Venus Williams: Biography from Answers.com

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."

Venus Williams

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$23,767,663 (2nd all-time among women's tennis players)
Singles
Career record	542-128 (80.8%)
Career titles	41 (tied-11th in overall rankings)
Highest ranking	No. 1 (February 25, 2002)
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 (2000)
Doubles
Career record	121–21 (84.6%)
Career titles	13
Highest ranking	No. 5 (October 11, 1999)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (2001, 2003, 2009)
French Open	W (1999)
Wimbledon	W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009)
US Open	W (1999)
Major doubles tournaments
Olympic Games	Gold medal (2000, 2008)
Last updated on: July 6 2009.

Olympic medal record
Women's Tennis
Gold	2000 Sydney	Singles
Gold	2000 Sydney	Doubles
Gold	2008 Beijing	Doubles

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.^[3] 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.^[4]

Although Williams has the most powerful and feared serve on the women's tour, she has a technically flawed motion.^{[citation needed]} Many tennis analysts have said that there is a lack of synchronization between the upper and lower body, and when not confident in the shot she can produce several double-faults or attackable second serves.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[5] 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' best surface are grass courts where 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 tends 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' weakest surface where her movement is suspect and her powerful serve and groundstrokes aren't as effective on the slow surface.

Professional career

1994–96: Professional debut

Already well-known in tennis circles at age 14, Williams turned professional on October 31, 1994. In the second round of her first professional tournament, the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, Williams was up a set and a service break against top seed 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.

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 tour in 1997. She reached the quarterfinals of three Tier I events — the State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, the European Indoor Championships in Zürich, and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. During her debut at the US Open, she lost in the final to Martina Hingis after defeating Irina Spîrlea in a semifinal famous for "the bump" in which Spîrlea and Williams collided during a changeover. Richard Williams, her father, later claimed that this incident was racially motivated.^[6]

In 1998, Williams teamed with Justin Gimelstob to win the mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open and the French Open. Her sister Serena won the other two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles that year, completing a "Williams Family Mixed Doubles Grand Slam". She began the year ranked outside the top 20 but ended the year ranked in the top 5. Williams won the first three WTA tour singles titles of her career in Oklahoma City (defeating World No. 2 Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals) and Key Biscayne, Florida (defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals) and at the Grand Slam Cup. Williams also was the runner-up in Sydney (defeating Hingis in the second round for her first win over a reigning World No. 1), Rome (defeating sister Serena in the quarterfinals), Stanford, California (defeating World No. 6 Monica Seles in the semifinals), and Zürich. Another highlight of Williams's year was reaching at least the singles quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam events. Williams won the first two doubles titles of her career, in Oklahoma City and Zürich. Both titles came with sister Serena, becoming only the third pair of sisters to win a WTA tour doubles title.^{[citation needed]} Williams suffered from patella tendinitis in her left knee, which caused her to retire from her quarterfinal match in San Diego and not play in the year-ending Chase Championships.

In 1999, Williams again won the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, defeating Jana Novotná, Graf, and her sister Serena in successive matches. Williams also won the tournament in Hamburg, the Italian Open in Rome, the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Connecticut, and the tournament in Zurich. Venus and Serena teamed to win the doubles titles at the French Open and the US Open, becoming the first sister team to win a Grand Slam doubles title in the 20th century. Venus also went 2–1 (1–1 in singles and 1–0 in doubles with Serena) in the United States' 4–1 win over Russia in the final of the Fed Cup, giving the U.S. its 16th title.

2000–02: Prime time

In 2000, Williams missed the first four months of the year with tendinitis in both wrists. At the French Open, Williams lost to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals.

Williams then won 35 consecutive singles matches and five tournaments. She won her first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, defeating World No. 1 Martina Hingis, sister Serena, and defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the final. She won three Tier II events during the North American summer hard court season, including Bank of the West Classic, Acura Classic and Pilot Pen Tennis. At the US Open, Williams defeated World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals, coming back from 5–3 down in the third set, and World No. 2 Davenport in the final. At the Olympic games in Sydney, Williams defeated Sánchez Vicario, Seles, and Elena Dementieva in the final to win the gold medal. Her winning streak was snapped in October by Davenport in the final of the tournament in Linz. Williams did not play a tournament the rest of the year because of anemia.

