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 Sjögren'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.