Venus Williams From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Venus Williams Country United States Residence Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, U.S. Date of birth June 17, 1980 (1980-06-17) (age 28) Place of birth Lynwood, California, U.S. Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Weight 160 lb (73 kg) Turned pro October 31, 1994 Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand) Career prize money US22,502,918 (2nd all-time among women's tennis players) Singles Career record: 526-122 (81.0%) Career titles: 41 (tied-11th in overall rankings) Highest ranking: No. 1 (February 25, 2002) Grand Slam results Australian Open F (2003) French Open F (2002) Wimbledon W (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008) US Open W (2000, 2001) Major tournaments WTA Championships W (2008) Olympic Games Gold medal (2000) Doubles Career record: 113–20 (85.0%) Career titles: 13 Highest ranking: No. 5 (October 11, 1999) Grand Slam Doubles results Australian Open W (2001, 2003, 2009) French Open W (1999) Wimbledon W (2000, 2002, 2008) US Open W (1999) Major doubles tournaments Olympic Games Gold medal (2000, 2008) Infobox last updated on: March 2 2009. Olympic medal record Women's Tennis Gold 2000 Sydney Singles Gold 2000 Sydney Doubles Gold 2008 Beijing Doubles Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is a former World No. 1 American tennis player who, as of February 23, 2009, is ranked World No. 5. She has won the Wimbledon singles title the last two years and is the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open doubles champion. A 16 year participant on the Women's Tennis Association tour, Williams has won 56 titles, which includes 17 Grand Slam titles - seven in singles, eight in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. She has won more Olympic gold medals than any other tennis player (male or female) in history - one in singles and two in women's doubles. She is the older sister of Serena Williams. Contents [hide] 1 Playing style 2 Career 2.1 1994–1999 2.2 2000 2.3 2001 2.4 2002 2.5 2003 2.6 2004 2.7 2005 2.8 2006 2.9 2007 2.10 2008 2.11 2009 3 Fight for equal prize money 4 Personal life 4.1 Entrepreneur 5 Awards 6 Grand Slam finals 6.1 Singles (13) 6.1.1 Wins (7) 6.1.2 Runner-ups (6) 6.2 Women's doubles (8) 6.2.1 Wins (8) 6.3 Mixed doubles (3) 6.3.1 Wins (2) 6.3.2 Runner-up (1) 7 Career finals 7.1 Singles (63) 7.1.1 Wins (41) 7.1.2 Runner-ups (22) 7.2 Women's doubles (14) 7.2.1 Wins (13) 7.2.2 Runner-up (1) 8 Performance timelines 8.1 Singles 8.2 Women's doubles 8.3 Mixed doubles 9 Record against other top players 9.1 Results against Serena Williams 10 WTA Tour career earnings 11 See also 12 References 13 External links [edit] Playing style This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2009) Williams is one of the most powerful baseliners on tour, equipped with an attacking all-court game. Also Venus' game is adapted to grass where she feels most comfortable. Across her career Venus has developed into a skillful volleyer and effectively utilizes her long 'wingspan' (1,85m) and relative agility around the net. Venus stated during an interview at the 2008 Australian Open that she was working to improve her volley. Venus also has great court coverage using her long reach to play balls that most players wouldn't be able to reach and is capable of hitting outright winners from a defensive position.[1] Although Venus has the most powerful and feared serve on the Women's Tour, she has an extremely elegant and graceful service action. She holds the record for the fastest serve struck by a woman in a main draw event: at Zurich Open she recorded 130 mph (210 km/h). She also holds the record for fastest serve in all four Grand Slam: Australian Open 2003 (QF) - 125 mph (201 km/h), French Open 2007 (2R), Wimbledon 2008 (F), US Open 2007 (1R) - 129 mph.[2] At Wimbledon 2008 Venus' average first serve speed was 115 mph (185 km/h) in the quarter final, a remarkable 116 mph (187 km/h) in the semi-final and 111 mph (179 km/h) in the final - rather faster average speeds than any woman (including her sister, Serena Williams) records (data from IBM/Wimbledon). To put this into further perspective, the top men's seed (and world no.1) at the tournament, Roger Federer, registered average first serve speeds of 119 mph (quarter final), 117 mph (semi-final) and 117 mph (final) in his last three matches at the tournament. This kind of confluence in men's and women's service speeds is unusual in professional tennis, and sets Venus Williams apart from her contemporaries in the women's game. To further illustrate the difference, the no.1 seed at the tournament, Ana Ivanović, recorded an average first serve speed of 98 mph (fastest serve 108 mph) in her last match at the tournament. The no.3 seed at the tournament; Maria Sharapova, recorded an average first serve speed of 104 mph (fastest serve 111 mph) in her last match. Also during a match at Wimbledon 2007, Williams' average first serve speed was 115 mph (185 km/h) while tennis pro Rafael Nadal's

average first serve speed was 113 mph (182 km/h) on the same day. Venus Williams has always been a explosive hitter of the ball off the ground but her backhand is the more consistently reliable of her groundstrokes. Venus' backhand is equally effective down-the-line or crosscourt (frequently for a set-up approach shot). Venus' forehand does occasionally break down under pressure. However, it is still the more powerful of her groundstrokes, and a stroke that yields many winners, from a variety of court positions. Additionally, it is one the most powerful forehands in the women's game, frequently struck in the 85 - 90 mph (140 km/h) range. In the 2008 Wimbledon women's final, Venus struck a forehand winner measured at 94 mph (IBM/Wimbledon). Only a few women (notably Ana Ivanović, Serena Williams and the now retired Justine Henin) hit to these speeds off the ground. [edit] Career [edit] 1994–1999 Already well-known in tennis circles at age 14, 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 Sánchez Vicario before losing the match. That was the only tournament Williams played in 1994. In 1995, Williams played three more events as a wild card, falling in the first round of the tournament in Los Angeles and the tournament in Toronto but reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament in Oakland, defeating World No. 18 Amy Frazier in the second round for her first win over a top 20 ranked player. Williams played five events in 1996, falling in the first round four times but reaching the third round in Los Angeles, losing to World No. 1 Steffi Graf 6–4, 6–4. Williams began to play regularly on the tour in 1997. She reached the quarterfinals of three Tier I events — the State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, the European Indoor Championships in Zürich, and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. During her debut at the US Open, she lost in the final to Martina Hingis after defeating Irina Spîrlea in a semifinal famous for "the bump" in which Spîrlea and Williams collided during a changeover. Richard Williams, her father, later claimed that this incident was racially motivated.[3] In 1998, Williams teamed with Justin Gimelstob to win the mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open and the French Open. Her sister Serena Williams won the other two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles that year, completing a "Williams Family Mixed Doubles Grand Slam". She began the year ranked outside the top 20 but ended the year ranked in the top 5. Williams won the first three WTA tour singles titles of her career in Oklahoma City (defeating World No. 2 Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals) and Key Biscayne, Florida (defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals) and at the Grand Slam Cup. Williams also was the runner-up in Sydney (defeating Hingis in the second round for her first win over a reigning World No. 1), Rome (defeating sister Serena in the quarterfinals), Stanford, California (defeating World No. 6 Monica Seles in the semifinals), and Zürich. Another highlight of Williams's year was reaching at least the singles quarterfinals of all four Grand Slam events. Williams won the first two doubles titles of her career, in Oklahoma City and Zürich. Both titles came with sister Serena, becoming only the third pair of sisters to win a WTA tour doubles title.