In doubles, Williams teamed with her sister Serena to capture the Wimbledon doubles and the Olympic gold medal. Williams became only the second player to win the women's singles and doubles titles at the same Olympic games.^[7]

At the start of 2001, Williams reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time but lost to Martina Hingis. She also reached the semifinals of the Tier I Tennis Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells, California, but withdrew just before the match. Venus claimed that tendinitis in her knee prevented her from playing, but the withdrawal was controversial. The following day, Serena played Kim Clijsters in the final. Venus and her father (and coach to her and Serena) Richard Williams were booed as they made their way to their seats.^[8] 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.^[9] She won, however, the next tournament on the tour calendar, the Tier I Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, defeating Hingis and World No. 4 Jennifer Capriati in the final, after saving eight championship points.

During the European clay court season, Williams won a Tier II event in Hamburg but lost in the third round of the Tier I EUROCARD Ladies German Open to Justine Henin and the first round of the French Open to Barbara Schett.

Williams then successfully defended her Wimbledon title, defeating Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals and eighth-seeded Henin in the final.

During the summer hard court season in North America, Williams won the Acura Classic and Pilot Pen Tennis, defeating Davenport in the final, for the second consecutive year. Williams also won the US Open singles title for the second consecutive year, without dropping a set. Venus 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).

In women's doubles, Venus and Serena won the Australian Open title for the first time and became only the fifth team to complete a career Grand Slam in that event.

Williams began 2002 in Australia by winning in Gold Coast but losing in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to Monica Seles.

Williams then won the Open Gaz de France in Paris and the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp before losing in the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open and the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida.

On clay, Williams beat Henin to win the Bausch & Lomb Championships. At the tournament in Hamburg, Williams defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Martina Hingis in the semifinals before losing to Kim Clijsters in the final. At the French Open, Williams was defeated by Serena in the final in straight sets.

Williams then reached the Wimbledon singles final for the third consecutive year after defeating World No. 6 Henin in the semifinals. In the second consecutive all-Williams Grand Slam singles final, Serena defeated Venus in straight sets. In women's doubles, the Williams sisters won the Wimbledon title for the second time.

During the summer hard court season in North America, Williams won Acura Classic for the third consecutive year and Pilot Pen Tennis for fourth consecutive year. She also won the tournament in Stanford, California. At the US Open, Williams lost to sister Serena for the third consecutive time in the final of a Grand Slam event.

Williams won seven singles titles during the year, a career best. In February, Williams became the World No. 1, the first African-American player to garner that spot since the computer rankings began in 1975.^[10]

2003–06: Injuries and losses

Williams started 2003 by losing to her sister Serena in three sets in the Australian Open final. Williams then won the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium for the second consecutive year, defeating Daniela Hantuchová and Kim Clijsters in consecutive matches.

During a semifinal match against Clijsters at Wimbledon, 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 her sister Serena. Following Wimbledon, both Venus and Serena suffered injuries that kept them out of competition for the last half of the year.

On the morning of September 14, 2003, Venus's older half sister, Yetunde Price, was murdered in the Compton, California area.^[11]

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. After quarterfinal losses at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, and the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Williams won the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina. At the Tier II tournament in Warsaw, Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. The following week, Williams reached the final of the Tier I tournament in Berlin but was forced to retire from her match against Amélie Mauresmo. 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, she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Anastasia Myskina 6–3, 6–4.

At Wimbledon, Williams lost a controversial second 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]

Williams was the third seed at the hard court tournament in Stanford, California, where she lost the final to top seeded Lindsay Davenport in a third set tiebreak. At the tournament in Los Angeles the following week, Williams lost again to Davenport, this time in the semifinals. Williams was leading 5–1 in the first set when she suffered an injury and lost the last six games of the set. She then retired from the match.

During the Olympic Games in Athens, Williams failed to defend the gold medal she won at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney as she lost to Mary Pierce of France in the third round 6–4, 6–4.

In the fourth round of the US Open, Williams lost to Davenport for the third consecutive time. Williams ended her year by losing in the quarterfinals of three consecutive tournaments — the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich, and the Advanta Championships Philadelphia.

