Venus Williams
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| Image:VenusWilliams.jpg | ||
| Country | Image:Flag of the United States.svg USA | |
| Residence | Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA | |
| Date of birth | June 17, 1980 | |
| Place of birth | Lynwood, California, USA | |
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | |
| Weight | 72.5 kg (160 lb.) | |
| Turned Pro | 1994 | |
| Plays | Right; Two-handed backhand | |
| Career Prize Money | $16,287,774 | |
| Singles | ||
| Career record: | 424-99 | |
| Career titles: | 33 | |
| Highest ranking: | No. 1 (February 25, 2002) | |
| Grand Slam results | ||
| Australian Open | F (2003) | |
| French Open | F (2002) | |
| Wimbledon | W (2000, 2001, 2005) | |
| U.S. Open | W (2000, 2001) | |
| Doubles | ||
| Career record: | 89-16 | |
| Career titles: | 10 | |
| Highest ranking: | No. 5 (October 11, 1999) | |
| Olympic medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Tennis | |||
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Singles | |
| Gold | 2000 Sydney | Doubles | |
Venus Ebone Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is a former World No. 1 tennis player, born in Lynwood, California. She is the daughter of Richard and Oracene Williams and the older sister of another tennis player, Serena Williams.
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[edit] 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 ranked 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 Lindsay Davenport in the final 6-4, 7-5. 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.
[edit] 2003
In 2003, Williams faced her sister Serena Williams at the 2003 Australian Open final. She also squared off in the 2003 Wimbledon final despite suffering a severe abdominal injury that required medical attention during the match. Venus eventually lost to her sister Serena, 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 in 2003, both Venus and Serena suffered injuries that kept them out of the last half of the 2003 season.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 2005
Williams was inconsistent in 2005, especially at the start of the year. She lost in the fourth round at the Australian Open 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.
[edit] 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 16th until April 30th because of injuries. She reached the quarterfinals at the J&S Cup in Warsaw, losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova. She then lost to Martina 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.
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.
[edit] 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 residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Grand Slam singles finals
[edit] Wins (5)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 2000 | Wimbledon | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport | 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2000 | U.S. Open | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport | 6-4, 7-5 |
| 2001 | Wimbledon (2) | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Justine Henin-Hardenne | 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 |
| 2001 | U.S. Open (2) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 2005 | Wimbledon (3) | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Lindsay Davenport | 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 |
[edit] Runner-ups (6)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1997 | U.S. Open | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svg Martina Hingis | 6-0, 6-4 |
| 2002 | French Open | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams | 7-5, 6-3 |
| 2002 | Wimbledon | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2002 | U.S. Open | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams | 6-4, 6-3 |
| 2003 | Australian Open | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams | 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 |
| 2003 | Wimbledon | Image:Flag of the United States.svg Serena Williams | 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 |
[edit] Titles (45)
[edit] Singles (33)
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| No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score |
| 1. | 1998-02-23 | Oklahoma City, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of South Africa.svgJoannette Kruger (South Africa) | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 2. | 1998-03-16 | Key Biscayne, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of Russia (bordered).svgAnna Kournikova (Russia) | 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
| 3. | 1998-09-28 | Munich, Germany (Grand Slam Cup) | Hard | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svgPatty Schnyder (Switzerland) | 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 |
| 4. | 1999-02-22 | Oklahoma City, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of South Africa.svgAmanda Coetzer (South Africa) | 6-4, 6-0 |
| 5. | 1999-03-15 | Key Biscayne, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgSerena Williams (USA) | 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 6. | 1999-04-26 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Image:Flag of France.svgMary Pierce (France) | 6-0, 6-3 |