[citation needed] Williams suffered from patella tendinitis in her left knee, which caused her to retire from her quarterfinal match in San Diego and not play in the year-ending Chase Championships. In 1999, Williams again won the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, defeating Jana Novotná, Graf, and her sister Serena in successive matches. Williams also won the tournament in Hamburg, the Italian Open in Rome, the Pilot Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven, Connecticut, and the tournament in Zurich. Venus and Serena teamed to win the doubles titles at the French Open and the US Open, becoming the first sister team to win a Grand Slam doubles title in the 20th century. Venus also went 2–1 (1–1 in singles and 1–0 in doubles with Serena) in the United States' 4–1 win over Russia in the final of the Fed Cup, giving the U.S. its 16th title. [edit] 2000 Williams missed the first four months of the year with tendinitis in both wrists. At the French Open, Williams lost to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals. Williams then won 35 consecutive singles matches and five tournaments. She won her first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, defeating World No. 1 Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals 6–3, 4–6, 6–4, sister Serena in the semifinals 6–2, 7–6(2), and defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the final. She won three Tier II events during the North American summer hard court season, defeating Davenport in the final of the tournament in Stanford, California and Monica Seles in the finals of both the tournament in San Diego and the tournament in New Haven, Connecticut. At the US Open, Williams defeated still-World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals 4–6, 6–3, 7–5, coming back from 5–3 (15–30) down in the third set, and World No. 2 Davenport in the final. At the Olympic games in Sydney, Williams defeated Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals, Seles in the semifinals, and Elena Dementieva in the final to win the gold medal. Her winning streak was eventually snapped in October by Davenport in the final of the tournament in Linz. Williams did not play a tournament the rest of the year because of anemia. In women's doubles, Williams teamed with her sister Serena to capture the Wimbledon doubles title for the first time and the Olympic gold medal. Williams became only the second player to win the women's singles and doubles titles at the same Olympic games.[4] [edit] 2001 Williams reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time, where she lost to World No. 1 Martina Hingis 6–1, 6–1. She also reached the semifinals of the Tier I Tennis Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells, California, where she defaulted her match with sister Serena. She won, however, the next tournament on the tour calendar, the Tier I Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, defeating Hingis in the semifinals 6–3, 7–6(6) and World No. 4 Jennifer Capriati in the final, after saving eight

championship points. During the European clay court season, Williams won the Tier II tournament in Hamburg but lost in the third round of the Tier I EUROCARD Ladies German Open to Justine Henin and the first round of the French Open to Barbara Schett. Williams then successfully defended her Wimbledon title, defeating third-seeded Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals 6–2, 6–7(1), 6–1 and eighth-seeded Henin in the final. During the summer hard court season in North America, Williams won the tournament in San Diego, defeating Monica Seles in the final, and the tournament in New Haven, Connecticut, defeating Davenport in the final, for the second consecutive year. Williams also won the US Open singles title for the second consecutive year, without dropping a set. In the quarterfinals, she beat fifth-seeded Kim Clijsters 6–3, 6–1, followed by a semifinal victory over World No. 2 Capriati 6–4, 6–2 and a defeat of World No. 10 Serena Williams in the final. Venus was only the sixth woman in history to win the singles titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years, the others being Martina Navaratilova (twice), Steffi Graf (twice), Althea Gibson, Maureen Connolly Brinker, and Helen Wills Moody (twice). In women's doubles, Venus and Serena Williams won the Australian Open title for the first time and became only the fifth team to complete a career Grand Slam in that event. [edit] 2002 Williams began the year in Australia by defeating Justine Henin to win the tournament in Gold Coast and losing in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open to World No. 10 Monica Seles 6–7(4), 6–2, 6–3. Williams then won the Open Gaz de France in Paris and the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp before losing in the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open and the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. On clay, Williams beat Henin in the final of the tournament in Amelia Island, Florida before traveling to Europe for two clay court tournaments. At the tournament in Hamburg, Williams defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in a three-set quarterfinal and World No. 4 Martina Hingis in the semifinals before losing to World No. 3 Kim Clijsters in the final. At the French Open, Williams defeated Seles in the quarterfinals before sister Serena defeated Venus in the final in straight sets. Williams then reached the Wimbledon singles final for the third consecutive year after defeating World No. 6 Henin in the semifinals. In the second consecutive all-Williams Grand Slam singles final, Serena defeated Venus in straight sets. During the summer hard court season in North America, Williams won two tournaments for the third consecutive year — the Acura Classic in San Diego and Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, Connecticut. She defeated World No. 5 Jelena Dokić in the San Diego final and Lindsay Davenport in the New Haven final. She also won the tournament in Stanford, California, defeating World No. 5 Clijsters in the final. At the US Open, Williams defeated sixth-seeded Seles in the quarterfinals and Amélie Mauresmo in the semifinals before losing to sister Serena for the third consecutive time in the final of a Grand Slam event. Williams won seven singles titles during the year, a career best. In February, Williams became the World No. 1, the first African-American player to garner that spot since the computer rankings began in 1975.[5] In women's doubles, the Williams sisters won the Wimbledon title for the second time. [edit] 2003 Williams started the year by losing to her sister Serena in three sets in the Australian Open final. Williams then won the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium for the second consecutive year, defeating Daniela Hantuchová and Kim Clijsters in consecutive matches. During a semifinal match against Clijsters at Wimbledon, Williams suffered an abdominal injury that required medical attention during the match. Williams lost the first set and was behind early in the second set before rain delayed the match. Once play resumed, Williams won the match 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, advancing to her fourth consecutive Wimbledon final, where she lost to her sister Serena. Following Wimbledon, both Venus and Serena suffered injuries that kept them out of competition for the last half of the year. On the morning of September 14, 2003, Venus's older half sister, Yetunde Price, was murdered in the Compton, California area.[6] [edit] 2004 Williams came back to the tour and experienced inconsistent results. As the third seeded player because of a protected ranking, she reached the third round of the Australian Open, where she lost to Lisa Raymond. After quarterfinal losses at the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, and the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Williams won the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina. At the Tier II tournament in Warsaw, Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. The following week, Williams reached the final of the Tier I tournament in Berlin but was forced to retire from her match against Amélie Mauresmo. Going into the French Open, Williams had the best clay court record among the women and was among the favorites to win the title; however, she lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Anastasia Myskina 6–3, 6–4. At Wimbledon, Williams lost a controversial second round match to Croatian Karolina Šprem. The umpire of the match, Ted Watts, awarded Šprem an unearned point in the second set tiebreak. Upon the conclusion of the match, he was relieved of his duties.