In 2005, Williams started the year by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Alicia Molik. She then reached the final of the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, where she was attempting to win the tournament for the third time in four years. She defeated Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals, Anastasia Myskina in the semifinals, and was up a set and a break in the final against Amélie Mauresmo before losing the match.

At the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Venus defeated her sister Serena in the quarterfinals before losing to Maria Sharapova. This was the first time since the 2001 US Open that Venus had defeated Serena.

On clay, Williams reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in Amelia Island, Florida, where she lost to top seeded Lindsay Davenport. In her next tournament in Charleston, Williams lost in the third round. She then won a Tier III title at the Istanbul Cup, defeating second seeded Nicole Vaidišová in the final. At the French Open, Williams lost in the third round to 15-year old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva, who subsequently failed a doping test and was suspended from the tour for two years.

At Wimbledon, Williams defeated defending champion Maria Sharapova in a semifinal 7–6(2), 6–1, breaking Sharapova's serve four times. (Sharapova had lost only one service game to that point.) This marked the sixth consecutive year that at least one of the Williams sisters had reached the final, and it was Venus's fifth appearance in the Wimbledon final in the past six years. In the longest Wimbledon final in history, Williams was down match point at 6–4, 6–7(4), 5–4 (40–30) before coming back to defeat top seeded Davenport. This was Williams's third Wimbledon singles title, and this 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]}

Playing for the fifth consecutive week, including Fed Cup, Williams reached the final of the tournament in Stanford, California after defeating Patty Schnyder in a semifinal 2–6, 7–6(4), 6–2. Visibly exhausted, Williams lost the final to Clijsters.

At the US Open, Williams defeated her sister Serena in the fourth round for the second consecutive time but lost in the quarterfinals to Clijsters 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, who went on to win the tournament. Williams did not qualify for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships because of an injury sustained during the tournament in Beijing.

In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her 25th on its list of the 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.^[13]

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.

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

Williams was out of action from January 16 until April 30 because of injuries. After defeating Martina Hingis in the second round, she reached the quarterfinals of the J&S Cup in Warsaw, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova. She then lost to Hingis in a semifinal of the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, after defeating Jelena Janković and Patty Schnyder in earlier rounds. Williams ended her clay court season with a French Open quarterfinal loss to Nicole Vaidišová 6–7, 6–1, 6–3.

Williams was one of the favorites to win the singles title at Wimbledon. She defeated fellow American Lisa Raymond in the second round after Williams was two points from defeat. Williams then lost in the third round to 26th-seeded 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 a recurring wrist injury. During her first tournament in almost three months, she reinjured her wrist at the tournament in Luxembourg and lost in the second round to qualifier Agnieszka Radwańska.

2007–09: Return to form

Williams started 2007 season by withdrawing from the Australian Open because of a recurring wrist injury. This was the second consecutive Grand Slam event that Williams had missed because of injury.

Williams then won the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, defeating top-seeded Shahar Pe'er of Israel in the final. This was her first singles title since October 2006 and her 34th career singles title.

Venus Williams playing World Team tennis

Williams's next tournament was the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she lost in the third round to top seeded Maria Sharapova 2–6, 6–2, 7–5 after being two points away from victory. However, her ranking rose seven places to World No. 32.

She then started the clay court season, playing at the Tier II Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida. She lost in the quarterfinals to the eighth seed and eventual champion Tatiana Golovin 6–2, 6–3.

Williams played Fed Cup with her sister Serena for the first time in four years, in a home tie against Belgium on hard courts in Delray Beach, Florida, beating the young Belgian team 5–0. Williams won both of her singles matches.

Williams then traveled to Europe to prepare for the French Open. At the J&S Cup in Warsaw, Williams lost in the quarterfinals. Two weeks later, Williams played the Istanbul Cup, defeating Tatiana Poutchek in the first round before losing to French hard hitter Aravane Rezaï in the second round 6–4, 6–4.^[14] This was Williams's first defeat in a Tier III event on the WTA Tour. At the French Open, Williams lost her third round match to Janković 6–4, 4–6, 6–1. 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.

