Venus Ebone Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980 in Lynwood, California, United States) is a former World No. 1 ranked female tennis player who has won five Grand Slam singles titles. She is the daughter of Richard Williams and Oracene Price, and the older sister of fellow tennis player Serena Williams.
 | |
| Country (sports) |  USA |
|---|---|
| Residence | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA |
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Turned pro | 1994 |
| Plays | Right; Two-handed backhand |
| Prize money | $16,287,774 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 424-99 |
| Career titles | 33 |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (February 25, 2002) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2003) |
| French Open | F (2002) |
| Wimbledon | W (2000, 2001, 2005) |
| US Open | W (2000, 2001) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 89-16 |
| Career titles | 10 |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (October 11, 1999) |
| Last updated on: August 14, 2006. | |
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's Tennis | ||
 |
2000 Sydney | Singles |
|
2000 Sydney | Doubles |
Early career
Williams turned professional on October 31, 1994. In the second round of her first professional tournament in Oakland, Williams was up a set and a service break against top seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario before losing the match. That was the only tournament Williams played in 1994. She remained a part time player on the tour during the next two years, playing only three tournaments in 1995 and five tournaments in 1996.
Williams began to play regularly on the tour in 1997. The highlight of her year was playing the U.S. Open for the first time, where she lost in the final to Martina Hingis 6-0, 6-4 after defeating Irina Spirlea in a three-set semifinal.
In 1998, Williams teamed with Justin Gimelstob to win the mixed doubles title at the Australian Open and the French Open. Her sister Serena Williams won the other two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles of the year, completing a "Williams Family Mixed Doubles Grand Slam."
In 1999, Williams won the tournament in Miami, defeating Jana Novotna, Steffi Graf, and her sister Serena Williams in successive matches. Venus and Serena teamed to win the doubles titles at the French Open and the U.S. Open, becoming the first sister team to win a Grand Slam doubles title in the 20th century.
In 2000, Williams won the singles title at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and two gold medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The Williams sisters also won the Wimbledon doubles title for the first time.
Williams successfully defended her Wimbledon and U.S. Open singles titles in 2001. At the U.S. Open, Williams won the tournament without dropping a set, defeating Serena Williams in the final 6-2, 6-4. The Williams sisters won the Australian Open doubles title for the first time, completing a career Grand Slam in doubles for the pair.
In February 2002, Williams became the top ranked player in the world, the first African American player to garner that spot since the computer rankings began in 1975. The Willliams sisters won the Wimbledon doubles title for the second time in 2002.
Beginning with the 2002 French Open and extending through Wimbledon in 2003, Venus reached the final in five Grand Slam singles tournaments, losing all of them to her sister Serena.
2003
In 2003, Williams lost to her sister Serena Williams in the 2003 Australian Open final. They also met in the 2003 Wimbledon final, where Venus suffered a severe abdominal injury that required medical attention during the match. Venus eventually lost the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Venus' older sister, Yetunde Price, was murdered in the Compton, California area on the morning of September 14, 2003. The era of domination by the Williams sisters began to close out after the murder. Following Wimbledon, both Venus and Serena suffered injuries that kept them out of competition for the last half of the year.
2004
Venus came back to the tour somewhat rusty. She reached the third round of the Australian Open, where a protected ranking seeded her at No. 3, losing to Lisa Raymond. She went on to experience several early losses, but bounced back in Poland. There she won the Warsaw J&S cup, a Tier II tournament.
Nevertheless, upon their return in 2004, the Williams sisters failed to recapture their previous best, including Venus's controversial defeat in a second round loss to Croatian Karolina Sprem at Wimbledon. The umpire of the match, Ted Watts, awarded Sprem an unearned point in the deciding tiebreak. Upon the conclusion of the match, he was quickly relieved of his duties.
2005
Williams was inconsistent in 2005, especially at the start of the year. She lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open to Alicia Molik and then reached the final in Antwerp, where she was attempting to win the tournament for the third time in four years. She defeated Kim Clijsters in a quarterfinal, Anastasia Myskina in a semifinal, and was up a set and a break in the final against Amelie Mauresmo before losing the match.