[7] Williams was the third seed at the hard court tournament in Stanford, California, where she lost the final to top seeded Lindsay Davenport in a third set tiebreak. At the tournament in Los Angeles the following week, Williams lost again to Davenport, this time in the semifinals. Williams was leading 5–1 in the first set when she suffered an injury and lost the last six games of the set. She then retired from the match. During the Olympic Games in Athens, Williams failed to defend the gold medal she won at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney as she lost to Mary Pierce of France in the third round 6–4, 6–4. In the fourth round of the US Open, Williams lost to Davenport for the third consecutive time. Williams ended her year by losing in the quarterfinals of three consecutive tournaments — the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the Swisscom Challenge in Zurich, and the Advanta Championships Philadelphia. [edit] 2005 Williams started the year by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Alicia Molik. She then reached the final of the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, where she was attempting to win the tournament for the third time in four years. She defeated Kim Clijsters in the quarterfinals, Anastasia Myskina in the semifinals, and was up a set and a break in the final against Amélie Mauresmo before losing the match. Williams then lost in the first round of the Dubai Duty Free Women's Open. At the NASDAQ-100 Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Venus defeated her sister Serena in the quarterfinals before losing to Maria Sharapova. This was the first time since the 2001 US Open that Venus had defeated Serena. On clay, Williams reached the quarterfinals of the tournament in Amelia Island, Florida, where she lost to top seeded Lindsay Davenport. In her next tournament in Charleston, Williams lost in the third round. She then won a Tier III title at the Istanbul Cup, defeating second seeded Nicole Vaidišová in the final. At the French Open, Williams lost in the third round to 15-year old Bulgarian Sesil Karatantcheva, who subsequently failed a doping test and was suspended from the tour for two years. At Wimbledon, Williams defeated defending champion Maria Sharapova in a semifinal 7–6(2), 6–1, 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, and it was Venus's fifth appearance in the Wimbledon final in the past six years. In the longest Wimbledon final in history, Williams was down match point at 6–4, 6–

7(4), 5–4 (40–30) before coming back to defeat top seeded Davenport. This was Williams's third Wimbledon singles title, and this was the first time in 70 years that a player had won after being down match point during the women's final at Wimbledon.[citation needed] In addition, Williams was the lowest-ranked (World No. 16) and lowest-seeded (14th) champion in tournament history.[citation needed] Playing for the fifth consecutive week, including Fed Cup, Williams reached the final of the tournament in Stanford, California after defeating Patty Schnyder in a semifinal 2–6, 7–6(4), 6–2. Visibly exhausted, Williams lost the final to Clijsters. At the US Open, Williams defeated her sister Serena in the fourth round for the second consecutive time but lost in the quarterfinals to Clijsters 4–6, 7–5, 6–1, who went on to win the tournament. Williams did not qualify for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships because of an injury sustained during the tournament in Philadelphia. In 2005, TENNIS Magazine ranked her 25th on its list of the 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS era.[8] [edit] 2006 Williams was upset in the first round of the Australian Open by Tszvetana Pironkova 2–6, 6–0, 9–7, which was her earliest loss at that tournament. Venus Williams prepares to serve during the 2006 J&S Cup in Warsaw.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 of the J&S Cup in Warsaw, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova. She then lost to Hingis in a semifinal of the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, after defeating Jelena Janković and Patty Schnyder in earlier rounds. Williams ended her clay court season with a French Open quarterfinal loss to Nicole Vaidišová 6–7, 6–1, 6–3. Williams was one of the favorites to win the singles title at Wimbledon. She defeated fellow American Lisa Raymond in the second round after Williams was two points from defeat. Williams then lost in the third round to 26th-seeded Janković 7–6(8), 4–6, 6–4. After the loss, Williams said that she was having pain in her left wrist, although she admitted that the injury was not the cause of her loss. Williams did not play in the US Open series or the US Open itself due to a recurring wrist injury. During her first tournament in almost three months, she reinjured her wrist at the tournament in Luxembourg and lost in the second round to qualifier Agnieszka Radwańska after defeating Ana Ivanović in the first round. [edit] 2007 Williams started the year by withdrawing from the Australian Open because of a recurring wrist injury. This was the second consecutive Grand Slam event that Williams had missed because of injury. Williams then won the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, defeating top-seeded Shahar Pe'er of Israel in the final. This was her first singles title since October 2006 and her 34th career singles title. Williams's next tournament was the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she lost in the third round to top seeded Maria Sharapova 2–6, 6–2, 7–5. However, her ranking rose seven places to World No. 32. She then started the clay court season, playing at the Tier II Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida. She beat fourth seeded Patty Schnyder before falling in the quarterfinals to the eighth seed and eventual champion Tatiana Golovin 6–2, 6–3. Her next tournament was the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, where she lost in the semifinals to Jelena Janković. Despite the loss, her ranking rose to World No. 22. Williams played Fed Cup with her sister Serena for the first time in four years, in a home tie against Belgium on hard courts in Delray Beach, Florida, beating the young Belgian team 5–0. Williams won both of her singles matches. Williams then traveled to Europe to prepare for the French Open. At the J&S Cup in Warsaw, Williams lost in the quarterfinals to Svetlana Kuznetsova 3–6, 6–3, 6–4. Two weeks later, Williams played the Istanbul Cup, defeating Tatiana Poutchek in the first round before losing to French hard hitter Aravane Rezaï in the second round 6–4, 6–4.[9] This was Williams's first defeat in a Tier III event on the WTA Tour. At the French Open, Williams lost her third round match with Janković 6–4, 4–6, 6–1. During her second round win over Ashley Harkleroad, Williams hit a 206 km/h (128.8 mph) serve, which is the second fastest woman's serve ever recorded and the fastest ever recorded during a main draw match. At Wimbledon in a first round match on Court 2, Williams was within two points of defeat against Alla Kudryavtseva before winning. In the third round, Akiko Morigami served for the match in the third set before Williams regrouped and won the match 6–2, 3–6, 7–5. In her fourth round match, Williams defeated second-seeded Sharapova 6–1, 6–3. In the quarterfinals, Williams defeated fifth-seeded Kuznetsova 6–3, 6–4 to reach her sixth career Wimbledon semifinal, where she defeated sixth-seeded Ana Ivanović 6–2, 6–4. In the final, Williams defeated Marion Bartoli in straight sets. Seeded 23rd and ranked World No. 31, Williams broke her own record set in 2005 as the lowest seeded and lowest ranked Wimbledon singles champion.[citation needed] With her fourth Wimbledon title, Williams joined Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, and Steffi Graf as the only women to who have won at least four Wimbledon singles titles during the open era.[10] The win also bettered her ranking to World No. 17, her first return to the top 20 in a year. Williams then played for the U.S. in its Fed Cup semifinal tie against Russia. Williams won both her singles matches over Nadia Petrova and Anna Chakvetadze; however, the U.S. lost the tie when Williams and Lisa Raymond were defeated in the deciding doubles match.