At Wimbledon in a first round match on Court 2, Williams was within two points of defeat against Alla Kudryavtseva before winning. In the third round, Akiko Morigami served for the match in the third set before Williams regrouped and won the match 6–2, 3–6, 7–5. In her fourth round match, Williams defeated second-seeded Sharapova 6–1, 6–3. In the quarterfinals, Williams defeated fifth-seeded Kuznetsova 6–3, 6–4 to reach her sixth career Wimbledon semifinal, where she defeated sixth-seeded Ana Ivanović 6–2, 6–4. In the final, Williams defeated Marion Bartoli in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. Seeded 23rd and ranked World No. 31, Williams broke her own record set in 2005 as the lowest seeded and lowest ranked Wimbledon singles champion.^{[citation needed]} With her fourth Wimbledon title, Williams joined Billie Jean King, Martina Navrátilová, and Steffi Graf as the only women to who have won at least four Wimbledon singles titles during the open era.^[15] The win also bettered her ranking to World No. 17, her first return to the top 20 in a year.

Williams then played for the U.S. in its Fed Cup semifinal tie against Russia. Williams won both her singles matches over Nadia Petrova and Anna Chakvetadze; however, the U.S. lost the tie when Williams and Lisa Raymond were defeated in the deciding doubles match.^[16]

At the US Open, after setting a Grand-Slam record 129 mph (208 km/h) serve in the opening round,^[17] Williams defeated Janković in the quarterfinals 4–6, 6–1, 7–6(4) before losing to the eventual champion, Justine Henin, in a semifinal 7–6(2), 6–4. Both players had health issues during the match. In the second set, Williams was treated for a stomach ache and dizziness. The tournament resulted in Williams' ranking moving up to World No. 9. With sister Serena at World No. 7, it was the first time the sisters were in the top 10 together since September 2005.

Williams then played three tournaments in Asia. Williams won her 36th career singles title at the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul, South Korea, defeating fourth-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko in the final. Despite having a heavily strapped leg, Williams then played in the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where she lost to Virginie Razzano in the final after holding three match points. At the PTT Bangkok Open, Williams lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Flavia Pennetta 6–4, 7–6(8).

Despite officially qualifying for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, Williams withdrew because of continuing problems with anemia.^[18]

In 2008, Williams was the eighth-seed at the Australian Open. Playing in the quarterfinals at this tournament for the first time since 2003, Williams lost to eventual singles finalist, fourth-seeded Ana Ivanović, 7–6(3), 6–4. When asked after the match about whether the quarterfinal losses by both Williams sisters at the Australian Open marked their decline, she replied that she had heard the same talk: "every single year. Serena and I, we don't have anything to prove. The way we're playing still maintains what other women are doing in tennis. We still set a very high standard. I don't get too caught up in what the next person thinks."^[19] Playing with her sister Serena in the women's doubles event at the Australian Open, they defeated the second-seeded team of Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama in the second round but lost in the quarterfinals to the seventh-seeded team and 2006 Australian Open champions Zi Yan and Jie Zheng.

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

At the Tier I Qatar Total Open in Doha, Williams played the doubles tournament as a wild card team with Wozniacki. Their first round win marked the first time that Venus had won an official WTA tour women's doubles match without sister Serena.^[20] In the second round, Williams and Wozniacki lost to the fourth-seeded Taipei pair of Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang. According to the Women's Tennis Association, it was the first doubles match Venus had ever played without an American partner, having played with Serena, Chanda Rubin, Corina Morariu, and Lisa Raymond in the past.^{[citation needed]}

On April 9, 2008, Williams announced that she would be away from the tour indefinitely but refused to explain other than to say, "I've just been having some issues that I need to resolve, so I'm working on that at the moment and I'm hoping to be back playing as soon as possible. I'm not going to get any further into it, but of course I love the sport."^[21] The following day, Williams's agent, Carlos Fleming, said, "This is not a hiatus. This is not a break from the tour. This was a limited window where she could get these [medical] evaluations before the three major tournaments and Olympics this summer", adding "Venus has assured me that there's no serious medical problem."^[22] Williams returned to the tour at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she lost in the quarterfinals to fourth-seeded Jelena Janković 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, beating her sister 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 without dropping a set the entire tournament, defeating Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in the final. The Williams sisters have won all seven Grand Slam women's doubles finals they have played.