After the tournament in Antwerp, Williams lost in the first round in Dubai, the semifinals in Miami, the quarterfinals at Amelia Island, and the third round in Charleston. She then won a Tier III title in Istanbul, defeating second seeded Nicole Vaidisova in the final 6-3, 6-2
At the French Open, Williams lost in the third round to 15-year old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva. Karatantcheva subsequently failed a doping test, resulting in her being suspended from the tour for two years.
The following month, Williams reached the 2005 Wimbledon finals without dropping a set. She defeated the defending champion Maria Sharapova in a semifinal in straight sets, 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.
In the longest Wimbledon final in history, Williams overcame a match point (at 4-6, 7-6 (4), 4-5, 30-40) against her to defeat top seeded Lindsay Davenport 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 to claim her third Wimbledon title. This was the first time in 70 years that a player had won after facing match point during the women's championship. In addition, Williams, as the 14th seed in the draw, was the lowest seed to win the women's singles title in Wimbledon history.
In 2005, TENNIS Magazine put her in 25th place in its list of 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.
Despite Williams' inconsistent year, media attention and public interest in both of the Williams sisters continued with their fashion and interior design companies as well as their reality TV series.
2006
Williams lost surprisingly in the first round of the Australian Open to Tszvetana Pironkova 2-6, 6-0, 9-7. It was Williams' earliest loss at that tournament.
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 at the J&S Cup in Warsaw, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova. She then lost to Hingis in a semifinal of the Italian Open, after defeating Jelena Jankovic and Patty Schnyder in earlier rounds. Williams ended her clay court season with a French Open quarterfinal loss to Nicole Vaidisova 6-7, 6-1, 6-3.
Williams competed at Wimbledon as one of the favorites to win the title. She survived a scare against fellow American Lisa Raymond in the second round when Williams was two points from defeat. Williams then lost in the third round to 26th seeded Jankovic 7-6(8), 4-6, 6-4. After the loss, Venus was quoted as saying that she was having pain in her left wrist, but that it was not the reason why she lost.
Williams did not play in the U.S. Open series or the U.S. Open itself due to a recurring wrist injury. During her first tournament in almost three months, she reinjured her wrist in Luxembourg and lost in the second round after defeating rising star Ana Ivanovic in the first round.
2007
Williams started the year by withdrawing from the 2007 Australian Open because of a recurring wrist injury. This is the second consecutive Grand Slam event that Williams has missed due to injury. Williams is expected to make her return at the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium in mid-February.[citation needed]
Off court career
Venus is a businesswoman and CEO of her interior design firm "V Starr Interiors" located in Jupiter, Florida. Williams' company garnered prominence by designing the set of the "Tavis Smiley Show" on PBS, designed the Olympic athletes apartments as a part of the US bid package for New York to host the 2012 games, and designed for residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.
Cultural references
Welsh Indie band Super Furry Animals have a track on their 2003 album Phantom Power called Venus and Serena dedicated to the sisters.
In the single "Signs" by Snoop Dogg and Justin Timberlake there is a reference to the sisters as: "You'll see Venus and Serena, in the Wimbledon arena."
David Foster Wallace mentions Venus by name, twice, in the opening chapter of his 1996 novel Infinite Jest.