| 7. | 1999-05-03 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Image:Flag of France.svgMary Pierce (France) | 6-4, 6-2 |
| 8. | 1999-08-23 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgLindsay Davenport (USA) | 6-2, 7-5 |
| 9. | 1999-10-11 | Zurich, Switzerland | Hard | Image:Flag of Switzerland.svgMartina Hingis (Switzerland) | 6-3 6-4 |
| 10. | 2000-06-26 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | Image:Flag of the United States.svgLindsay Davenport (USA) | 6-3, 7-6(3) |
| 11. | 2000-07-24 | Stanford, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgLindsay Davenport (USA) | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 12. | 2000-07-31 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgMonica Seles (USA) | 6-0, 6-7(3), 6-3 |
| 13. | 2000-08-21 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgMonica Seles (USA) | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 14. | 2000-08-28 | U.S. Open, New York, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgLindsay Davenport (USA) | 6-4, 7-5 |
| 15. | 2000-09-18 | The Olympics, Sydney, Australia | Hard | Image:Flag of Russia (bordered).svgElena Dementieva (Russia) | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 16. | 2001-03-19 | Miami, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgJennifer Capriati (USA) | 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) |
| 17. | 2001-04-30 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Image:Flag of the United States.svgMeghann Shaughnessy (USA) | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 18. | 2001-06-25 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svgJustine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) | 6-1, 3-6, 6-0 |
| 19. | 2001-07-30 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgMonica Seles (USA) | 6-2, 6-3 |
| 20. | 2001-08-20 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgLindsay Davenport (USA) | 7-6(6), 6-4 |
| 21. | 2001-08-27 | U.S. Open, New York, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgSerena Williams (USA) | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 22. | 2001-12-31 | Gold Coast, Australia | Hard | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svgJustine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) | 7-5, 6-2 |
| 23. | 2002-02-04 | Paris, France | Carpet | Image:Flag of Serbia and Montenegro.svgJelena Dokic (Serbia & Montenegro) | walkover |
| 24. | 2002-02-11 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svgJustine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) | 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 |
| 25. | 2002-04-08 | Amelia Island, USA | Clay | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svgJustine Henin-Hardenne (Belgium) | 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) |
| 26. | 2002-07-22 | Stanford, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svgKim Clijsters (Belgium) | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 27. | 2002-07-29 | San Diego, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of Serbia and Montenegro.svgJelena Dokic (Serbia & Montenegro) | 6-2, 6-2 |
| 28. | 2002-08-19 | New Haven, USA | Hard | Image:Flag of the United States.svgLindsay Davenport (USA) | 7-5, 6-0 |
| 29. | 2003-02-10 | Antwerp, Belgium | Carpet | Image:Flag of Belgium (civil).svgKim Clijsters (Belgium) | 6-2, 6-4 |
| 30. | 2004-04-12 | Charleston, USA | Clay | Image:Flag of Spain.svgConchita Martinez (Spain) | 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 |
| 31. | 2004-04-26 | Warsaw, Poland | Clay | Image:Flag of Russia (bordered).svgSvetlana Kuznetsova (Russia) | 6-1, 6-4 |
| 32. | 2005-05-15 | Istanbul, Turkey | Clay | Image:Flag of the Czech Republic (bordered).svgNicole Vaidišová (Czech Republic) | 6-3, 6-2 |
| 33. | 2005-06-21 | Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom | Grass | Image:Flag of the United States.svgLindsay Davenport (USA) | 4-6, 7-6(4), 9-7 |
[edit] Doubles (10)
Grand slam events in boldface. Doubles partner sister Serena Williams.
[edit] 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)
[edit] Singles runner-ups (21)
Grand slam events in boldface.
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[edit] 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 WTA Tour Championships, which ended on November 12, 2006.
| 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 | 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 | 0 / 1 | |
| Indian Wells | A | A | 1R | QF | SF | A | A | SF | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 4 | |
| Miami | 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 | 47 | 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.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| 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 |
Categories: 1980 births | African American tennis players | American tennis players | Olympic tennis players of the United States | Summer Olympics medalists | Tennis players at the 2000 Summer Olympics | Tennis players at the 2004 Summer Olympics | People from Compton, California | Living people | Australian Open champions | French Open champions | Wimbledon champions | US Open champions | Hollywood Squares panelists