[11] At the Tier I Acura Classic in San Diego, Williams lost her quarterfinal match to Chakvetadze 6–7, 7–6, 6–2 after Williams double faulted while holding a match point in the second set. Nevertheless, her ranking increased to World No. 14. At the US Open, after setting a Grand-Slam record 129 mph (208 km/h) serve in the opening round,[12] Williams defeated Janković in the quarterfinals 4–6, 6–1, 7–6(4) before losing to the eventual champion, Justine Henin, in a semifinal 7–6(2), 6–4. Both players had health issues during the match. In the second set, Williams was treated for a stomach ache and dizziness. The tournament resulted in Williams's ranking moving up to World No. 9. With sister Serena at World No. 7, it was the first time the sisters were in the top 10 together since September 2005. Williams then played three tournaments in Asia. Williams won her 36th career singles title at the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul, South Korea, defeating fourth-seeded Russian Maria Kirilenko in the final. Despite having a heavily strapped leg, Williams then played in the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, where she lost to Virginie Razzano in the final after holding three match points. At the PTT Bangkok Open, Williams lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Flavia Pennetta 6–4, 7–6(8). Despite officially qualifying for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, Williams withdrew because of continuing problems with anemia.[13] [edit] 2008 Williams began the year at an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong, defeating Maria Sharapova in the final 6–4, 6–3.[14] She also won the doubles tournament with Caroline Wozniacki. Williams was the eighth-seed at the Australian Open. Playing in the quarterfinals at this tournament for the first time since 2003, Williams lost to fourth-seeded

Ana Ivanović 7–6(3), 6–4. When asked after the match about whether the quarterfinal losses by both Williams sisters at the Australian Open marked their decline, she replied that she had heard the same talk "every single year. Serena and I, we don't have anything to prove. The way we're playing still maintains what other women are doing in tennis. We still set a very high standard. I don't get too caught up in what the next person thinks."[15] Playing with her sister Serena in the women's doubles event at the Australian Open, they defeated the second-seeded team of Katarina Srebotnik and Ai Sugiyama in the second round but lost in the quarterfinals to the seventh-seeded team and 2006 Australian Open champions Zi Yan and Jie Zheng. At the Tier I Qatar Total Open in Doha, Williams was upset in the third round by 18 year old Dominika Cibulková of Slovakia. Williams also played the doubles tournament in Doha as a wild card team with Wozniacki. Their first round win marked the first time that Venus had won an official WTA tour women's doubles match without sister Serena.[16] In the second round, Williams and Wozniacki lost to the fourth-seeded Taipei pair of Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang. According to the Women's Tennis Association, it was the first doubles match Venus had ever played without an American partner, having played with Serena, Chanda Rubin, Corina Morariu, and Lisa Raymond in the past.[citation needed] At the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, Tennessee, Williams was the top seeded player but lost to Petra Kvitová in the first round 2–6, 6–4, 6–3 after Williams had led 2–0 in the third set. At the Tier II Canara Bank Bangalore (India) Open, Venus and her sister Serena lost in the doubles quarterfinals to third-seeded and eventual tournament winners Shuai Peng and Tiantian Sun. In singles, Venus lost to Serena, the eventual tournament champion, in the semifinals 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(4) on Serena's second match point after Serena had saved a match point while trailing 6–5 in the third set. At the Tier I Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida, Williams lost in the quarterfinals to Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–4, 6–4. On April 9, 2008, Williams announced that she will be away from the tour indefinitely but refused to explain other than to say, "I've just been having some issues that I need to resolve, so I'm working on that at the moment and I'm hoping to be back playing as soon as possible. I'm not going to get any further into it, but of course I love the sport."[17] The following day, Williams's agent, Carlos Fleming, said, "This is not a hiatus. This is not a break from the tour. This was a limited window where she could get these [medical] evaluations before the three major tournaments and Olympics this summer", adding "Venus has assured me that there's no serious medical problem."[18] Williams returned to the tour at the Tier I Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she lost in the quarterfinals to fourth-seeded Jelena Janković 5–7, 6–2, 6–3. At the French Open, Williams was seeded eighth but was eliminated by 26th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta in the third round 7–5, 6–3. Williams was the defending champion and seventh-seeded player at Wimbledon. Without dropping a set, she reached her seventh Wimbledon singles final after defeating fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva in the semifinals 6–1, 7–6(3). Venus then won her fifth Wimbledon singles title, beating her sister Serena in straight sets. This was the first time since 2003 that Venus and Serena had played each other in a Grand Slam final and was the first time since 2001 that Venus had won a Grand Slam final against Serena. Venus and Serena then teamed to win the women's doubles title without dropping a set the entire tournament, defeating Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur in the final. The Williams sisters have won all seven Grand Slam women's doubles finals they have played. Williams was on the Philadelphia Freedoms team in World Team Tennis in July. She won six of the nine singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles matches she played. Williams then withdrew from the East West Bank Classic in Los Angeles and the Rogers Cup in Montreal because of an injury to her right knee. Venus Williams at the 2008 WTA Tour ChampionshipsAt the Olympic Games in Beijing, Williams was seeded seventh but lost to unseeded Li Na in the quarterfinals 7–5, 7–5. She did, however, earn a gold medal (with her sister Serena) in women's doubles, defeating the Spanish team of Virginia Ruano Pascual and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the final. It was their second gold medal as a team, having won together in Sydney, Australia in 2000. Williams was seeded seventh at the US Open and lost to her fourth-seeded sister Serena in the quarterfinals 7–6(6), 7–6(7). Venus led 5–3 in both sets and failed to convert on two set points in the first set and eight set points in the second set. Seeded sixth at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany, Williams lost to second-seeded Janković in the semifinals 6–7, 7–5, 6–2. Also seeded sixth at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, Williams was upset in the first round by Pennetta 6–4, 2–6, 6–4. At the TENNIS.com Zurich Open, Williams defeated Ivanović in the semifinals before defeating Pennetta in the final to claim her second title of the year and secure a position in the Sony Ericsson Championships. At the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, Williams was seeded seventh. In her round robin matches, she defeated Dinara Safina, Dementieva, and her sister Serena 5–7, 6–1, 6–0 to qualify for the semifinals. Williams defeated Janković in the semifinals 6–2, 2–6, 6–3 and won the tournament for the first time by defeating eighth-seeded Vera Zvonareva in the final. Williams ended the year ranked World No. 6. [edit] 2009 At the JB Group Classic, an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong, Williams defeated World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic, Anna Chakvetadze, and Vera Zvonareva, thus making team Americas the Gold Group champion. Williams was seeded sixth at the Australian Open where, in the first round, she defeated Angelique Kerber of Germany. She was upset in the second round by unseeded Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain 2–6, 6–3, 7–5, having led 5–2 in the third and holding a match point on Suarez Navarro's serve. Venus and her sister Serena won the women's doubles title, defeating ninth-seeded Ai Sugiyama and Daniela Hantuchova in the final. This was their eighth career Grand Slam doubles title together, and they are undefeated in Grand Slam doubles finals. Williams then won the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships. She beat Alize Cornet in the third round, defending champion Elena Dementieva in the quarterfinals, her sister Serena in the semifinals, and unseeded Virginie Razzano in the straight sets final. The win raised Williams's ranking to World No. 5, her highest since August 2003.[19] She also became the twelfth player during the open era to win 40 professional singles titles and has won more of those titles than any other active player.[19] At the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Williams won her second title in two weeks, defeating Flavia Pennetta in the final in straight sets. Williams's next tournament is the Premier Mandatory event, Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. [edit] Fight for equal prize money Despite years of protesting by tennis pioneer Billie Jean King and others, in 2005 the French Open and Wimbledon still refused to pay women's and men's players equally through all rounds. In 2005, Williams met with officials from both tournaments, arguing that female tennis players should be paid as much as males.[20] Although WTA tour President Larry Scott commented that she left "a very meaningful impression", Williams's demands were rejected. The turning point was an essay published in the The Times on the eve of