Venus warming up at the U.S. Open

Williams was on the Philadelphia Freedoms team in World Team Tennis in July. She won six of the nine singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles matches she played. Williams then withdrew from the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles and the Rogers Cup in Montreal because of an injury to her right knee.

At the Olympic Games in Beijing, Williams was seeded seventh but lost to unseeded Li Na in the quarterfinals 7–5, 7–5. She did, however, earn a gold medal along with her sister Serena in women's doubles, defeating the Spanish team of Virginia Ruano Pascual and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the final. It was their second gold medal as a team, having won together in Sydney, Australia in 2000.

Venus Williams at the 2008 WTA Tour Championships

Williams was seeded seventh at the US Open and lost to her fourth-seeded sister Serena in the quarterfinals 7–6(6), 7–6(7). Venus led 5–3 in both sets and failed to convert on two set points in the first set and eight set points in the second set.

At the TENNIS.com Zurich Open, Williams defeated Ivanović in the semifinals before defeating Pennetta in the final to claim her second title of the year and secure a position in the Sony Ericsson Championships.

At the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, Williams was seeded seventh. In her round robin matches, she defeated Dinara Safina, Dementieva, and her sister Serena 5–7, 6–1, 6–0 to qualify for the semifinals. Williams defeated Janković in the semifinals 6–2, 2–6, 6–3 and won the tournament for the first time by defeating eighth-seeded Vera Zvonareva in the final. She ended the year ranked sixth in the world.

Williams during the 2009 Australian Open

Venus started 2009 season at the JB Group Classic, an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong, Williams defeated World No. 1 Jelena Janković, Anna Chakvetadze, and Vera Zvonareva, thus making team Americas the Gold Group champion.

Williams was seeded sixth at the Australian Open where, in the first round, she defeated Angelique Kerber of Germany. She was upset in the second round by unseeded Carla Suárez Navarro of Spain 2–6, 6–3, 7–5, having led 5–2 in the third and holding a match point on Suárez Navarro's serve. Venus and her sister Serena won the women's doubles title, defeating ninth-seeded Ai Sugiyama and Daniela Hantuchová in the final. This was their eighth career Grand Slam doubles title together, and they are undefeated in Grand Slam doubles finals.

Williams then won the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. She beat Alizé Cornet in the third round, defending champion Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals, her sister Serena in the semifinals, and unseeded Virginie Razzano in the straight sets final. The win raised Williams's ranking to World No. 5, her highest since August 2003.^[23] She also became the twelfth player during the open era to win 40 professional singles titles and has won more of those titles than any other active player.^[23]

At the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Williams won her second title in two weeks, defeating Flavia Pennetta in the final in straight sets.

Williams again skipped the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, a Premier Mandatory event. She then lost in the semifinals of the Premier Mandatory Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida to her sister Serena 6–4, 3–6, 6–3. She then lost 6-4, 7-6(5) to German Sabine Lisicki in the third round of the Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, where she was seeded second.

At the 2009 Internazionali BNL d'Italia, seeded fourth, Venus defeated Lucie Šafářová, Anna Chakvetadze, and tenth seeded Agnieszka Radwańska en route to the semifinals where she would lose to World No. 1 Dinara Safina 7-6, 3-6, 4-6. Her semifinal appearance will see her again rise to number 3 in the world. Her next tournament was the 2009 French Open, the second grand slam of the year, where she was seeded third. After struggling through the first two rounds, Williams fell in the 3rd round to Ágnes Szávay the 29th seed losing 0-6, 4-6.^[24]

Williams' most recent tournament was the Wimbledon, where she was the two time defending champion. She won her opening round against Stefanie Voegele 6-3, 6-2. She rolled past Kateryna Bondarenko in the second round and defeated Carla Suárez Navarro, who upset her at the Australian Open earlier that year, in the third round. She defeated 13th-seeded Ana Ivanović in the fourth round in a match where Ivanovic retired while trailing 1-6, 0-1. She then defeated Agnieszka Radwańska, the 11-seed, in the quarterfinals, 6-1, 6-2. She beat top seed, Dinara Safina, 6-1 6-0 in the semifinals, before facing off against her sister Serena Williams in the finals. It was the fourth time the sisters played each other in the Wimbledon finals, and Serena got the better of the match, defeating Venus 7-6, 6-2 to deny her older sister her 6th Wimbledon title.

