Background
Venus Williams
Birthday: June 17, 1980
Birthplace: Lynwood, California
Resides: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Height/Weight: 6'2''/160 lbs.
Plays: Right-handed
Highest WTA Ranking: #1
Interesting Facts
In November of 2003, Venus started her own interior design business, V Starr Interiors.
In 2002 Venus received the Certificate of Achievement from Howard University during the commencement ceremony. This is the 2nd highest award bestowed by the University, next to an Honorary Degree.
Week of February 25, 2002, Venus became the 1st African American woman to reach the #1 ranking on the WTA Tour.
Venus met her sister, Serena, in the finals of the 2001 US Open. This was the first time in history sisters have made it to the finals of a Grand Slam tournament.
In 2000, Venus reached a 35 match and 6 title winning streak before falling to Lindsay Davenport in the finals at Linz.
Named 2000 Sports Woman of the Year by Sports Illustrated.
Captured her 1st Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon 2000, becoming the 2nd black woman in history to win the title.
Captured a 2nd career Grand Slam singles title at the 2000 US Open, which her sister, Serena won a year earlier.
Capped a tremendous year in 2000 by winning the Olympic Gold Medal in singles and doubles.
In 2000, joined Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Martina Hingis, Billie Jean King, and Martinal Navratilova as the players who have won both Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year.
Currently attends fashion design school. She has also designed a collection of leather apparel that is sold exclusively at Wilson's Leather.
Defended 1999 Lipton title, defeating Serena in the final. This was the 1st time sisters met in a WTA Tour final.
Recorded the fastest serve ever in the WTA Tour history at the 1998 Zurich tournament with a 128 mph ace on match point over Mary Pierce in the quarterfinals.
By winning the 1999 French Open doubles title with Serena, the duo became the 1st sisters to win a Grand Slam crown together in the 20th century.
Career Highlights
Venus posing with her Wimbledon Trophy.
2005 Istanbul Cup (singles) - Champion
2004 J & S Cup (singles) - Champion
2004 Family Circle Cup (singles) - Champion
2003 Australian Open (singles) - Finalist
2003 Australian Open (doubles) - Champion
2003 Wimbledon (singles) - Finalist
2002 US Open (singles) - Finalist
2002 Wimbledon (singles) - Finalist
2002 Wimbledon (doubles) - Champion
2002 French Open (singles) - Finalist
2002 Bausch and Lomb (singles) - Champion
2002 Proximus Diamond Games (singles) - Champion
2002 Gaz De France (singles) - Champion
2002 Thalgo Australian Women's Hardcourts (singles) - Champion
2001 US Open (singles) - Champion
2001 Wimbledon (singles) - Champion
2001 Ericsson Open (singles) - Champion
2001 Australian Open (doubles) - Champion
2000 Wimbledon (singles & doubles) - Champion
2000 US Open (singles) - Champion
2000 Olympics (singles & doubles) - Champion
1999 French Open (doubles) - Champion
1999 US Open (doubles) - Champion
1999 Oklahoma City (singles) - Champion
1999 Miami (singles) - Champion
1999 Hamburg (singles) - Champion
1999 Italian Open (singles) - Champion
1999 New Haven (singles) - Champion
1999 Zurich (singles) - Champion
1998 Oklahoma City (singles & doubles) - Champion
1998 Miami (singles) - Champion
1998 Grand Slam Cup (singles) - Champion
1997 US Open (singles) - Finalist
Endorsements
American Express
McDonald's
Wilson Racquet Sports
Serena Williams
BACKGROUND
Birthdate: September 26, 1981
Birthplace: Saginaw, Michigan
Residence: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Height/Weight: 5’10”/145lbs
Plays: Right-handed
Highest WTA Ranking: 1 (July 2002)
INTERESTING FACTS
Won the 2003 Wimbledon title for the second-consecutive year.
By winning the 2003 Australian Open achieved an historic ‘Serena Slam’ - winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in a row.
Became the #1 ranked player in the world on July 8, 2002 – the first time sisters have both achieved the #1 ranking.
Won the Australian Open 2001 doubles title with sister Venus to complete a career doubles Grand Slam.
When her sister Venus won 2000 Wimbledon to join Serena, who won the 1999 US Open, as a Grand Slam winner, it marked the first time in tennis history that two sisters each won a Grand Slam singles title.
Won the gold medal in doubles at the 2000 Olympics with her sister Venus, becoming the first sisters to win the Olympic doubles event, and stretched their doubles match winning streak to 22, where it ended.
From July through October 15, 2000, she or her sister Venus won eight of the nine tournaments they entered (Serena retired during the final of the Canadian Open).
Having not won any Sanex WTA TOUR singles titles previous to 1999, won five including the US Open; also in 1999, won three doubles titles, including two Grand Slams; earned over $2 million in prize money and reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 after starting the year at No. 20.
Seeded seventh, upset No. 1 Martina Hingis, No. 2 Lindsey Davenport and No. 4 Monica Seles en route to her first career Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 U.S. Open, becoming the lowest seed to win the women’s title in the Open Era (since 1968), the sixth American woman in the Open Era to win, and the second black woman ever to win a Grand Slam singles title (Althea Gibson won five, her last coming at the 1958 U.S. Championships); in winning seven matches for the title, won four consecutive three-set matches; also won the doubles title with sister Venus, becoming the fifth woman in the Open Era to win both singles and doubles in the same year at the U.S. Open.
HIGHLIGHTS
2005 Australian Open (singles) - Champion
2004 China Open (singles) - Champion
2004 NASDAQ-100 Open (singles) - Champion
2003 Wimbledon (singles) - Champion
2003 Australian Open (singles and doubles) - Champion
2002 Sparkassen Cup (singles) - Champion
2002 Princess Cup (singles) - Champion
2002 US Open (singles) - Champion
2002 Wimbledon (singles & doubles) - Champion
2002 French Open (singles) - Champion
2002 Italian Open (singles) - Champion
2002 Nasdaq-100 Open(singles) - Champion
2002 State Farm Tennis Classic (singles) – Champion
2001 Sanex Championship (singles) - Champion
2001 US Open (singles) - Finalist
2001 Indian Wells (singles) - Champion
2001 Australian Open (doubles) - Champion
2000 Wimbledon (doubles) – Champion
2000 Olympics (doubles) – Champion
1999 U.S. Open (singles & doubles) – Champion
1999 French Open (doubles) – Champion
1999 Paris Indoors (singles) – Champion
1999 Indian Wells (singles) – Champion
1999 Los Angeles (singles) – Champion
1999 Grand Slam Cup (singles) – Champion
ENDORSEMENTS
McDonald's
Nike
Wilson Racquet Sports |
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