Wimbledon in 2006. In it, Williams accused Wimbledon of being on the "wrong side of history", writing: I feel so strongly that Wimbledon's stance devalues the principle of meritocracy and diminishes the years of hard work that women on the tour have put into becoming professional tennis players. I believe that athletes — especially female athletes in the world's leading sport for women — should serve as role models. The message I like to convey to women and girls across the globe is that there is no glass ceiling. My fear is that Wimbledon is loudly and clearly sending the opposite message.... Wimbledon has argued that women's tennis is worth less for a variety of reasons; it says, for example, that because men play a best of five sets game they work harder for their prize money. This argument just doesn’t make sense; first of all, women players would be happy to play five sets matches in grand slam tournaments.... Secondly, tennis is unique in the world of professional sports. No other sport has men and women competing for a grand slam championship on the same stage, at the same time. So in the eyes of the general public the men's and women's games have the same value. Third, ... we enjoy huge and equal celebrity and are paid for the value we deliver to broadcasters and spectators, not the amount of time we spend on the stage. And, for the record, the ladies’ final at Wimbledon in 2005 lasted 45 minutes longer than the men's.... Wimbledon has justified treating women as second class because we do more for the tournament. The argument goes that the top women — who are more likely also to play doubles matches than their male peers — earn more than the top men if you count singles, doubles and mixed doubles prize money. So the more we support the tournament, the more unequally we should be treated! But doubles and mixed doubles are separate events from the singles competition. Is Wimbledon suggesting that, if the top women withdrew from the doubles events, that then we would deserve equal prize money in singles? And how then does the All England Club explain why the pot of women's doubles prize money is nearly £130,000 smaller than the men's doubles prize money? I intend to keep doing everything I can until Billie Jean's original dream of equality is made real. It's a shame that the name of the greatest tournament in tennis, an event that should be a positive symbol for the sport, is tarnished.[20] In response, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of Parliament publicly endorsed Williams's arguments.[21] Later that year, the Women's Tennis Association and UNESCO teamed for a campaign to promote gender equality in sports, asking Williams to lead the campaign.[22] Under enormous pressure, Wimbledon announced in February 2007 that it would award equal prize money to all competitors in all rounds, and the French Open followed suit a day later.[23] In the aftermath, the Chicago Sun-Times cited Williams as "the single factor" that "changed the minds of the boys" and a leader whose "willingness to take a public stand separates her not only from most of her female peers, but also from our most celebrated male athletes."[24] Williams herself commented, "Somewhere in the world a little girl is dreaming of holding a giant trophy in her hands and being viewed as an equal to boys who have similar dreams."[25] Venus herself became the first woman to benefit from the equalization of prize money at Wimbledon, as she won the 2007 tournament and was awarded the same amount as the male winner Roger Federer. [edit] Personal life Venus for the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute's "National Wear Red Day"In 2003, Venus and Serena Williams' older sister Yetunde Price, 31, was shot dead near the courts on which the sisters once practiced. Price was the Williams sisters' personal assistant. The Williams family issued this statement shortly after the death: "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."[26] Williams' long time boyfriend, pro golfer Hank Kuehne, has been a visible presence since Wimbledon 2007, holding her hand during long rain delays and clapping support from the players' box along with her parents and younger sister Serena. "He's a great guy", Williams said. "He understands competition. He's very supportive. I love having him here and everyone else in the box, too."[27] Williams professes to be a devout Jehovah's Witness.[28] On December 13, 2007, Williams received her associate degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with Cum Laude honors and a 3.5 GPA.[29] [edit] Entrepreneur Williams is the chief executive officer of her interior design firm "V Starr Interiors" located in Jupiter, Florida. Williams's company designed the set of the "Tavis Smiley Show" on PBS, the Olympic athletes' apartments as part of the U.S. bid package for New York City to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.[30] In 2007, Williams teamed with retailer Steve & Barry's to launch her own fashion line EleVen. "I love fashion and the idea that I am using my design education to actually create clothing and footwear that I will wear on and off the tennis court is a dream come true for me. The vision has been to create a collection that will allow women to enjoy an active lifestyle while remaining fashionable at the same time. I'm thrilled with everything we've created to launch EleVen."[31][32] In 2001, Williams was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by the Ladies Home Journal.[33] [edit] Awards See: WTA 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 Award (with Serena Williams) Sports Illustrated for Women's Sportswoman of the Year Teen Awards Achievement Award Women's Sports Foundation's Athlete of the Year Award 2001 WTA Most Improved Player of the Year ESPY Award for Best Female Tennis Player 2002 ESPY Award Best Female Athlete ESPY Award Best Female Tennis Player 2003 34th NAACP Image Awards' President's Award 2004 Harris Poll Most Favorite Female Sports Star 2005 Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year Award 2006 ESPY Award Best Female Tennis Player BET's Best Female Athlete of the Year Harris Poll Most Favorite Female Sports Star 2008 Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award [edit] Grand Slam finals [edit] Singles (13) [edit] Wins (7) Year Championship Surface Opponent in final Score in final 2000 Wimbledon Grass Lindsay Davenport 6–3, 7–6(3) 2000 US Open Hard Lindsay Davenport 6–4, 7–5 2001 Wimbledon (2) Grass Justine Henin 6–1, 3–6, 6–0 2001 US Open (2) Hard Serena Williams 6–2, 6–4 2005 Wimbledon (3) Grass Lindsay Davenport 4–6, 7–6(4), 9–7 2007 Wimbledon (4) Grass Marion Bartoli 6–4, 6–1 2008 Wimbledon (5) Grass Serena Williams 7–5, 6–4 [edit] Runner-ups (6) Year Championship Surface Opponent in final Score in final 1997 US Open Hard Martina Hingis 6–0, 6–4 2002 French Open Clay Serena Williams 7–5, 6–3 2002 Wimbledon Grass Serena Williams 7–6(4), 6–3 2002 US Open (2) Hard Serena Williams 6–4, 6–3 2003 Australian Open Hard Serena Williams 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4 2003 Wimbledon (2) Grass Serena Williams 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 [edit] Women's doubles (8) [edit] Wins (8) Year Championship Partner Opponents in final Score in final 1999 French Open Serena Williams Martina Hingis Anna Kournikova 6–3, 6–7, 8–6 1999 US Open Serena Williams Chanda Rubin Sandrine Testud 4–6, 6–1, 6–4 2000 Wimbledon Serena Williams Julie Halard Ai Sugiyama 6–3, 6–2 2001 Australian Open Serena Williams Lindsay Davenport Corina Morariu 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 2002 Wimbledon (2) Serena Williams Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez 6–2, 7–5 2003 Australian Open (2) Serena Williams Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 