Grand Slam singles finals
Wins (5)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2000 | Wimbledon | Lindsay Davenport |
6-3, 7-6 |
| 2000 | U.S. Open | Lindsay Davenport |
6-4, 7-5 |
| 2001 | Wimbledon (2) | .svg){kind=small} Justine Henin |
6-1, 3-6, 6-0 |
| 2001 | U.S. Open (2) | Serena Williams |
6-2, 6-4 |
| 2005 | Wimbledon (3) | Lindsay Davenport |
4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 |
Runner-ups (6)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1997 | U.S. Open |  Martina Hingis |
6-0, 6-4 |
| 2002 | French Open | Serena Williams |
7-5, 6-3 |
| 2002 | Wimbledon | Serena Williams |
7-6, 6-3 |
| 2002 | U.S. Open | Serena Williams |
6-4, 6-3 |
| 2003 | Australian Open | Serena Williams |
7-6, 3-6, 6-4 |
| 2003 | Wimbledon | Serena Williams |
4-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
Titles (45)
Singles (33)
|
|
| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 1998-02-23 | Oklahoma City, USA | Hard |  Joannette Kruger (South Africa)
|
6-3, 6-2 |
| 2. | 1998-03-16 | Key Biscayne, USA | Hard |  Anna Kournikova (Russia)
|
2-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| 3. | 1998-09-28 | Munich, Germany (Grand Slam Cup) | Hard |  Patty Schnyder (Switzerland)
|
6-2, 3-6, 6-2 |
| 4. | 1999-02-22 | Oklahoma City, USA | Hard | Amanda Coetzer (South Africa)
|
6-4, 6-0 |
| 5. | 1999-03-15 | Key Biscayne, USA | Hard |  Serena Williams (USA)
|
6-1, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 6. | 1999-04-26 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay |  Mary Pierce (France)
|
6-0, 6-3 |
| 7. | 1999-05-03 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Mary Pierce (France)
|
6-4, 6-2 |
| 8. | 1999-08-23 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport (USA)
|
6-2, 7-5 |
| 9. | 1999-10-11 | Zurich, Switzerland | Hard | Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
|
6-3 6-4 |
| 10. | 2000-06-26 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | Lindsay Davenport (USA)
|
6-3, 7-6(3) |
| 11. | 2000-07-24 | Stanford, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport (USA)
|
6-1, 6-4 |
| 12. | 2000-07-31 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Monica Seles (USA)
|
6-0, 6-7(3), 6-3 |
| 13. | 2000-08-21 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Monica Seles (USA)
|
6-2, 6-4 |
| 14. | 2000-08-28 | U.S. Open, New York, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport (USA)
|
6-4, 7-5 |
| 15. | 2000-09-18 | The Olympics, Sydney, Australia | Hard | Elena Dementieva (Russia)
|
6-2, 6-4 |
| 16. | 2001-03-19 | Key Biscayne, USA | Hard | Jennifer Capriati (USA)
|
4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) |
| 17. | 2001-04-30 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Meghann Shaughnessy (USA)
|
6-3, 6-0 |
| 18. | 2001-06-25 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass |  Justine Henin (Belgium)
|
6-1, 3-6, 6-0 |
| 19. | 2001-07-30 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Monica Seles (USA)
|
6-2, 6-3 |
| 20. | 2001-08-20 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport (USA)
|
7-6(6), 6-4 |
| 21. | 2001-08-27 | U.S. Open, New York, USA | Hard | Serena Williams (USA)
|
6-2, 6-4 |
| 22. | 2001-12-31 | Gold Coast, Australia | Hard | Justine Henin (Belgium)
|
7-5, 6-2 |
| 23. | 2002-02-04 | Paris, France | Carpet |  Jelena Dokic (Serbia & Montenegro)
|
walkover |
| 24. | 2002-02-11 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet | Justine Henin (Belgium)
|
6-3, 5-7, 6-3 |
| 25. | 2002-04-08 | Amelia Island, USA | Clay | Justine Henin (Belgium)
|
2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) |
| 26. | 2002-07-22 | Stanford, USA | Hard | Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
|
6-3, 6-3 |
| 27. | 2002-07-29 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Jelena Dokic (Serbia & Montenegro)
|
6-2, 6-2 |
| 28. | 2002-08-19 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Lindsay Davenport (USA)
|
7-5, 6-0 |
| 29. | 2003-02-10 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet | Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
|
6-2, 6-4 |
| 30. | 2004-04-12 | Charleston, USA | Clay |  Conchita Martinez (Spain)
|
2-6, 6-2, 6-1 |
| 31. | 2004-04-26 | Warsaw, Poland | Clay | Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
|
6-1, 6-4 |
| 32. | 2005-05-15 | Istanbul, Turkey | Clay |  Nicole Vaidišová (Czech Republic)
|
6-3, 6-2 |
| 33. | 2005-06-21 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | Lindsay Davenport (USA)
|
4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 |
Doubles (10)
Grand slam events in boldface. Doubles partner sister Serena Williams.
|
Mixed doubles (2)
Mixed Doubles partner, fellow American Justin Gimelstob.
