Venus Williams

Venus Williams
Williams at the French Open in 2021
Full nameVenus Ebony Starr Williams
Country (sports) United States
ResidencePalm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S.
Born (1980-06-17) June 17, 1980 (age 44)
Lynwood, California, U.S.[1]
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Turned proOctober 1994
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
CollegeIndiana University East (BSBA)
CoachHugo Armando (2023–present)
Prize moneyUS $42,648,697
Singles
Career record818–278
Career titles49
Highest rankingNo. 1 (February 25, 2002)
Current rankingNo. 961 (November 4, 2024)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenF (2003, 2017)
French OpenF (2002)
WimbledonW (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008)
US OpenW (2000, 2001)
Other tournaments
Grand Slam CupW (1998)
Tour FinalsW (2008)
Olympic GamesW (2000)
Doubles
Career record185–38
Career titles22
Highest rankingNo. 1 (June 7, 2010)
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010)
French OpenW (1999, 2010)
WimbledonW (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016)
US OpenW (1999, 2009)
Other doubles tournaments
Tour FinalsSF (2009)
Olympic GamesW (2000, 2008, 2012)
Mixed doubles
Career record28–8
Career titles2
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian OpenW (1998)
French OpenW (1998)
WimbledonF (2006)
US OpenQF (1998)
Other mixed doubles tournaments
Olympic GamesF (2016)
Team competitions
Fed CupW (1999), record 21–4
Hopman CupRR (2013)
Signature
Medal record
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Singles
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Doubles
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Doubles
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Mixed doubles
Last updated on: July 4, 2024.

Venus Ebony Starr Williams[2] (born June 17, 1980)[3] is an American inactive professional tennis player. A former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, five at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open.[4] She is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.[5][6][7]

Along with her younger sister, Serena, Venus Williams was coached by her parents Oracene Price and Richard Williams. Turning professional in 1994, she reached her first major final at the 1997 U.S. Open. In 2000 and 2001, Williams claimed the Wimbledon and U.S. Open titles, as well as Olympic singles gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She first reached the singles world No. 1 ranking on 25 February 2002, becoming the first African American woman to do so in the Open era, and the second of all time after Althea Gibson.[8] She reached four consecutive major finals between 2002 and 2003, but lost each time to Serena. She then suffered from injuries, winning just one major title between 2003 and 2006. Williams returned to form starting in 2007, when she won Wimbledon (a feat she repeated the following year). In 2010, she returned to the world No. 2 position in singles, but then suffered again from injuries. Starting in 2014, she again gradually returned to form, culminating in two major final appearances at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2017.

Along with her seven singles major titles, Williams has also won 14 women's doubles major titles, all partnering Serena; the pair are unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals.[9] She became the world No. 1 in doubles for the first time on June 7, 2010, alongside Serena, after the pair completed a non-calendar-year Grand Slam at the French Open. The pair also won three Olympic gold medals in women's doubles, in 2000, 2008, and 2012, adding to Venus' singles gold in 2000 and her mixed doubles silver in 2016.[10] Williams has also won two mixed doubles major titles, both in 1998.

The Williams sisters are credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour.[11][12][13] With 49 WTA Tour singles titles, Williams has the most singles titles among active players. With 22 WTA doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles, her combined total of 73 WTA titles is also the most among active players. She is also the only active player to have reached the singles finals of all four majors.[14] Williams was twice the season prize money leader (in 2001 and 2017), and ranks second behind Serena in all-time career prize money winnings, having earned over US$42 million as of March 2022.[15]

  1. ^ "Venus Williams Biography". Biography. Archived from the original on September 9, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "Family Tree Legends". Family Tree Legends. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  3. ^ "Venus Williams Career Statistics". Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  4. ^ "Tennis records". Tennis X. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  5. ^ Le Miere, Jason (August 28, 2015). "Top 10 Women's Tennis Players Of All-Time: Where Does Serena Williams Rank On List Of Greatest Ever?". International Business Times. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Williams-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "What are the top 10 Greatest Women's Tennis Players". Tennis Connected. April 16, 2021. Archived from the original on August 14, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  8. ^ "Press Center". Women's Tennis Association. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  9. ^ "Williams sisters capture 14th Grand Slam doubles championship". Fox 11 News. July 9, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  10. ^ Peggy Shinn (September 28, 2020). "THE WILLIAMS SISTERS OLYMPIC DOUBLES DOMINATION BEGAN 20 YEARS AGO AT THE 2000 SYDNEY GAMES". Team USA. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020.
  11. ^ Kimmelman, Michael (August 25, 2010). "How Power Has Transformed Women's Tennis". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 13, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  12. ^ Allen, JA. "The Williams Sisters and the Rise of the Women's Power Game". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  13. ^ Crouse, Karen (August 30, 2009). "Williams Sisters Write Their Own Story". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  14. ^ Chase, Chris (September 13, 2010). "Ranking the top-10 women's tennis players of all time". Busted Racquet. Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on August 13, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  15. ^ "Career Prize Money Leaders" (PDF). WTA Tour. March 21, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2022.