2008 Wimbledon (3) Serena Williams Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–2 2009 Australian Open (3) Serena Williams Daniela Hantuchova Ai Sugiyama 6–3, 6–3 [edit] Mixed doubles (3) [edit] Wins (2) Year Championship Partner Opponents in final Score in final 1998 Australian Open Justin Gimelstob Cyril Suk Helena Suková 6–2, 6–1 1998 French Open Justin Gimelstob Luis Lobo Serena Williams 6–4, 6–4 [edit] Runner-up (1) Year Championship Partner Opponents in final Score in final 2006 Wimbledon Bob Bryan Andy Ram Vera Zvonareva 6–3, 6–2 [edit] Career finals [edit] Singles (63) [edit] Wins (41) Legend Grand Slam (7) Grand Slam Cup (1) WTA Championships (1) Tier I (6) Tier II (17) Tier III (5) Tier IV (1) Premier Mandatory (0) Premier 5 (1) Premier (0) International (1) Olympic (1) Titles by surface Hard (25) Clay (8) Grass (5) Carpet (3) No. Date Tournament Name Tournament Location Surface Opponent in Final Score in Final 1. February 23, 1998 IGA Tennis Classic (1) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. Hard Joannette Kruger 6–3, 6–2 2. March 16, 1998 Lipton International Players Championships (1) Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. Hard Anna Kournikova 2–6, 6–4, 6–1 3. September 28, 1998 Grand Slam Cup (1) Munich, Germany Hard Patty Schnyder 6–2, 3–6, 6–2 4. February 22, 1999 IGA Tennis Classic (2) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. Hard Amanda Coetzer 6–4, 6–0 5. March 15, 1999 Lipton International Players Championships (2) Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. Hard Serena Williams 6–1, 4–6, 6–4 6. April 26, 1999 Betty Barclay Cup (1) Hamburg, Germany Clay Mary Pierce 6–0, 6–3 7. May 3, 1999 Italian Open (1) Rome Clay Mary Pierce 6–4, 6–2 8. August 23, 1999 Pilot Pen Tennis (1) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Hard Lindsay Davenport 6–2, 7–5 9. October 11, 1999 Swisscom Challenge (1) Zurich, Switzerland Hard Martina Hingis 6–3, 6–4 10. June 26, 2000 Wimbledon (1) London Grass Lindsay Davenport 6–3, 7–6(3) 11. July 24, 2000 Bank of the West Classic (1) Stanford, California, U.S. Hard Lindsay Davenport 6–1, 6–4 12. July 31, 2000 Acura Classic (1) San Diego, California, U.S. Hard Monica Seles 6–0, 6–7(3), 6–3 13. August 21, 2000 Pilot Pen Tennis (2) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Hard Monica Seles 6–2, 6–4 14. August 28, 2000 US Open (1) New York City Hard Lindsay Davenport 6–4, 7–5 15. September 18, 2000 Summer Olympic Games (1) Sydney, Australia Hard Elena Dementieva 6–2, 6–4 16. March 19, 2001 Ericsson Open (3) Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. Hard Jennifer Capriati 4–6, 6–1, 7–6(4) 17. April 30, 2001 Betty Barclay Cup (2) Hamburg, Germany Clay Meghann Shaughnessy 6–3, 6–0 18. June 25, 2001 Wimbledon (2) London Grass Justine Henin 6–1, 3–6, 6–0 19. July 30, 2001 Acura Classic (2) San Diego, California, U.S. Hard Monica Seles 6–2, 6–3 20. August 20, 2001 Pilot Pen Tennis (3) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Hard Lindsay Davenport 7–6(6), 6–4 21. August 27, 2001 US Open (2) New York City Hard Serena Williams 6–2, 6–4 22. December 31, 2001 Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts (1) Gold Coast, Australia Hard Justine Henin 7–5, 6–2 23. February 4, 2002 Open Gaz de France (1) Paris Carpet Jelena Dokić walkover 24. February 11, 2002 Proximus Diamond Games (1) Antwerp, Belgium Carpet Justine Henin 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 25. April 8, 2002 Bausch & Lomb Championships (1) Amelia Island, Florida, U.S. Clay Justine Henin 2–6, 7–5, 7–6(5) 26. July 22, 2002 Bank of the West Classic (2) Stanford, California, U.S. Hard Kim Clijsters 6–3, 6–3 27. July 29, 2002 Acura Classic (3) San Diego, California, U.S. Hard Jelena Dokić 6–2, 6–2 28. August 19, 2002 Pilot Pen Tennis (4) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. Hard Lindsay Davenport 7–5, 6–0 29. February 10, 2003 Proximus Diamond Games (2) Antwerp, Belgium Carpet Kim Clijsters 6–2, 6–4 30. April 12, 2004 Family Circle Cup (1) Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. Clay Conchita Martínez 2–6, 6–2, 6–1 31. April 26, 2004 J&S Cup (1) Warsaw, Poland Clay Svetlana Kuznetsova 6–1, 6–4 32. May 15, 2005 Istanbul Cup (1) Istanbul, Turkey Clay Nicole Vaidišová 6–3, 6–2 33. July 9, 2005 Wimbledon (3) London Grass Lindsay Davenport 4–6, 7–6(4), 9–7 34. February 24, 2007 Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup (3) Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. Hard Shahar Pe'er 6–1, 6–1 35. July 7, 2007 Wimbledon (4) London Grass Marion Bartoli 6–4, 6–1 36. September 30, 2007 Hansol Korea Open (1) Seoul, South Korea Hard Maria Kirilenko 6–3, 1–6, 6–4 37. July 5, 2008 Wimbledon (5) London Grass Serena Williams 7–5, 6–4 38. October 19, 2008 TENNIS.com Zurich Open (2) Zurich, Switzerland Hard Flavia Pennetta 7–6(1), 6–2 39. November 9, 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships (1) Doha, Qatar Hard Vera Zvonareva 6–7(5), 6–0, 6–2 40. February 21, 2009 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships (1) Dubai, United Arab Emirates Hard Virginie Razzano 6–4, 6–2 41. February 28, 2009 Abierto Mexicano TELCEL (1) Acapulco, Mexico Clay Flavia Pennetta 6–1, 6–2 [edit] Runner-ups (22) Grand slam events in boldface. 1997: US Open (lost to Martina Hingis 6–0, 6–4) 1998: Sydney (lost to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6–1, 6–3) 1998: Rome (lost to Hingis 6–2, 3–6, 6–2) 1998: Stanford (lost to Lindsay Davenport 6–4, 5–7, 6–4) 1998: Zurich (lost to Hingis 7–5, 6–3) 1999: Hannover (lost to Jana Novotna 6–4, 6–4) 1999: Stanford (lost to Davenport 7–6(1), 6–2) 1999: San Diego (lost to Hingis 6–4, 6–0) 1999: Grand Slam Cup, Munich (lost to Serena Williams 6–1, 3–6, 6–3) 2000: Linz (lost to Davenport 6–4, 3–6, 6–2) 2002: Hamburg (lost to Kim Clijsters 1–6, 6–3, 6–4) 2002: French Open (lost to Serena Williams 7–5, 6–3) 2002: Wimbledon (lost to Serena Williams 7–6(4), 6–3) 2002: US Open (lost to Serena Williams 6–4, 6–3) 2003: Australian Open (lost to Serena Williams 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4) 2003: Warsaw (lost to Amelie Mauresmo 6–7(6), 6–0, 3–0 retired) 2003: Wimbledon (lost to Serena Williams 4–6, 6–4, 6–2) 2004: Berlin (lost to Mauresmo walkover) 2004: Stanford (lost to Davenport 7–6(4), 5–7, 7–6(4)) 2005: Antwerp (lost to Mauresmo 4–6, 7–5, 6–4) 2005: Stanford (lost to Clijsters 7–5, 6–2) 2007: Tokyo (AIG Japan Open) (lost to Virginie Razzano 4–6, 7–6(7), 6–4) [edit] Women's doubles (14) [edit] Wins (13) Legend Grand Slam tournaments (8) Olympic Gold (2) WTA Championships (0) Tier I (1) Tier II (1) Tier III (1) Tier IV & V (0) No. Date Tournament Name Tournament Location Partner Opponents in Final Score in Final 1. February 23, 1998 IGA Tennis Classic (1) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. Serena Williams Cătălina Cristea Kristine Kunce 7–5, 6–2 2. October 12, 1998 Swisscom Challenge (1) Zurich, Switzerland Serena Williams Mariaan de Swardt Elena Tatarkova 5–7, 6–1, 6–3 3. February 15, 1999 Faber Grand Prix (1) Hannover, Germany Serena Williams Alexandra Fusai Nathalie Tauziat 5–7, 6–2, 6–2 4. May 24, 1999 Roland Garros (1) Paris, France Serena Williams Martina Hingis Anna Kournikova 6–3, 6–7(2), 8–6 5. August 30, 1999 US Open (1) Flushing Meadows, New York, U.S. Serena Williams Chanda Rubin Sandrine Testud 4–6, 6–1, 6–4 6. June 26, 2000 The Championships (1) Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Serena Williams Julie Halard-Decugis Ai Sugiyama 6–3, 6–2 7. September 18, 2000 Summer Olympic Games (1) Sydney, Australia Serena Williams Kristie Boogert Miriam Oremans 6–1, 6–1 8. January 15, 2001 Australian Open (1) Melbourne, Australia Serena Williams Lindsay Davenport Corina Morariu 6–2, 4–6, 6–4 9. June 24, 2002 The Championships (2) Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Serena Williams Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez 6–2, 7–5 10. January 13, 2003 Australian Open (2) Melbourne, Australia Serena Williams Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 11. July 5, 2008 The Championships (3) Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom Serena Williams Lisa Raymond Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–2 12. August 17, 2008 Summer Olympic Games (2) Beijing, China Serena Williams Anabel Medina Garrigues Virginia Ruano Pascual 6–2, 6–0 13. January 30, 2009 Australian Open (3) Melbourne, Australia Serena Williams Ai Sugiyama Daniela Hantuchová 6–3, 6–3 [edit] Runner-up (1) 1999: San Diego (with Serena Williams) [edit] Performance timelines [edit] Singles To help interpret the performance table, the legend below explains what each abbreviation and color coded box represents in the performance timeline. Terms to know SR the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played W-L player's Win-Loss record Performance Table Legend NH tournament not held in that calendar year A did not participate in the tournament LQ lost in qualifying draw #R lost in the early rounds of the tournament (RR = Round Robin) QF advanced to but not past the quarterfinals SF advanced to but not past the semifinals F advanced to the final, tournament runner-up W won the tournament NM5 means an event that is neither a Premier Mandatory nor a Premier 5 tournament. 