athletes — especially female athletes in the world's leading sport for women — should serve as role models. The message I like to convey to women and girls across the globe is that there is no glass ceiling. My fear is that Wimbledon is loudly and clearly sending the opposite message....

Wimbledon has argued that women's tennis is worth less for a variety of reasons; it says, for example, that because men play a best of five sets game they work harder for their prize money.

This argument just doesn’t make sense; first of all, women players would be happy to play five sets matches in grand slam tournaments....

Secondly, tennis is unique in the world of professional sports. No other sport has men and women competing for a grand slam championship on the same stage, at the same time. So in the eyes of the general public the men's and women's games have the same value.

Third, ... we enjoy huge and equal celebrity and are paid for the value we deliver to broadcasters and spectators, not the amount of time we spend on the stage. And, for the record, the ladies’ final at Wimbledon in 2005 lasted 45 minutes longer than the men's....

Wimbledon has justified treating women as second class because we do more for the tournament. The argument goes that the top women — who are more likely also to play doubles matches than their male peers — earn more than the top men if you count singles, doubles and mixed doubles prize money. So the more we support the tournament, the more unequally we should be treated! But doubles and mixed doubles are separate events from the singles competition. Is Wimbledon suggesting that, if the top women withdrew from the doubles events, that then we would deserve equal prize money in singles? And how then does the All England Club explain why the pot of women's doubles prize money is nearly £130,000 smaller than the men's doubles prize money?

I intend to keep doing everything I can until Billie Jean's original dream of equality is made real. It's a shame that the name of the greatest tournament in tennis, an event that should be a positive symbol for the sport, is tarnished.[20]

 ”

In response, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of Parliament publicly endorsed Williams's arguments.[21] Later that year, the Women's Tennis Association and UNESCO teamed for a campaign to promote gender equality in sports, asking Williams to lead the campaign.[22] Under enormous pressure, Wimbledon announced in February 2007 that it would award equal prize money to all competitors in all rounds, and the French Open followed suit a day later.[23] In the aftermath, the Chicago Sun-Times cited Williams as "the single factor" that "changed the minds of the boys" and a leader whose "willingness to take a public stand separates her not only from most of her female peers, but also from our most celebrated male athletes."[24] Williams herself commented, "Somewhere in the world a little girl is dreaming of holding a giant trophy in her hands and being viewed as an equal to boys who have similar dreams."[25]

Venus herself became the first woman to benefit from the equalization of prize money at Wimbledon, as she won the 2007 tournament and was awarded the same amount as the male winner Roger Federer.

Personal life

Venus for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "National Wear Red Day"

In 2003, Venus and Serena Williams's older sister Yetunde Price, 31, was shot dead near the courts on which the sisters once practiced. Price was the Williams sisters' personal assistant. The Williams family issued this statement shortly after the death: "We are extremely shocked, saddened and devastated by the shooting death of our beloved Yetunde. She was our nucleus and our rock. She was a personal assistant, confidante, and adviser to her sisters, and her death leaves a void that can never be filled. Our grief is overwhelming, and this is the saddest day of our lives."[26]

Williams's longtime boyfriend, pro golfer Hank Kuehne, has been a visible presence since Wimbledon 2007, holding her hand during long rain delays and clapping support from the players' box along with her parents and younger sister Serena. "He's a great guy", Williams said. "He understands competition. He's very supportive. I love having him here and everyone else in the box, too."[27]

Williams said her family's faith as Jehovah's Witnesses has helped her tremendously.[28]

On December 13, 2007, Williams received her associate degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with Cum Laude honors and a 3.5 GPA.[29]

Entrepreneur

Williams is the chief executive officer of her interior design firm "V Starr Interiors" located in Jupiter, Florida. Williams's company designed the set of the Tavis Smiley Show on PBS, the Olympic athletes' apartments as part of the U.S. bid package for New York City to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.[30]

In 2007, Williams teamed with retailer Steve & Barry's to launch her own fashion line EleVen. "I love fashion and the idea that I am using my design education to actually create clothing and footwear that I will wear on and off the tennis court is a dream come true for me. The vision has been to create a collection that will allow women to enjoy an active lifestyle while remaining fashionable at the same time. I'm thrilled with everything we've created to launch EleVen."[31][32]

In 2001, Williams was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by the Ladies Home Journal.[33]

In June 2009, Venus was named 77th in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities compiled by Forbes magazine.[34]

In Popular Culture

  • In an episode of That So Raven, Raven had a statue made of her by Chelsea. Raven then suggested different poses of famous sculptures, one being "Venus De Milo". She then said, "Got it! Got it! Venus De-Williams!" holding up a tennis racket and standing as though she was waiting to whack a tennis ball.

