Venus Williams

Venus Ebony Starr Williams[2] (born June 17, 1980)[3] is an American professional tennis player. William is a former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Williams is often said to be one of the all-time greats of the sport of tennis.[4][5][6] She is also an Olympic gold medalist[7] who has won 7 Grand Slam titles.[8] She was ranked World No. 24 as of October 22, 2012 in singles.[9]

Venus Williams
Venus Williams 2012 (cropped).jpg
Williams in 2012
ResidencePalm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Born (1980-06-17) June 17, 1980 (age 43)
Lynwood, California, USA[1]
Height185 cm
CollegeIndiana University East (BSBA)
Turned proOctober 31, 1994 (aged 14)
PlaysRight-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize moneyUS$42,173,992
Official websitevenuswilliams.com
Singles
Career record815–265 (75.46%)
Career titles49
Highest rankingNo. 1 (February 25, 2002)
Current rankingNo. 467 (February 7, 2022)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian OpenF (2003, 2017)
French OpenF (2002)
WimbledonW (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008)
US OpenW (2000, 2001)
Other tournaments
ChampionshipsW (2008)
Olympic GamesW (2000)
Doubles
Career record185–37 (83.33%)
Career titles22
Highest rankingNo. 1 (June 7, 2010)
Current rankingNo. 1421 (January 31, 2022)
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
ChampionshipsSF (2009)
Olympic GamesW (2000, 2008, 2012)
Mixed Doubles
Career record28–8 (77.78%)
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)
Last updated on: February 7, 2022.

Williams is the older sister of Serena Williams. Serena has also been ranked as number one in the world. The Williams sisters are well known for their power games. Venus holds the record for the fastest serve by a female player in a main draw match (128.8 mph).

Personal life

In 2003, the sister and personal assistant to Venus Williams, Yetunde Price, was shot dead in Compton, California near the courts on which the sisters once practiced. Shortly after her death , the Williams family said "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."[10]

On December 13, 2007, Williams got her associate degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.[11]

In 2011, Williams was forced to stop playing in the US Open before her second-round match after she learned she had Sjögren's syndrome.[12] After she learned this, Williams started following a vegan diet and lowered the amount of calories and sugars in her diet.[13]

In 2015, Williams got a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Indiana University East.[14] She began studying for the degree in 2011 through an agreement between the university and the Women's Tennis Association. The agreement lets athletes play tennis professionally while studying online. Williams has said that shw wants to earn a MBA as well.[15]

Williams is a Jehovah's Witness.[16]

Relationships

Williams has dated golfer Hank Kuehne. They were seen together from 2007 until 2010. In 2012, she met Cuban model Elio Pis. They dated until 2015.[17] She dated publishing heir Nicholas Hammond for two years until 2019.[18][19]

2017 car accident

On June 9, 2017, Williams was in an accident in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A car collided with her SUV as she was driving through an intersection. The accident caused the death of a 78-year-old man and injured another person in the other vehicle. WHen the accident happened, Police said that Williams was "at fault". After they reviewed the surveillance video, they said that she had not caused it.[20]

On December 21, 2017, authorities said that the accident had occurred after Williams' vehicle was unlawfully cut off by an unidentified driver of a third vehicle.[21] A nearby surveillance camera showed that this was not true. Authorities said the accident was caused by the unidentified third driver, not by Williams.[22]

Records and achievements

  • Records in italics are currently active streaks.