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 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, which ended March 22, 2009. Tournament 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Career SR Career Win-Loss Grand Slam Tournaments Australian Open A A A A QF QF A SF QF F 3R 4R 1R A QF 2R 0 / 10 33–10 French Open A A A 2R QF 4R QF 1R F 4R QF 3R QF 3R 3R 0 / 12 35–12 Wimbledon A A A 1R QF QF W W F F 2R W 3R W W 5 / 12 58–7 US Open A A A F SF SF W W F A 4R QF A SF QF 2 / 10 51–8 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 1 / 3 1 / 4 0 / 1 7 / 44 N/A Win-loss 0–0 0–0 0–0 7–3 17–4 15–4 18–1 19–2 22–4 15–3 10–4 16–3 6–3 14–2 17–3 1–1 N/A 177–37 Olympic Games Summer Olympics Not Held A Not Held W Not Held 3R Not Held QF Not Held 1 / 3 11–2 Year-End Championship WTA Tour Championships A A A A A SF A A SF A A A A A W 1 / 3 9–2 WTA Premier Mandatory Tournaments Indian Wells Not Tier I 4R QF SF A A SF A A A A A A A A 0 / 4 14–3 Key Biscayne A A A 3R W W A W SF 4R QF SF A 3R QF 3 / 10 38–7 Madrid Not Held 0 / 0 0–0 Beijing Not Held Not Tier I 0 / 0 0–0 WTA Premier 5 Tournaments Dubai Not Held Not Tier I W 1 / 1 5–0 Rome A A A A F W 3R A A A A A SF A QF 1 / 5 17–4 Cincinnati Not Held Not Tier I 0 / 0 0–0 Montreal / Toronto A 1R A 1R A A A A A A A A A A A 0 / 2 0–2 Tokyo A A A A A A A A A A QF A A A A 0 / 1 1–0 Former WTA Tier I Tournaments (currently neither Premier Mandatory nor Premier 5 events) Charleston A A A A A A A A A A W 3R A SF A NM5 1 / 3 10–2 Moscow Not Held Not Tier I QF SF A A A 2R A QF A A A 1R 0 / 5 6–5 Doha Not Held Not Tier I 3R Not Held 0 / 1 1–1 Berlin A A A A A A A 3R A A F A A A A 0 / 2 5–1 San Diego Not Tier I A A A QF Not Held 0 / 1 3–1 Zurich A A A QF F W A A A A QF A A A Not Tier I 1 / 4 13–3 Philadelphia A A Not Tier I Not Held Not Tier I Not Held 0 / 0 0–0 Career statistics Tournaments played 1 3 5 14 16 18 10 12 16 6 16 12 6 13 14 3 N/A 165 Finals reached 0 0 0 1 7 10 7 6 11 4 4 4 0 4 3 2 N/A 63 Tournaments won 0 0 0 0 3 6 6 6 7 1 2 2 0 3 3 2 N/A 41 Hardcourt win-loss 0–0 0–2 7–3 18–7 35–7 36–7 25–0 32–2 33–4 10–2 21–9 17–5 1–2 26–5 29–8 6–1 N/A 296–64 Clay win-loss 0–0 0–0 0–1 4–2 9–2 14–2 6–3 5–2 14–2 6–2 19–1 10–4 10–3 12–5 4–2 5–0 N/A 118–31 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 7–0 7–0 0–0 N/A 62–9 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 5–0 0–1 0–0 N/A 50–18 Overall win-loss 1–1 2–3 7–5 32–14 53–13 61–13 41–4 46–5 62–9 26–5 44–12 37–10 13–6 50–10 40–11 11–1 N/A 526–122 Match winning percentage 50% 40% 58% 70% 80% 82% 91% 90% 87% 84% 79% 79% 68% 83% 78% 92% N/A 81% Year end ranking None 205 216 22 5 3 3 3 2 11 9 10 46 8 6 N/A N/A [edit] Women's doubles 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. Tournament 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Career W/L Grand Slam Tournaments Australian Open A 3R SF A W A W A A A A QF W 27–3 French Open A A W A A A A A A A A A 6–0 Wimbledon A 1R A W 3R W 3R A A A 2R W 23–1 US Open 1R A W SF 3R A A A A A A A 12–2 Win-Loss 0–1 2–1 16–1 10–0 10–2 6–0 8–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–0 9–1 6–0 68–6 Olympic Games Summer Olympics Not Held W Not Held 1R Not Held W Not Held 10–1 Withdrawals are not included in losses. [edit] Mixed doubles 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. Tournament 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Career W/L Grand Slam Tournaments Australian Open A W A A A A A A A A A A 6–0 French Open A W A A A A A A A A A A 6–0 Wimbledon A QF SF A A A A A 3R F A A 13–4 US Open A A A A A A A A A A A A 0–0 Win-Loss 0–0 15–1 4–1 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 5–1 0–0 0–0 25–4 [edit] Record against other top players As of February 23, 2009, Williams's win-loss record against certain players who have been ranked World No. 10 or higher is as follows:[34] Players who have been ranked World No. 1 are in boldface. Lindsay Davenport 13–14 Serena Williams 10–9 Martina Hingis 10–11 Daniela Hantuchová 9–0 Patty Schnyder 9–0 Chanda Rubin 9–1 Monica Seles 9–1 Anna Kournikova 8–0 Amanda Coetzer 8–1 Elena Dementieva 8–2 Ai Sugiyama 7–0 Justine Henin 7–2 Mary Pierce 7–3 Vera Zvonareva 6–1 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario 6–3 Kim Clijsters 6–4 Ana Ivanović 5–1 Amélie Mauresmo 5–3 Nadia Petrova 4–0 Jennifer Capriati 4–0 Alicia Molik 4–1 Barbara Schett 4–1 Jelena Janković 4–5 Conchita Martínez 3–0 Jelena Dokić 3–1 Irina Spîrlea 3–1 Anastasia Myskina 3–2 Svetlana Kuznetsova 3–4 Dinara Safina 2–0 Anna Chakvetadze 2–1 Maria Sharapova 2–3 Steffi Graf 2–3 Marion Bartoli 1–0 Mary Joe Fernandez 1–0 Agnieszka Radwańska 1–1 Nicole Vaidišová 1–1 Julie Halard-Decugis 1–1 Jana Novotná 1–3 Brenda Schultz-McCarthy 0-1 [edit] Results against Serena Williams Currently 10–9 (on matches actually played) Legend Grand Slam Tour Championships Tier I/Premier Tournaments Tier II/III Tournaments Tier IV/V Tournaments Grand Slam Cup No. Year Tournament, Location Surface Round Winner Score 1. 1998 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard Second Venus 7–6(4), 6–1 2. 1998 Italian Open, Rome Clay Quarterfinal Venus 6–4, 6–2 3. 1999 Lipton International Players Championships, Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. Hard Final Venus 6–1, 4–6, 6–4 4. 1999 Grand Slam Cup, Munich, Germany Hard (I) Final Serena 6–1, 3–6, 6–3 5. 2000 Wimbledon, London Grass Semifinal Venus 6–2, 7–6(3) 6. 2001 Tennis Masters Series, Indian Wells, California, U.S. Hard Semifinal Serena walkover 7. 2001 US Open, New York City Hard Final Venus 6–2, 6–4 8. 2002 NASDAQ-100 Open, Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. Hard Semifinal Serena 6–2, 6–2 9. 2002 French Open, Paris Clay Final Serena 7–5, 6–3 10. 2002 Wimbledon, London Grass Final Serena 7–6(4), 6–3 11. 2002 US Open, New York City Hard Final Serena 6–4, 6–3 12. 2003 Australian Open, Melbourne Hard Final Serena 7–6(4), 3–6, 6–4 13. 2003 Wimbledon, London Grass Final Serena 4–6, 6–4, 6–2 14. 2005 NASDAQ-100 Open, Key Biscayne, Florida, U.S. Hard Quarterfinal Venus 6–1, 7–6(8) 15. 2005 US Open, New York City Hard Fourth Venus 7–6(5), 6–2 16. 2008 Bangalore Open, Bangalore, India Hard Semifinal Serena 6–3, 3–6, 7–6(4) 17. 2008 Wimbledon, London Grass Final Venus 7–5, 6–4 18. 2008 US Open, New York City Hard Quarterfinal Serena 7–6(6), 7–6(7) 19. 2008 Sony Ericsson Championships, Doha, Qatar Hard Round robin Venus 5–7, 6–1, 6–0 20. 2009 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships, Dubai, United Arab Emirates Hard Semifinal Venus 6–1, 2–6, 7–6(3) [edit] WTA Tour career earnings Year Majors WTA wins Total wins Earnings (US$) Money list rank 1994 0 0 0 $5,350 1995 0 0 0 $13,685 1996 0 0 0 $12,750 1997 0 0 0 $466,863 14 1998 0 3 3 $1,767,924 4 1999 0 6 6 $2,316,005 4 2000 2 4 6 $2,074,150 3 2001 2 4 6 $2,662,610 1 2002 0 7 7 $2,583,571 2 2003 0 1 1 $1,126,555 8 2004 0 2 2 $2,251,798 9 2005 1 1 2 $1,509,065 8 2006 0 0 0 $282,938 45 2007 1 2 3 $1,878,187 5 2008 1 2 3 $3,747,565 2 2009 0 2 2 $562,822 3 Career* 7 34 41 $22,502,918 2 * As of February 23, 2009. [edit] See also List of Grand Slam Women's Singles champions List of Grand Slam Women's Doubles champions List of Grand Slam Mixed Doubles champions [edit] References ^ Venus Williams Interview Australian Open - Jan 17 ^ 'Harder, Better, Faster...' Article discussing the serve speeds of women in 2008 - Nov 28 ^ Venus Envy ^ Williams sisters become golden girls, BBC News, September 28, 2000. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ Williams takes number one spot, BBC News, February 25, 2002. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ Keating, Gina; Tippit, Sarah. Eldest sister of Venus, Serena shot dead, Rediff, September 15, 2003. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ Burt, Jason. Seeds are shaken by Sprem's flowering talent, The Independent, June 27, 2004. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS Era ^ Rezai beats Williams in straight sets ^ Williams joins women's elite with fourth Wimbledon title ^ Sweet music as Petrova and Vesnina steer Russia's tennis girls past USA ^ "Sister Sister: Venus sets record with 129 mph (208 km/h) serve; Serena sails". SI.