In doubles, the Williams sisters made it to the final by beating two former Wimbledon doubles champions; they beat 2006 winners Zi Yan/Jie Zheng 6-0, 6-0 in the third round and top seeded Cara Black/Liezel Huber, winners in 2005 and 2007, 6-1, 6-2 in the semifinals. They defeated the 3rd-seeded team of Samantha Stosur/Rennae Stubbs, both of Australia, in the final 7-6(4), 6-4 to win their 9th career doubles Grand Slam and second consecutive at Wimbledon.

Rivalry with Serena Williams

Main article: Williams Sisters rivalry

Venus has played her sister Serena 21 times in professional women's tennis. Their head-to-head series is at 10–11 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 seven Grand Slam finals, equal to 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.^[25]

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.^[26] 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.^[26]

”

In response, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of Parliament publicly endorsed Williams's arguments.^[27] 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.^[28] 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.^[29] 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."^[30] 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."^[31]

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, Blood, and Lung Institute's "National Wear Red Day"

In 2003, Venus and Serena Williams' 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."^[32]

Williams' long time 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."^[33]

Williams said her family's faith as Jehovah's Witnesses has helped her tremendously.^[34]

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.^[35]

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.^[36]

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."^[37]^[38]

In 2001, Williams was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by the Ladies Home Journal.^[39]

In June 2009, Venus was named 77th in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities compiled by Forbes magazine.^[40]

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

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.^[41]
In 1997, Williams became the first unseeded singles finalist at the US Open.^[41]
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.^[42]
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:
- Australian Open: 125mph in 2005 quarterfinal against Daniela Hantuchová^{[citation needed]}
- French Open: 128mph in 2007 second round against Ashley Harkleroad^[43]
- Wimbledon: 129mph in 2008 final against Serena Williams
- US Open: 129mph in 2007 first round against Kira Nagy.
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 130mph ace in the final against Flavia Pennetta, matching Brenda Schultz McCarthy's all-time record (in a qualifying match in Cincinnati)^{[citation needed]}

Awards

References

^ ^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 on July 2, 2009.
^ Family Tree Legends
^ http://www.answers.com/topic/venus-williams
^ Venus Williams Interview Australian Open - Jan 17
^ 'Harder, Better, Faster...' Article discussing the serve speeds of women in 2008 - Nov 28
^ Venus Envy
^ Williams sisters become golden girls, BBC News, September 28, 2000. Accessed July 6, 2008.
^ What Happened at Indian Wells?
^ No Changing the Williams Sisters’ Minds
^ Williams takes number one spot, BBC News, February 25, 2002. Accessed July 6, 2008.
^ Keating, Gina; Tippit, Sarah. Eldest sister of Venus, Serena shot dead, Rediff, September 15, 2003. Accessed July 6, 2008.
^ Burt, Jason. Seeds are shaken by Sprem's flowering talent, The Independent, June 27, 2004. Accessed July 6, 2008.
^ 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS Era
^ Rezai beats Williams in straight sets
^ Williams joins women's elite with fourth Wimbledon title
^ Sweet music as Petrova and Vesnina steer Russia's tennis girls past USA
^ "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 on 2008-04-19.
^ Sharapova, Hantuchova Round Out Elite Eight Field
^ Venus Says Williams Challenge Won't Wane After Loss (Update1)
^ First Round Ends, Second Round Begins in Doha
^ Venus Williams Out of Tennis Indefinitely with Mystery Illness
^ Fendrich, Howard. Venus Williams skipping Charleston; plans to return to action next month in Rome, April 9, 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008.
^ ^a ^b Williams Beats Razzano for 40th Career Singles Title
^ "Venus crashes out of French Open". BBC Sport. 2009-05-29. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8073573.stm. Retrieved on 2009-05-30.
^ ESPN.com Tennis: Women's Grand Slam Title Winners
^ ^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.
^ Blair adds support for equal pay, BBC News, June 28, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2008.
^ WTA Tour and UNESCO to promote gender equality, International Herald Tribune, November 11, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2008.
^ Roland Garros Awards Equal Pay
^ "French Open To Give Equal Paydays To Male, Female Winners", Sports Business Daily
^ Slezak, Carol. "We haven't heard last of Venus", Chicago Sun-Times, March 18, 2007.
^ Williams sisters 'shocked' by shooting death of oldest sister - Sports
^ Robson, Douglas. Venus Williams: Rain brings 'clarity', USA Today, July 5, 2007. Accessed July 6, 2008.
^ Interview with Venus Williams
^ Venus Williams Aces Fashion Degree from Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale
^ Vstarr Interiors
^ Eleven website
^ Venus Unveils EleVen Clothing Range
^ "#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.
^ "#77 Venus Williams". Forbes Magazine. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/53/celebrity-09_Venus-Williams_ZX4E.html.
^ ^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.
^ Wimbledon 2009: Venus and Serena Williams facts, telegraph.co.uk, July 4,2009. Accessed July 4,2009.
^ 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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Venus Williams