{|class=wikitable style=font-size:97% |- style="background:#efefef;" | width=200|Championship || Years || Record accomplished || width=200|Player tied |- |1997 French Open2021 Wimbledon||1997–2021||Most appearances (90) in Grand Slam singles draw||Stands alone |- |1999 French Open2016 Wimbledon||1999–2016||First 14 Grand Slam doubles finals won (with Serena Williams)||Serena Williams |- |2002 French Open2003 Australian Open||2002–2003||Four consecutive runner-up finishes||Stands alone |- |2002 French Open2003 Australian Open||2002–2003||Four consecutive runner-up finishes to the same player (Serena Williams)||Stands alone |- |2003 Australian Open2017 Australian Open||2003–2017||14 years between first and last final||Chris Evert
Serena Williams |- |2000 Wimbledon2017 Wimbledon||2000–2017||17 years between first and last final||Serena Williams |- |Wimbledon||2005||Longest women's singles final[23]||Lindsay Davenport |- |Wimbledon||2007||Lowest-ranked champion (31st)[24]||Stands alone |- |Wimbledon||2007||Lowest-seeded champion (23rd)[24]||Stands alone |- |Wimbledon||2008||Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)[25]||Stands alone |- |US Open||2007||Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)[26][27]||Stands alone |- |Summer Olympics||2000–2012||4 Olympic gold medals||Serena Williams |- ||Summer Olympics||2000–2016||5 Olympic finals||Stands alone |- |Summer Olympics||2000–2012||3 doubles Olympic gold medals (with Serena Williams)||Serena Williams |- |Summer Olympics||2000–2016||Most Olympic medals won by a male or female player (5)||Kathleen McKane Godfree |- ||Summer Olympics||2000–2016||Has won an Olympic medal in all three events (singles, doubles & mixed)||Kathleen McKane Godfree |- ||Summer Olympics||2000–2016||Has won an Olympic medal at four Olympic Games||Stands alone |- |Miami Open||1998–2002||22 consecutive singles matches won at this tournament||Steffi Graf |- |Dubai Tennis Championships||2009–2015||16 consecutive singles matches won at this tournament||Stands alone |- |Dubai Tennis Championships||2010–2014||2 consecutive singles titles without dropping a set||Justine Henin |- |Dubai Tennis Championships||2014||Only unseeded player to have won in singles and as a wildcard||Stands alone |- |Connecticut Open||1999–2002||4 consecutive singles titles|| Caroline Wozniacki |- |Connecticut Open||1999–2000||2 consecutive singles titles without dropping a set||Stands alone |- |U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships||1998–2007||Most singles titles won at this tournament (3)||Stands alone |- |Southern California Open||1999–2002||4 consecutive singles finals|| Tracy Austin |- |Mexican Open||2009–2010||2 consecutive singles titles||Sara Errani
Lesia Tsurenko |- |Year-end championships||1998-2008–2015||Won all three title Grand Slam Cup, WTA Finals and WTA Elite Trophy in singles |}

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 (with Serena Williams)
  • Sports Illustrated for Women's Sportswoman of the Year
  • Teen Choice Awards – Extraordinary Achievement Award
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 62)
  • Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year for team sports (with Serena Williams)
2001
  • Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
  • EMMA Best Sport Personality Award
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 57)
2002
  • Best Female Athlete ESPY Award
  • Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 60)
2003
  • The President's Award of the 34th NAACP Image Awards
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 65)
2004
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 1)
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 77)
2005
  • Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year Award
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 81)
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
2006
  • Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
  • BET's Best Female Athlete of the Year
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 1)
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 90)
2007
  • Gitanjali Diamond Award
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
  • Vogue Magazine Top 10 Best Dressed List for 2007
2008
  • Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
  • Anti-Defamation League Americanism Award
  • Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award
  • ITF Women's Doubles World Champion (with Serena Williams)
  • WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
  • WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
  • Doha 21st Century Leaders Awards – Outstanding Leadership
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 77)
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 2)

2009
  • WTA doubles team of the year (with Serena Williams)
  • WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
2010
  • Caesars Tennis Classic Achievement Award
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 83)
  • YWCA GLA Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award
  • WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
  • Forbes 30 Utterly Inspiring Role Models
  • Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (No. 60)
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 2)
  • Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service in Professional Sports
2011
  • Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 86)
  • TIME Magazine 30 Legends of Women's Tennis
  • Forbes Most Powerful Black Women In The U.S. (No. 10)
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 2)
2012
  • World TeamTennis Finals Most Valuable Player
  • WTA Player Service Award
  • WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
2013
  • BET Black Girls Rock! Star Power Award
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
  • WTA Player Service Award
2014
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
  • WTA Fan Favorite Dress (2014 Wimbledon)
  • Tennis Magazine Top 10 Matches of 2014 No. 3 (2014 Wimbledon 3rd Round)
  • ESPN Tennis Top 10 Women's Matches of 2014 No. 3 (2014 Wimbledon 3rd Round)
2015
  • US Open Sportsmanship Award
  • WTA February Best Dressed Player
  • WTA French Open Best Dressed Player
  • WTA October Best Dressed Player
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
  • Harris Poll Top 10 Greatest Tennis Player (No. 5)
  • WTA Comeback Player of the Year
  • WTA Social Fan Favorite – #TBT of the Year
2016
  • Sports Illustrated Fashionable 50 Athletes
  • Nielsen Most Marketable Athletes in the U.S. (No. 6)
2017
  • ESPN WTA Player of the Year
  • Nielsen Most Marketable Athletes in the U.S. (No. 2)
2019
  • Sports Illustrated Fashionable 50 Athletes