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/tennis/08/27/venus.serve/. Retrieved on 2008-04-19. ^ Sharapova, Hantuchova Round Out Elite Eight Field ^ Venus Beats Sharapova in Hong Kong Tennis ^ Venus Says Williams Challenge Won't Wane After Loss (Update1) ^ First Round Ends, Second Round Begins in Doha ^ Venus Williams Out of Tennis Indefinitely with Mystery Illness ^ Fendrich, Howard. Venus Williams skipping Charleston; plans to return to action next month in Rome, April 9, 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ a b Williams Beats Razzano for 40th Career Singles Title ^ a b Williams, Venus. Wimbledon has sent me a message: I'm only a second-class champion, The Times, June 26, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ Blair adds support for equal pay, BBC News, June 28, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ WTA Tour and UNESCO to promote gender equality, International Herald Tribune, November 11, 2006. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ Roland Garros Awards Equal Pay ^ "French Open To Give Equal Paydays To Male, Female Winners", Sports Business Daily ^ Slezak, Carol. "We haven't heard last of Venus", Chicago Sun-Times, March 18, 2007. ^ Williams sisters 'shocked' by shooting death of oldest sister - Sports ^ Robson, Douglas. Venus Williams: Rain brings 'clarity', USA Today, July 5, 2007. Accessed July 6, 2008. ^ Interview with Venus Williams ^ Venus Williams Aces Fashion Degree from Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale ^ Vstarr Interiors ^ Eleven website ^ Venus Unveils EleVen Clothing Range ^ "#21 to #25". Ladies Home Journal. http://www.lhj.com/lhj/story.jhtml?storyid=/templatedata/lhj/story/data/powerindex_10012001.xml&categoryid=/templatedata/lhj/category/data/c_297.xml&page=5. ^ Player Profiles [edit] External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Venus Williams Venus Williams profile on the WTA Tour's official website Venus Williams Official website V Starr Interiors website ElevenbyVenus website Venus Williams Interview Sporting positions Preceded by Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Capriati World No. 1 February 25, 2002 – March 17, 2002 April 22, 2002 – May 19, 2002 June 10, 2002 – July 7, 2002 Succeeded by Jennifer Capriati Jennifer Capriati Serena Williams Awards and achievements Preceded by Anna Kournikova WTA Newcomer of the Year 1997 Succeeded by Serena Williams Preceded by Lindsay Davenport WTA Player of The Year 2000 Succeeded by Jennifer Capriati Preceded by Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams) 2000 Succeeded by Lisa Raymond and Rennae Stubbs Preceded by Lindsay Davenport Maria Sharapova Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award 2001-2002 2006 Succeeded by Serena Williams Maria Sharapova Preceded by Lindsay Davenport Best Female Athlete ESPY Award 2002 Succeeded by Serena Williams [show]v • d • eWorld rankings · Top ten tennis players as of March 9, 2009 ATP singles ATP doubles WTA singles WTA doubles ▬ Rafael Nadal ▬ Roger Federer ▬ Novak Djokovic ▬ Andy Murray ▬ Nikolay Davydenko ▬ Andy Roddick ▬ Juan Martín del Potro ▬ Gilles Simon ▬ Gaël Monfils ▬ Fernando Verdasco ▬ Bob Bryan ▬ Mike Bryan ▬ Daniel Nestor ▬ Nenad Zimonjić ▲ Leander Paes ▲ Kevin Ullyett ▼ Mark Knowles ▼ Mahesh Bhupathi ▬ Jonas Björkman ▬ Lukáš Dlouhý ▬ Serena Williams ▬ Dinara Safina ▬ Jelena Janković ▬ Elena Dementieva ▬ Venus Williams ▬ Vera Zvonareva ▬ Ana Ivanović ▬ Svetlana Kuznetsova ▬ Nadia Petrova ▬ Agnieszka Radwańska ▬ Cara Black ▬ Liezel Huber ▬ Ai Sugiyama ▬ Anabel Medina Garrigues ▬ Lisa Raymond ▬ Katarina Srebotnik ▬ Virginia Ruano Pascual ▬ Samantha Stosur ▬ Květa Peschke ▬ Rennae Stubbs [show]v • d • eWomen's Tennis Association · Top ten female American singles tennis players as of March 9, 2009 1. Serena Williams (1 ▬) 2. Venus Williams (5 ▬) 3. Aleksandra Wozniak (31 ▼) 4. Gisela Dulko (36 ▬) 5. Bethanie Mattek (39 ▬) 6. Rossana de los Ríos (91 ▲) 7. Vania King (92 ▲) 8. Jill Craybas (102 ▼) 9. Stéphanie Dubois (116 ▲) 10. Mariana Duque Marino (117 ▲) [show]v • d • eWomen's Tennis Association (WTA) World No. 1 players Chris Evert (1975/1985 - 260 w) · Evonne Goolagong (1976 - 2 w) · / Martina Navrátilová (1978/1987 - 331 w) · Tracy Austin (1980 - 22 w) · Steffi Graf (1987/1997 - 377 w) // Monica Seles (1991/1996 - 178 w) · Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1995 - 12 w) · Martina Hingis (1997/2001 - 209 w) · Lindsay Davenport (1998/2006 - 98 w) · Jennifer Capriati (2001/2002 - 17 w) Venus Williams (2002 - 11 w) · Serena Williams (2002/2009 - 67 w) · Kim Clijsters (2003/2006 - 19 w) · Justine Henin (2003/2008 - 117 w) · Amélie Mauresmo (2004/2006 - 39 w) Maria Sharapova (2005/2008 - 17 w) · Ana Ivanović (2008 - 12 w) · Jelena Janković (2008/2009 - 18 w) WTA rankings incepted on November 3, 1975 · (year first held/year last held - number of weeks (w)) · current No. 1 in bold, as of March 9, 2009 [show]v • d • eTennis at the Summer Olympics • Olympic Champions in women's singles 1900: Charlotte Cooper • 1908: Dorothea Chambers, Gwendoline Eastlake-Smith (indoors) • 1912: Marguerite Broquedis, Edith Hannam (indoors) • 1920: Suzanne Lenglen • 1924: Helen Wills • 1988: Steffi Graf • 1992: Jennifer Capriati • 1996: Lindsay Davenport • 2000: Venus Williams • 2004: Justine Henin-Hardenne • 2008: Elena Dementieva [show]v • d • eTennis at the Summer Olympics • Olympic Champions in women's doubles 1920: Kathleen McKane & Winifred McNair • 1924: Hazel Wightman & Helen Wills Moody • 1988: Zina Garrison & Pam Shriver • 1992 - 1996: Gigi Fernández & Mary Joe Fernández • 2000: Serena Williams & Venus Williams • 2004: Sun Tiantian & Li Ting • 2008: Serena Williams & Venus Williams [show]v • d • eWimbledon (Open era) women's singles champions (1968) Billie Jean King · (1969) Ann Haydon-Jones · (1970) Margaret Court · (1971) Evonne Goolagong · (1972–73) Billie Jean King · (1974) Chris Evert · (1975) Billie Jean King · (1976) Chris Evert · (1977) Virginia Wade · (1978–79) Martina Navrátilová · (1980) Evonne Goolagong · (1981) Chris Evert · (1982–87) Martina Navrátilová · (1988–89) Steffi Graf · (1990) Martina Navrátilová · (1991–93) Steffi Graf · (1994) Conchita Martínez · (1995–96) Steffi Graf · (1997) Martina Hingis · (1998) Jana Novotná · (1999) Lindsay Davenport · (2000–01) Venus Williams · (2002–03) Serena Williams · (2004) Maria Sharapova · (2005) Venus Williams · (2006) Amélie Mauresmo · (2007–08) Venus Williams [show]v • d • eUS Open women's singles champions (1968) Virginia Wade · (1969–70) Margaret Court · (1971–72) Billie Jean King · (1973) Margaret Court · (1974) Billie Jean King · (1975–78) Chris Evert · (1979) Tracy Austin · (1980) Chris Evert-Lloyd (1981) Tracy Austin · (1982) Chris Evert-Lloyd · (1983–84) Martina Navrátilová · (1985) Hana Mandlíková · (1986–87) Martina Navrátilová · (1988–89) Steffi Graf · (1990) Gabriela Sabatini · (1991–92) Monica Seles (1993) Steffi Graf · (1994) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario · (1995–96) Steffi Graf · (1997) Martina Hingis · (1998) Lindsay Davenport · (1999) Serena Williams · (2000–01) Venus Williams · (2002) Serena Williams (2003) Justine Henin-Hardenne · (2004) Svetlana Kuznetsova · (2005) Kim Clijsters · (2006) Maria Sharapova · (2007) Justine Henin · (2008) Serena Williams [show]v • d • eWTA Tour Championships singles champions* (1972-73, 1975, 1977) Chris Evert • (1974, 1976) Evonne Goolagong • (1978-79, 1981, 1983-86) Martina Navrátilová • (1980) Tracy Austin • (1982) Sylvia Hanika • (1987, 1989, 1993, 1995-96) Steffi Graf • (1988, 1994) Gabriela Sabatini • (1990-92) Monica Seles • (1997) Jana Novotná • (1998, 2000) Martina Hingis • (1999) Lindsay Davenport • (2001) Serena Williams • (2002-03) Kim Clijsters • (2004) Maria Sharapova • (2005) Amélie Mauresmo • (2006-07) Justine Henin(-Hardenne) • (2008) Venus Williams Persondata NAME Williams, Venus Ebone Starr ALTERNATIVE NAMES SHORT DESCRIPTION American tennis player DATE OF BIRTH June 17, 1980 PLACE OF BIRTH Lynwood, California DATE OF DEATH PLACE OF DEATH Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_Williams" Categories: 1980 births | African American tennis players | American Jehovah's Witnesses | American tennis players | Australian Open champions | Living people | Olympic gold medalists for the United States | Olympic tennis players of the United States | People from Compton, California | Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics | Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics | Tennis players at the 2008 Summer Olympics | US Open champions | Wimbledon champions | World No. 1 tennis players