Venus Williams

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Birth Name: Venus Ebone Starr Williams

Age: 46, born 17 June 1980

Country of origin: United States

Currently Residing In: United States

Height: 6' 1"

Relationship Status: In a relationship

Partner: Andrea Preti

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Serena & Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, SIS's Sexiest Tennis Players | Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

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Description: 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 McEn 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. ... (more)

Tags: Born 1980 (6), American (2), Athlete (2), Tennis (1), Olympic Tennis (1), Second Banana (1), California Babe (1), Holy Shit (1), Great Athletes (1), Privileged (1), Sportswoman (1), Ebony (1), Olympics (1), Tennis Star (1), Black (1), Rich (1), Millionaire (1), Tennis Player (1), Wealthy (1), Overrated (1)

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