Venus Williams

Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player. William is a former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles, Williams is often said to be one of the all-time greats of the sport of tennis. She is also an Olympic gold medalist who has won 7 Grand Slam titles. She was ranked World No. 24 as of October 22, 2012 in singles.
Williams is the older sister of Serena Williams. Serena has also been ranked as number one in the world. The Williams sisters are well known for their power games. Venus holds the record for the fastest serve by a female player in a main draw match (128.8 mph).
Personal life
In 2003, the sister and personal assistant to Venus Williams, Yetunde Price, was shot dead in Compton, California near the courts on which the sisters once practiced. Shortly after her death , the Williams family said "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."
On December 13, 2007, Williams got her associate degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.
In 2011, Williams was forced to stop playing in the US Open before her second-round match after she learned she had Sjogren's syndrome. After she learned this, Williams started following a vegan diet and lowered the amount of calories and sugars in her diet.
In 2015, Williams got a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Indiana University East. She began studying for the degree in 2011 through an agreement between the university and the Women's Tennis Association. The agreement lets athletes play tennis professionally while studying online. Williams has said that shw wants to earn a MBA as well.
Williams is a Jehovah's Witness.
Relationships
Williams has dated golfer Hank Kuehne. They were seen together from 2007 until 2010. In 2012, she met Cuban model Elio Pis. They dated until 2015. She dated publishing heir Nicholas Hammond for two years until 2019.
2017 car accident
On June 9, 2017, Williams was in an accident in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A car collided with her SUV as she was driving through an intersection. The accident caused the death of a 78-year-old man and injured another person in the other vehicle. WHen the accident happened, Police said that Williams was "at fault". After they reviewed the surveillance video, they said that she had not caused it.
On December 21, 2017, authorities said that the accident had occurred after Williams' vehicle was unlawfully cut off by an unidentified driver of a third vehicle. A nearby surveillance camera showed that this was not true. Authorities said the accident was caused by the unidentified third driver, not by Williams.
Records and achievements
Records in italics are currently active streaks.
'''{|class=wikitable style=font-size:97%
|- style="background:#efefef;"
| width=200|Championship || Years || Record accomplished || width=200|Player tied
|-
|1997 French Open - 2021 Wimbledon||1997-2021||Most appearances (90) in Grand Slam singles draw||Stands alone
|-
|1999 French Open - 2016 Wimbledon||1999-2016||First 14 Grand Slam doubles finals won (with Serena Williams)||Serena Williams
|-
|2002 French Open - 2003 Australian Open||2002-2003||Four consecutive runner-up finishes||Stands alone
|-
|2002 French Open - 2003 Australian Open||2002-2003||Four consecutive runner-up finishes to the same player (Serena Williams)||Stands alone
|-
|2003 Australian Open - 2017 Australian Open||2003-2017||14 years between first and last final||Chris EvertSerena Williams
|-
|2000 Wimbledon - 2017 Wimbledon||2000-2017||17 years between first and last final||Serena Williams
|-
|Wimbledon||2005||Longest women's singles final||Lindsay Davenport
|-
|Wimbledon||2007||Lowest-ranked champion (31st)||Stands alone
|-
|Wimbledon||2007||Lowest-seeded champion (23rd)||Stands alone
|-
|Wimbledon||2008||Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)||Stands alone
|-
|US Open||2007||Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)||Stands alone
|-
|Summer Olympics||2000-2012||4 Olympic gold medals||Serena Williams
|-
||Summer Olympics||2000-2016||5 Olympic finals||Stands alone
|-
|Summer Olympics||2000-2012||3 doubles Olympic gold medals (with Serena Williams)||Serena Williams
|-
|Summer Olympics||2000-2016||Most Olympic medals won by a male or female player (5)||Kathleen McKane Godfree
|-
||Summer Olympics||2000-2016||Has won an Olympic medal in all three events (singles, doubles & mixed)||Kathleen McKane Godfree
|-
||Summer Olympics||2000-2016||Has won an Olympic medal at four Olympic Games||Stands alone
|-
|Miami Open||1998-2002||22 consecutive singles matches won at this tournament||Steffi Graf
|-
|Dubai Tennis Championships||2009-2015||16 consecutive singles matches won at this tournament||Stands alone
|-