Career statistics

Main article: Venus Williams career statistics

Records and achievements

  • These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
Tournament Name Years Record accomplished Player tied
Sony Ericsson Open 1998-2002 Most Consecutive Matches Won (22) Steffi Graf
Summer Olympics 2000-08 3 Gold Medals overall Stands alone
Wimbledon 2005 Longest Recorded Women's Single's Final (2 hours 45 minutes) Lindsay Davenport
Wimbledon 2007 Lowest-ranked Winner (31st) Stands alone
Wimbledon 2007 Lowest-seeded Winner (23rd) Stands alone
Australian Open 2003 Fastest Serve (125 mph) Stands alone
French Open 2007 Fastest Serve (128 mph) Stands alone
Wimbledon 2008 Fastest Serve (129 mph) Stands alone
US Open 2007 Fastest Serve (129 mph) Stands alone
1999 French Open - 2009 US Open 1999- 2009 Highest streak of consecutive initial Grand Slam finals won (Doubles) (10) Serena Williams
  • In 1997, Williams became the first woman since Pam Shriver in 1978 to reach the singles final of the US Open on her first attempt.[35]
  • In 1997, Williams became the first unseeded singles finalist at the US Open.[35]
  • In 1997, the combined ages of Williams at age 17 and Martina Hingis at age 16 in the US Open final were the lowest in the open era history of that tournament.
  • In 1998, Williams hit a 127 mph serve on match point in the Zurich Open quarterfinals, which broke the previous 123 mph record set by Brenda Schultz-McCarthy.[citation needed]
  • At 1999 IGA Classic in Oklahoma City marking the first time in tennis history that sisters won titles in the same week (Serena Williams won Paris).
  • At the 1999 Lipton Championships in Miami became the first pair of sisters in the Open Era to meet in a tournament final (w/ Serena Williams).
  • In 2000 became the second African-American to win Wimbledon in the Open Era.
  • At 2000 Sydney Olympics, became only second player ever to win Olympic gold in both singles and doubles, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924.
  • By winning the 2001 Australian Open Doubles championship with Serena Williams, became the fifth pair to complete a Career Doubles Grand Slam and the only pair to win a Career Doubles Golden Slam.
  • At the 2001 US Open, marked the first time in the Open Era, and second time in 117 years that sisters met in a Grand Slam final (w/ Serena Williams).
  • In 2001 became the third woman in Open Era to win Wimbledon and US Open in back-to-back years after Navratilova and Graf.
  • In February, 2002, became the World No. 1, the first African-American player to garner that spot since the computer rankings began in 1975.
  • In 2002 became the first ever siblings to rank Top 2 at same time with sister Serena.
  • Tied the winning streak in Miami tournament history by 22 with Steffi Graf.
  • At the 2003 Wimbledon made fourth straight Wimbledon final, only second to Martina Navrátilová's nine.
  • At the 2005 Wimbledon became the lowest ranked (No.16) and lowest seeded (No.14) player to win the championship.
  • Played in the longest women's singles final in Wimbledon history with Lindsay Davenport (2hr 45mins).
  • Snapped the longest losing streak in Grand Slam finals in open era (tied with Hingis) by winning the 2005 Wimbledon.
  • At Wimbledon in 2007, became the lowest seeded (23th) and lowest ranked (31st) Wimbledon women's singles champion.
  • In 2007 became the first woman to benefit from the equalization of prize money at Wimbledon.[36]
  • One of three women to win the Wimbledon singles title at least five times during the open era.
  • Holds fastest serve recorded by a woman in all four Grand Slam tournaments:
  • The only female tennis player to have won three career gold medals at the Olympic Games.
  • In Zurich 2008, she tied the all-time serve speed record with a 130 mph ace in the final against Flavia Pennetta, matching Brenda Schultz McCarthy's all-time record (in a qualifying match in Cincinnati)[citation needed]
  • In Wimbledon 2009, Venus defeated then World No. 1 Dinara Safina in the semifinals 6-1 6-0 which was the biggest win over a reigning World no. 1 ever. It was also the shortest semifinal match recorded at Wimbledon, just 53 minutes long.
  • At the 2009 Sony Ericsson Championship became the first player with a losing record (1-2) to advance out of pool play since Amelie Mauresmo managed the feat in 2003.