Venus Williams profile on the WTA Tour's official website
Venus Williams Official website
ElevenbyVenus website
Venus Williams Interview

Venus Williams (Precedessor and Successor Drop Down Box)

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

Venus Williams in the Grand Slam Tournaments

Wimbledon (Open era) women's singles champions

(1968) Billie Jean King · (1969) Ann Haydon-Jones · (1970) Margaret Court · (1971) Evonne Goolagong · (1972) Billie Jean King · (1973) Billie Jean King · (1974) Chris Evert · (1975) Billie Jean King · (1976) Chris Evert · (1977) Virginia Wade · (1978) Martina Navrátilová · (1979) Martina Navrátilová · (1980) Evonne Goolagong · (1981) Chris Evert · (1982) Martina Navrátilová · (1983) Martina Navrátilová · (1984) Martina Navrátilová · (1985) Martina Navrátilová · (1986) Martina Navrátilová · (1987) Martina Navrátilová · (1988) Steffi Graf · (1989) Steffi Graf · (1990) Martina Navrátilová · (1991) Steffi Graf · (1992) Steffi Graf · (1993) Steffi Graf · (1994) Conchita Martínez · (1995) Steffi Graf · (1996) Steffi Graf · (1997) Martina Hingis · (1998) Jana Novotná · (1999) Lindsay Davenport · (2000) Venus Williams · (2001) Venus Williams · (2002) Serena Williams · (2003) Serena Williams · (2004) Maria Sharapova · (2005) Venus Williams · (2006) Amélie Mauresmo · (2007) Venus Williams · (2008) Venus Williams · (2009) Serena Williams

US Open women's singles champions

(1968) Virginia Wade · (1969) Margaret Court · (1970) Margaret Court · (1971) Billie Jean King · (1972) Billie Jean King · (1973) Margaret Court · (1974) Billie Jean King · (1975) Chris Evert · (1976) Chris Evert · (1977) Chris Evert · (1978) Chris Evert · (1979) Tracy Austin · (1980) Chris Evert-Lloyd · (1981) Tracy Austin · (1982) Chris Evert-Lloyd · (1983) Martina Navrátilová · (1984) Martina Navrátilová · (1985) Hana Mandlíková · (1986) Martina Navrátilová · (1987) Martina Navrátilová · (1988) Steffi Graf · (1989) Steffi Graf · (1990) Gabriela Sabatini · (1991) Monica Seles · (1992) Monica Seles · (1993) Steffi Graf · (1994) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario · (1995) Steffi Graf · (1996) Steffi Graf · (1997) Martina Hingis · (1998) Lindsay Davenport · (1999) Serena Williams · (2000) Venus Williams · (2001) Venus Williams · (2002) Serena Williams · (2003) Justine Henin-Hardenne · (2004) Svetlana Kuznetsova · (2005) Kim Clijsters · (2006) Maria Sharapova · (2007) Justine Henin · (2008) Serena Williams