- 1998: Australian Open
- 1998: French Open (Defeated sister Serena & partner Luis Lobo of Argentina in Final)
Singles runner-ups (21)
Grand slam events in boldface.
|
|
Singles performance timeline
To prevent confusion and double counting, information in this table is updated only once a tournament or the player's participation in the tournament has concluded. This table is current through the Toray Pan Pacific Open, which ended on February 4, 2007.
| Tournament | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Career |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | A | A | A | QF | QF | A | SF | QF | F | 3R | 4R | 1R | A | 0 / 8 |
| French Open | A | A | A | 2R | QF | 4R | QF | 1R | F | 4R | QF | 3R | QF | 0 / 10 | |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | 1R | QF | QF | W | W | F | F | 2R | W | 3R | 3 / 10 | |
| US Open | A | A | A | F | SF | SF | W | W | F | A | 4R | QF | A | 2 / 8 | |
| Grand Slam Win-Loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 7-3 | 17-4 | 16-4 | 18-1 | 19-2 | 22-4 | 15-3 | 10-4 | 16-3 | 6-3 | 0-0 | 146-31 |
| Grand Slam SR | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 2 / 3 | 2 / 4 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 5 / 36 |
| WTA Tour Championships | A | A | A | A | A | SF | A | A | SF | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | |
| Tokyo | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | A | 0 / 1 |
| Indian Wells | A | A | 1R | QF | SF | A | A | SF | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 4 | |
| Key Biscayne | A | A | A | 3R | W | W | A | W | SF | 4R | QF | SF | A | 3 / 8 | |
| Charleston | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | W | 3R | A | 1 / 2 | |
| Berlin | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | F | A | A | 0 / 2 | |
| Rome | A | A | A | A | F | W | 3R | A | A | A | A | A | SF | 1 / 4 | |
| San Diego1 | A | A | 1R | 2R | QF | F | W | W | W | A | A | A | A | 3 / 7 | |
| Montreal/Toronto | A | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 | |
| Moscow | A | A | A | QF | SF | A | A | A | 2R | A | QF | A | A | 0 / 4 | |
| Zurich | A | A | A | QF | F | W | A | A | A | A | QF | A | A | 1 / 4 | |
| Tournaments played | 1 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 135 |
| Finals reached | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| Tournaments Won | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 33 |
| Hardcourt Win-Loss | 0-0 | 0-2 | 7-3 | 18-7 | 35-7 | 35-6 | 25-0 | 32-2 | 33-4 | 8-2 | 21-9 | 15-5 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 230-49 |
| Clay Win-Loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 4-2 | 9-2 | 12-2 | 6-3 | 5-2 | 14-2 | 6-2 | 17-1 | 9-3 | 10-3 | 0-0 | 92-23 |
| Grass Win-Loss | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4-2 | 4-2 | 4-1 | 7-0 | 7-0 | 6-1 | 6-1 | 1-1 | 7-0 | 2-1 | 0-0 | 48-9 |
| Carpet Win-Loss | 1-1 | 2-1 | 0-1 | 6-3 | 5-2 | 7-3 | 3-1 | 2-1 | 9-2 | 4-0 | 3-1 | 3-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 45-17 |
| Overall Win-Loss | 1-1 | 2-3 | 7-5 | 32-14 | 53-13 | 58-12 | 41-4 | 46-5 | 62-9 | 24-5 | 42-12 | 34-9 | 13-6 | 0-0 | 415-982 |
| Year End Ranking | - | 204 | 204 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 46 | N/A |
A = did not participate in the tournament.
SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1 The San Diego tournament achieved Tier I status only in 2004.
2 If Fed Cup (10-2) participation is included, overall win-loss record stands at 425-100.