Awards

See also: WTA Awards
1995
  • Sports Image Foundation Award for conducting tennis clinics in low-income areas
1997
  • WTA Newcomer of the Year
  • September's Olympic Committee Female Athlete
1998
  • Tennis Magazine's Most Improved Player
2000
  • WTA Player of the Year
  • WTA Doubles Team of the Year Award (with Serena Williams)
  • Sports Illustrated for Women's Sportswoman of the Year
  • Teen Awards Achievement Award
  • Women's Sports Foundation's Athlete of the Year Award
2001
  • ESPY Award for Best Female Tennis Player
2002
  • ESPY Award Best Female Athlete
  • ESPY Award Best Female Tennis Player
2003
  • 34th NAACP Image Awards' President's Award
2004
  • Harris Poll Most Favorite Female Sports Star
2005
  • Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year Award
2006
  • ESPY Award Best Female Tennis Player
  • BET's Best Female Athlete of the Year
  • Harris Poll Most Favorite Female Sports Star
2007
  • Gitanjali Diamond Award
2008
  • Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award
2009
  • Anti-Defamation League Americanism Award
  • Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Venus Williams (USA)". WTA Tour, Inc.. http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/page/SearchResultsPlayers/0,,12781,00.html?freetext=venus+williams*&sortf=&sortd=&x=0&y=0. Retrieved July 2, 2009. 
  2. ^ Family Tree Legends
  3. ^ "Williams sisters net gold in doubles, beating Spaniards in final". ESPN. August 17, 2008. http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/tennis/news/story?id=3539310. Retrieved April 22, 2009. 
  4. ^ "40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era (25-28)". Tennis Magazine. May 17, 2006. http://www.tennis.com/features/40greatest/40greatest.aspx?id=738. Retrieved April 22, 2009. 
  5. ^ http://www.answers.com/topic/venus-williams
  6. ^ Venus Williams Interview Australian Open - Jan 17
  7. ^ 'Harder, Better, Faster...' Article discussing the serve speeds of women in 2008 - Nov 28
  8. ^ Venus Envy
  9. ^ What Happened at Indian Wells?
  10. ^ No Changing the Williams Sisters’ Minds
  11. ^ Keating, Gina; Tippit, Sarah. Eldest sister of Venus, Serena shot dead, Rediff, September 15, 2003. Accessed July 6, 2008.
  12. ^ Burt, Jason. Seeds are shaken by Sprem's flowering talent, The Independent, June 27, 2004. Accessed July 6, 2008.
  13. ^ Williams joins women's elite with fourth Wimbledon title
  14. ^ "Sister Sister: Venus sets record with 129 mph (208 km/h) serve; Serena sails". SI.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/tennis/08/27/venus.serve/. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  15. ^ Sharapova, Hantuchova Round Out Elite Eight Field
  16. ^ Venus Williams Out of Tennis Indefinitely with Mystery Illness
  17. ^ Williams Beats Razzano for 40th Career Singles Title
  18. ^ "Venus crashes out of French Open". BBC Sport. 2009-05-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8073573.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-30. 
  19. ^ ESPN.com Tennis: Women's Grand Slam Title Winners
  20. ^ a b Williams, Venus. Wimbledon has sent me a message: I'm only a second-class champion, The Times, June 26, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2008.
  21. ^ Blair adds support for equal pay, BBC News, June 28, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2008.
  22. ^ WTA Tour and UNESCO to promote gender equality, International Herald Tribune, November 11, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2008.
  23. ^ Roland Garros Awards Equal Pay
  24. ^ "French Open To Give Equal Paydays To Male, Female Winners", Sports Business Daily
  25. ^ Slezak, Carol. "We haven't heard last of Venus", Chicago Sun-Times, March 18, 2007.
  26. ^ Williams sisters 'shocked' by shooting death of oldest sister - Sports
  27. ^ Robson, Douglas. Venus Williams: Rain brings 'clarity', USA Today, July 5, 2007. Accessed July 6, 2008.
  28. ^ "Interview with Venus Williams". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/01/23/talkasia.venus. Retrieved 2009-12-06. 
  29. ^ Venus Williams Aces Fashion Degree from Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
  30. ^ Vstarr Interiors
  31. ^ Eleven website
  32. ^ Venus Unveils EleVen Clothing Range
  33. ^ "#21 to #25". Ladies Home Journal. http://www.lhj.com/lhj/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/lhj/story/data/powerindex_10012001.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/lhj/category/data/c_297.xml&page=5. 
  34. ^ "#77 Venus Williams". Forbes Magazine. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/53/celebrity-09_Venus-Williams_ZX4E.html. 
  35. ^ a b 1997 U.S. OPEN: A Phenomenal Final; Hingus and Williams Show Improvement With Every Match,The New York Times, September 7, 1997. Accessed July 30, 2009.
  36. ^ Wimbledon 2009: Venus and Serena Williams facts, telegraph.co.uk, July 4, 2009. Accessed July 4, 2009.
  37. ^ Venus sets record with 128 mph serve
  • Edmondson, Jacqueline (2005). Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-33165-0. 

External links

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Venus Williams
 
Venus Williams (Achievement precedessor & successor)
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Capriati		 World No. 1
February 25, 2002 – March 17, 2002
April 22, 2002 – May 19, 2002
June 10, 2002 – July 7, 2002		 Succeeded by
Jennifer Capriati
Jennifer Capriati
Serena Williams
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Anna Kournikova		 WTA Newcomer of the Year
1997		 Succeeded by
Serena Williams
Preceded by
Lindsay Davenport		 WTA Player of The Year
2000		 Succeeded by
Jennifer Capriati
Preceded by
Martina Hingis and
Anna Kournikova		 WTA Doubles Team of the Year
(with Serena Williams)
2000		 Succeeded by
Lisa Raymond and
Rennae Stubbs
Preceded by
Lindsay Davenport
Maria Sharapova		 Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
2001-2002
2006		 Succeeded by
Serena Williams
Maria Sharapova
Preceded by
Lindsay Davenport		 Best Female Athlete ESPY Award
2002		 Succeeded by
Serena Williams

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