Venus Williams Bio And Facts

Venus Williams

Venus Williams is a well-known professional tennis player who has had an incredibly successful career on and off the court. Venus has been a top performer at four Grand Slam tournaments as well as the four different Olympic Games she has played in. Venus is credited as having one of the fastest serves of all time.

Outside of tennis, Venus is a prominent advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement. She has used social media platforms to spark change and initiate conversations about racial inequality in America. Venus has also donated towards causes that promote gender equality on a global scale.

Moreover, Venus Williams launched a clothing line called EleVen and an interior design company called V Starr Interiors. She is a part owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins. Venus co-authored the book, Come to Win, that became a New York Times bestseller.

• Birth Date: June 17, 1980
• Education: Indiana University East
• Career Earnings: $42,403,103
• Occupation: Professional Tennis Player
• Height: 6’1” (1.85 m)
• Plays: Right-handed
• Years Active: 30 years (1994-present)
• Career Singles Wins: 816
• Career Singles Losses: 270

Social Media

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Personal Website
• Business Website

Tennis Career

As an amateur tennis player, Venus Williams was the greatest youth player in the country. She was more than prepared to become a pro, and she proved this by becoming the first unseeded woman to get to the US Open Finals during the Open Era. The early 2000s is when Venus Williams excelled, becoming one of the best players in the world. For four years straight, Venus ended the year ranked in the top three. She won back-to-back singles Grand Slam titles at the US Open and Wimbledon during the 2000 and 2001 seasons and added a singles Olympic gold medal to her resume.

Venus Williams has been extraordinarily successful in doubles competitions, where she has won 14 Grand Slam titles and three Olympic gold medals. In doubles play, Venus has most often been side-by-side with her younger sister, Serena, and they are considered one of the greatest doubles teams of all time. At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Venus Williams added a silver medal to her legacy in the mixed doubles event with her partner, Rajeev Ram.

Titles and Awards

• 5x Wimbledon Singles Champion (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008)
• 2x US Open Singles Champion (2000, 2001)
• 2x French Open Doubles Champion (1999, 2010)
• 4x Australian Open Doubles Champion (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010)
• 2000 Olympics gold medalist
• 2000 WTA Player of the Year

Following her amazing performance during the 2000 and 2001 tennis seasons, Venus Williams was awarded her first number-one overall ranking by the World Tennis Association in 2002. She was the first African-American woman to reach the top seed in the Open Era. Overall, Venus has been ranked number one in the world three different times.

Additionally, Venus Williams has won seven Grand Slam singles titles and has appeared in the finals at all four Grand Slam tournaments at least once in her career. She has performed exceptionally well at Wimbledon, where she has been crowned champion five different times.

During her long career, Williams has been honored with many awards, including WTA Newcomer of the Year, WTA Player of the Year, the Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award, and ESPN WTA Player of the Year. Several publications have recognized her achievements, earning Williams a spot on the Harris Poll Top 10 Greatest Tennis Player list and Forbes’ Celebrity 100 List. She was also honored with Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year Award.

Personal Life

Venus Williams grew up in Compton, California, with her parents and four sisters. Her father was the one who pushed Venus to play tennis from an early age. Venus’ father played a major role in helping Venus acclimate to a professional career.

Once Venus became a tennis star, she started using her fame to initiate change. She followed her passions and developed two different brands that she is currently the CEO for. V Starr Interiors is an interior design company that works throughout the country on residential projects. Her second brand, EleVen, is a women’s activewear clothing line. The EleVen brand represents Venus's passion in life to continually strive to improve and be better.

In 2011, Venus was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s Syndrome. The disease causes Venus to grow fatigued more easily. Venus began to change her approach to life after her diagnosis by changing her diet to completely vegan foods and factoring in more days of rest.

Fun Facts

• As an amateur, Venus Williams never lost a match on the United States Tennis Association Junior Tour. Her record was 63-0.
• Venus Williams was 14 years old when she competed in her first career professional tennis match in 1994.
• After the 2012 London Olympic Games, Venus and Serena Williams both won the most Olympic gold medals in the history of tennis among female and male competitors. Following the Rio games in 2016, Venus became the most decorated tennis Olympian ever after taking home the silver in the mixed doubles event.
• Her 206 km/h serve in 2007 was the second-fastest serve ever recorded in a Grand Slam tournament.
• Venus Williams has an associate degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
• Venus Williams is a CLIF Bar-sponsored athlete, and she appeared on the limited-edition packaging for the Crunchy Peanut Butter flavor.

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