Venus Williams Achievements

World rankings · Top ten tennis players as of July 6, 2009

ATP singles	ATP doubles	WTA singles	WTA doubles

▲ Roger Federer ▼ Rafael Nadal ▬ Andy Murray ▬ Novak Djokovic ▬ Juan Martín del Potro ▬ Andy Roddick ▬ Gilles Simon ▲ Jo-Wilfried Tsonga ▼ Fernando Verdasco ▬ Fernando González	▬ Bob Bryan ▬ Mike Bryan ▬ Daniel Nestor ▬ Nenad Zimonjić ▬ Lukáš Dlouhý ▬ Leander Paes ▲ Mark Knowles ▲ Mahesh Bhupathi ▲ Wesley Moodie ▼ Kevin Ullyett	▬ Dinara Safina ▬ Serena Williams ▬ Venus Williams ▬ Elena Dementieva ▬ Svetlana Kuznetsova ▬ Jelena Janković ▬ Vera Zvonareva ▬ Victoria Azarenka ▬ Caroline Wozniacki ▬ Nadia Petrova	▬ Cara Black ▬ Liezel Huber ▲ Anabel Medina Garrigues ▲ Virginia Ruano Pascual ▲ Samantha Stosur ▼ Ai Sugiyama ▼ Lisa Raymond ▲ Rennae Stubbs ▼ Květa Peschke ▼ Serena Williams ▼ Venus Williams

v • d • e Women's Tennis Association Top ten female singles tennis players from the Americas as of July 6, 2009

1. S. Williams (2 ▬) 2. V. Williams (3 ▬) 3. A. Wozniak (22 ▼) 4. G. Dulko (45 ▬) 5. M. Oudin (70 ▲)

6. J. Craybas (74 ▲) 7. B. Mattek-Sands (84 ▼) 8. V. Lepchenko (90 ▲) 9. R. de los Ríos (91 ▲) 10. V. King (103 ▲)

v • d • e Women's Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 1 players

Chris Evert (1975/1985 - 260 w) · Evonne Goolagong (1976 - 2 w) · / Martina Navrátilová (1978/1987 - 331 w) · Tracy Austin (1980 - 22 w) · Steffi Graf (1987/1997 - 377 w) · // Monica Seles (1991/1996 - 178 w) · Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1995 - 12 w) · Martina Hingis (1997/2001 - 209 w) · Lindsay Davenport (1998/2006 - 98 w) · Jennifer Capriati (2001/2002 - 17 w) · Venus Williams (2002 - 11 w) · Serena Williams (2002/2009 - 72 w) · Kim Clijsters (2003/2006 - 19 w) · Justine Henin (2003/2008 - 117 w) · Amélie Mauresmo (2004/2006 - 39 w) · Maria Sharapova (2005/2008 - 17 w) · Ana Ivanović (2008 - 12 w) · Jelena Janković (2008/2009 - 18 w) · Dinara Safina (2009 - 12 w)

WTA rankings incepted on November 3, 1975 · (year first held/year last held - number of weeks (w)) · current No. 1 in bold, as of July 6, 2009

v • d • e Tennis at the Summer Olympics • Olympic Champions in women's singles

1900: Charlotte Cooper • 1908: Dorothea Chambers, Gwendoline Eastlake-Smith (indoors) • 1912: Marguerite Broquedis, Edith Hannam (indoors) • 1920: Suzanne Lenglen • 1924: Helen Wills • 1988: Steffi Graf • 1992: Jennifer Capriati • 1996: Lindsay Davenport • 2000: Venus Williams • 2004: Justine Henin-Hardenne • 2008: Elena Dementieva

v • d • e Tennis at the Summer Olympics • Olympic Champions in women's doubles

1920: Kathleen McKane & Winifred McNair • 1924: Hazel Wightman & Helen Wills Moody • 1988: Zina Garrison & Pam Shriver • 1992 - 1996: Gigi Fernández & Mary Joe Fernández • 2000: Serena Williams & Venus Williams • 2004: Sun Tiantian & Li Ting • 2008: Serena Williams & Venus Williams

WTA Year-end championships winners

Persondata
NAME	Williams, Venus Ebone Starr
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	American tennis player
DATE OF BIRTH	June 17, 1980
PLACE OF BIRTH	Lynwood, California
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH

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Venus Williams

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