Venus Williams - USA 
| Birth Date:
| 6/17/1980 |
Age:
| 32 |
| Birth Place:
| Lynwood, CA, USA |
Residence:
| Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA |
| Height:
| 6'1" (1.85 m)" |
Weight:
| 160 lbs. (72.5 kg) |
| Year Turned Pro:
| 1994 (18 years on tour) |
Plays:
| Right-handed |
| Official Website:
| http://www.venuswilliams.com/ |
Twitter:
| @venuseswilliams |
|
Currently ranked No. 4 in the world, American Venus Williams has won 20 Grand Slam titles: seven in singles, 11 in women's doubles and two in mixed doubles.
Venus made her pro debut in 1994, and broke into the international spotlight in 1997 when she made it to the final of the US Open at age 17. She was defeated by then 16-year-old Martina Hingis, the youngest major final in the Open Era. She rose from No. 66 to No. 27 after the US Open.
By the end of 1998, Venus was ranked in the top 5, winning three titles and reaching the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the semifinals of the US Open. While playing in Zurich, one of her serves was clocked at 127 miles per hour, the fastest in women’s history to that point.
She notched her first two Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles, combining with Justin Gimelstob to take the crown at the Australian and the French. Venus missed the first four months of the 200 season with tendonitis in both wrists, but returned in style with a 35-match win streak, winning her first singles Grand Slam at Wimbledon, which would become her turf over the next decade.
She also won the doubles title at Wimbledon, along side sister Serena. She went on to win the US Open, defeating Lindsay Davenport in both events, and took the gold medal in the Olympic Games in Athens. She and Serena combined to win the doubles gold as well, becoming only the second player ever to taste gold in both events in the same year.
In 2001, Venus defended her titles at both Wimbledon and the US. She defeated Serena in the US Open final, marking the first time sisters had played for a Grand Slam title in 117 years. She teamed with Serena to win the Australian Open doubles title, completing a career doubles Grand Slam.
She first attained the world rank of No. 1 on Feb. 25, 2002, holding it for three weeks. She would regain the spot twice more in 2002, holding the position for 11 weeks total.
In 2002, Venus teamed with Serena to take the doubles title at Wimbledon again. The pair would add another Australian title in 2003, and Venus emerged triumphant again at Wimbledon in 2005 after injuries slowed her in the previous two seasons.
The next season, 2006, is the only year since 1998 that Venus has failed to win a Grand Slam in either singles or doubles.
She returned strong in 2007 to win her fourth Wimbledon crown despite being ranked 31st and seeded 23rd at the tournament’s start. She was even better in 2008, repeating her crown at Wimbledon, defeating her sister again, then teaming with Serena to take their third doubles title at the All England Club. The singles title was her fifth, putting her third in Wimbledon crowns in the Open Era behind only Martina Navratilova (nine) and Steffi Graf (seven). She and Serena added another Olympic doubles gold in 2008.
Venus just missed a chance for three straight Wimbledon titles, falling to Serena in the 2009 final. The two combined to win the doubles title again, and added the doubles crown at the US Open, 10 years after their first.
In 2010, Venus teamed up with Serena to take the Australian Open doubles crown. They added the crown at the French Open to improve to 12-0 together all-time in Grand Slam doubles finals. In February, Venus defeated Shahar Peer in the semifinals of the Dubai Open. The pair were already linked because Venus, the 2009 Dubai champion, refused to defend her title unless Peer was granted a work visa to enter the United Arab Emirates, something that had been denied her in 2009.
Career Grand Slam Titles
Singles (7): Wimbledon: 2000-2001; 2005, 2007-2008; US Open 2000-2001.
Doubles (11): Australian: 2001, 2003, 2009-2010; French 1999, 2010; Wimbledon: 2000, 2002, 2008-2009; US: 1999, 2009.
Mixed Doubles (2): Australian Open: 1998; French: 1998.
Year-End Singles Rankings: 1995 - 204th; 1996 - 204th; 1997 - 22nd; 1998 - 5th; 1999 - 3rd; 2000 - 3rd; 2001 - 3rd; 2002 - 2nd; 2003 - 11th; 2004 - 9th; 2005 - 10th; 2006 - 48th; 2007 - 8th; 2008 -6th; 2009 - 6th.
Personal
Full name is Venus Ebony Starr Williams. Has four sisters – Serena, Isha, Lyndrea and Yetunde (deceased). Coached by father Richard Williams and mother Oracene Price. Owns V Starr Interiors, a residential interior design company in Florida. Designs a women’s leather apparel line for Wilson called The Venus Williams Collection.
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