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Venus Williams Profile |
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Birth Date: June 17, 1980
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Birth Place: Lynwood, California, USA
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Birth Name: Venus Ebone Starr Williams
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Height: 6'1"
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Biography |
After seeing how large the prize money was for tennis
champions in comparison to the salary he was making, Richard
Williams vowed to send his children on the path to success
by learning the game. Two years later, in 1980, Venus Ebone
Starr Williams was born in Lynwood, California. By the time
she was four, Venus was brought to the two rundown public
courts in Watts and Compton by her father, to hit cratefuls
of tennis balls for hours on end.
It was immediately evident that Venus had more than just an
interest in the game her father encouraged her to play --
she was incredible at it. In 1988, a young Pete Sampras and
John McEnroe visited the child prodigy and hit some balls
with her. Even at eight years old, Venus was confident,
claiming she could have beaten McEnroe if the bounces had
gone her way.
Despite showing flashes of brilliance in track (posting a
5:29 mile at the early age of eight) and some regrets by her
father after seeing the lengths many parents went to in
order to further their children's careers, Venus kept up her
tennis training. As she conquered her opponents in
exhibition matches, The New York Times published an article
about her, paving the way for a career full of fame.
When Venus was 12 years old, Richard Williams pulled her and
her younger sister Serena, out of their respective junior
circuits and moved them to Florida. There they attended Rick
Macci's Tennis Academy, practicing six hours a day, six days
a week, for four straight years. As their time at the
academy ended, Venus turned pro and won her first match in
Oakland at the age of fourteen.
After playing in only one pro tournament, the hyping up of
Venus Williams continued as she signed a five-year, $12
million contract with Reebok in 1995. She made her first big
splash on the Women's Tennis Association tour in 1997 after
becoming the first unseeded finalist at the U.S. Open since
1968. Although she lost in straight sets to rival Martina
Hingis, fans knew Venus would be in that familiar setting
for many years to come.
Just before beating sister Serena in their first match
against each other as pros in the second round of the 1998
Australian Open, Venus graduated from the exclusive
Driftwood Academy, proving she has brains as well as brawn.
Three months later, Williams scored her first title at the
IGA Tennis Classic in Oklahoma City, and teamed up with
Serena to win the doubles title there too -- the first for
the unstoppable Williams sisters.
Venus saw even more results of consistent hard work as her
career matured, winning the competitive Lipton Championships
in 1999 against her sister and the French Open title
alongside her. There were some bumps in the road, however,
as it was Serena who won the first of the family's Grand
Slam championships, beating Hingis at the U.S. Open in 1999.
Venus also suffered various injuries that sparked rumors of
an impending retirement.
The naysayers were quieted after Venus returned from a
five-month hiatus in 2000 and throttled Lindsay Davenport at
Wimbledon to capture her first of the big titles. Amazingly,
she followed this up with a singles and doubles gold medal
sweep at the Olympics in Sydney, then simply destroyed the
rest of the field in the U.S. Open for back-to-back
championship wins (making history once again as the second
player to win Wimbledon, the Olympics and the U.S. Open in
the same year). These accomplishments motivated Sports
Illustrated to award her with the title of "Sportswoman of
the Year" in 2000.
2001 was practically a case of déjà vu, as Venus once again
won in England and Flushing Meadows, New York. This time,
she beat her sister Serena for the U.S. title in straight
sets. Unfortunately for fans of Venus, Serena got her
revenge three times over in 2002, as the younger Williams
sister defeated her elder three consecutive times to capture
the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Despite this
competitive atmosphere, Venus always remains proud of her
sister and more motivated than ever to maintain the
stranglehold on the history-making number one and two
rankings they occupy.
With blockbuster endorsement deals from the likes of Reebok
(her $40 million, five-year deal makes her the most highly
endorsed female athlete ever), Wrigley and Sega (the latter
two are with Serena), her own interior design company "V
Star Interiors," an upcoming associate's degree in fashion
design, and 28 career singles titles, Venus is no ordinary
22-year-old. |
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Other
Information |
American tennis player. Sister of Serena Williams.
Her fastest serve was clocked at 127.4 mph during the Zurich
Indoors 98. It was against French tennis player Mary Pierce.
At the 2005 Nasdaq-100 Open, she defeated Serena Williams in
the quarterfinals, snapping a six-match and
three-and-a-half-year losing streak to her younger sister.
First woman to win an Olympic gold medal in singles and
doubles (with Serena) since 1924. Singles titles: Wimbledon
(2000, 2001, 2005); U.S. Open (2000). Doubles titles (with
Serena): Australian Open (2000, 2003); Wimbledon (2000,
2002); Roland Garros (1999); U.S. Open (1999).
Won her fifth Grand slam title and her third Wimbledon in
July 2005. |
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