|Dubai Tennis Championships||2010-2014||2 consecutive singles titles without dropping a set||Justine Henin
|-
|Dubai Tennis Championships||2014||Only unseeded player to have won in singles and as a wildcard||Stands alone
|-
|Connecticut Open||1999-2002||4 consecutive singles titles|| Caroline Wozniacki
|-
|Connecticut Open||1999-2000||2 consecutive singles titles without dropping a set||Stands alone
|-
|U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships||1998-2007||Most singles titles won at this tournament (3)||Stands alone
|-
|Southern California Open||1999-2002||4 consecutive singles finals|| Tracy Austin
|-
|Mexican Open||2009-2010||2 consecutive singles titles||Sara ErraniLesia Tsurenko
|-
|Year-end championships||1998-2008-2015||Won all three title Grand Slam Cup, WTA Finals and WTA Elite Trophy in singles
|}
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 (with Serena Williams)
Sports Illustrated for Women's Sportswoman of the Year
Teen Choice Awards - Extraordinary Achievement Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 62)
Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year for team sports (with Serena Williams)
2001
Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
EMMA Best Sport Personality Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 57)
2002
Best Female Athlete ESPY Award
Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 60)
2003
The President's Award of the 34th NAACP Image Awards
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 65)
2004
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 1)
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 77)
2005
Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 81)
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
2006
Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
BET's Best Female Athlete of the Year
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 1)
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 90)
2007
Gitanjali Diamond Award
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
Vogue Magazine Top 10 Best Dressed List for 2007
2008
Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
Anti-Defamation League Americanism Award
Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award
ITF Women's Doubles World Champion (with Serena Williams)
WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
Doha 21st Century Leaders Awards - Outstanding Leadership
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 77)
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 2)
2009
WTA doubles team of the year (with Serena Williams)
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
2010
Caesars Tennis Classic Achievement Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 83)
YWCA GLA Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
Forbes 30 Utterly Inspiring Role Models
Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (No. 60)
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 2)
Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service in Professional Sports
2011
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No. 86)
TIME Magazine 30 Legends of Women's Tennis
Forbes Most Powerful Black Women In The U.S. (No. 10)
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 2)
2012
World TeamTennis Finals Most Valuable Player
WTA Player Service Award
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
2013
BET Black Girls Rock! Star Power Award
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
WTA Player Service Award
2014
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
WTA Fan Favorite Dress (2014 Wimbledon)
Tennis Magazine Top 10 Matches of 2014 No. 3 (2014 Wimbledon 3rd Round)
ESPN Tennis Top 10 Women's Matches of 2014 No. 3 (2014 Wimbledon 3rd Round)
2015
US Open Sportsmanship Award
WTA February Best Dressed Player
WTA French Open Best Dressed Player
WTA October Best Dressed Player
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No. 3)
Harris Poll Top 10 Greatest Tennis Player (No. 5)
WTA Comeback Player of the Year
WTA Social Fan Favorite - #TBT of the Year
2016
Sports Illustrated Fashionable 50 Athletes
Nielsen Most Marketable Athletes in the U.S. (No. 6)
2017
ESPN WTA Player of the Year
Nielsen Most Marketable Athletes in the U.S. (No. 2)
2019
Sports Illustrated Fashionable 50 Athletes
References
1980 births
Living people
African-American tennis players
American tennis players
American Olympic gold medalists
American Olympic silver medalists
American Protestants
Australian Open champions
Competitors at the 2016 Summer Olympics
French Open champions
Jehovah's Witnesses people
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Los Angeles
US Open (tennis) champions
Wimbledon champions
World No. 1 tennis players