Venus Ebony Starr Williams [ 2 ] born June 17, [ 3 ] is an American inactive professional tennis player. She has been ranked as the world No. Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. Turning professional in , she reached her first major final at the US Open. She first reached the singles world No. She then suffered from injuries, winning just one major title between and Williams returned to form starting in , when she won Wimbledon a feat she repeated the following year.
In , she returned to the world No. Starting in , she gradually returned to form, culminating in two major final appearances at the Australian Open and Wimbledon in Along with her seven singles major titles, Williams has won 14 women's doubles major titles, all partnering Serena; the pair are unbeaten in major doubles finals.
The pair also won three Olympic gold medals in women's doubles, in , , and , adding to Venus' singles gold in and her mixed doubles silver in The Williams sisters are credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour. The Williams family moved from Compton, California , to West Palm Beach, Florida , when she was eleven, so that she and her sister Serena could attend the tennis academy of Rick Macci , who took notice of the sisters and who would provide additional coaching.
He did not always agree with Williams' father but respected that "he treated his daughters like kids, allowed them to be little girls".
Another motivation was racial, as he had allegedly heard parents of other players disparage the Williams sisters during tournaments. Williams is an aggressive player, with an all-court game. Due to her assertive playing style, she typically accumulates large numbers of both winners and unforced errors. She possesses powerful groundstrokes on both sides, and is capable of hitting both her forehand and backhand flat, and with topspin. She is also adept at hitting her backhand with slice to slow down rallies and disrupt pace within rallies.