Venus Williams Media

References

  1. "Venus Williams Biography". Biography. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. "Family Tree Legends". Family Tree Legends. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  3. "Venus Williams Career Statistics". Women's Tennis Association. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  4. Le Miere, Jason (28 August 2015). "Top 10 Women's Tennis Players Of All-Time: Where Does Serena Williams Rank On List Of Greatest Ever?". International Business Times. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  5. Williams, Jeff (2 September 2020). "10 best women's tennis players of all time". Newsday. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  6. Staff, TC (16 April 2021). "What are the Top 10 Greatest Women's Tennis Players". Tennis Connected. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  7. "Williams sisters net gold in doubles, beating off Spaniards in final". ESPN. August 17, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  8. "All-Time Women's Majors Titles". Blueridgenow.com. June 5, 2010. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  9. Chase, Chris (July 15, 2010). "Ranking the top-10 women's tennis players of all time". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
  10. Williams sisters 'shocked' by shooting death of oldest sister – Sports. Findarticles.com. September 29, 2003. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_14_104/ai_109568996. Retrieved October 6, 2010. 
  11. "Venus Williams Aces Fashion Degree from Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale". Artinstitutes.edu. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
  12. Lila (August 31, 2011). "Venus Williams Leaves US Open. 10 Things You Should Know About Sjogren's Syndrome". Celebritydiagnosis.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2012.
  13. Vegan Venus Williams talks about food and tennis. January 14, 2013. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22369612/vegan-venus-williams-talks-about-food-and-tennis. Retrieved April 14, 2013. 
  14. "Venus Williams receives her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from IU East". Indiana University East. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  15. "Sister Act: Serena and Venus Williams". Hamptons Magazine. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
  16. "Serena Williams's Secret Weapon: 'Jehovah God'". Religion News Service. July 11, 2015 – via Huff Post.
  17. "Ex-Girlfriend Venus Williams". Glamour Path. July 5, 2019.
  18. Meredith B. Kile (April 2, 2018). "Venus Williams and boyfriend Nicholas Hammond share post-workout PDA". AOL. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  19. "Venus Williams Splits with Boyfriend of Two Years Nicholas Hammond". Tennis World USA. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  20. Perez, Kevin Spain and A. J. "Venus Williams lawfully entered intersection before fatal crash". USA TODAY.
  21. LUCHINA FISHER (November 9, 2017). Venus Williams deposed in fatal car crash case. ABC news. https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/venus-williams-deposed-fatal-car-crash-case/story?id=51038002. Retrieved March 2, 2018. 
  22. Cindy Boren (December 21, 2017). Venus Williams, other driver will not be charged in fatal car crash. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/12/21/venus-williams-other-driver-will-not-be-charged-in-fatal-car-crash/. Retrieved March 2, 2018. 
  23. "Venus rallies to win longest Wimbledon final". MSNBC. July 3, 2005. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  24. 24.0 24.1 "A Trio of Favorites at Wimbledon". MSNBC. June 19, 2008. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  25. Venus Williams Defeats Sister Serena, Taking Fifth Wimbledon Title. Fox News. July 5, 2008. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376701,00.html. Retrieved May 17, 2011. 
  26. Venus sets record with 129-mph serve; Serena sails. SI.com. August 27, 2007. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/tennis/08/27/venus.serve/. Retrieved June 6, 2012. 
  27. "Venus serves up a record". Tvnz.co.nz. August 28, 2007. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.