Venus Williams: Amazing sportswoman

Venus WilliamsMany people get involved in one profession or the other, but some stand out among others and one of such geniuses is the renowned tennis star, Venus Williams. In this piece, Adenike Bankole-Ojo examines her life.

VENUS Ebony Starr Williams was born on June 17, 1980. She was the former world number one American tennis player who, as of May 11, 2009, ranked World Number three. She has won the Wimbledon singles title in the last two years and is the reigning Wimbledon and Australian Open doubles champion. She is the elder sister of Serena Williams, currently ranked Number two.

Already well-known in tennis circles at age 14, Williams turned professional on October 31, 1994.

Looking critically into the life of this tennis star is a personality that cannot be ignored. She is a personality that depicts perseverance and determination, qualities that are quite rare in many women, who after minor setbacks, lose focus and derail from their dreams. Through her profession, Venus has enthused doggedness even when she sustained serious injuries, she was bent on her dreams.

It would seem that the two sisters, Venus and Serena, are cut out for fame, even when they chose the same profession, but this fame is largely because they maintain an excellent spirit of team work in their career. They believe what they practised and held on to it.

Since joining the Women’s Tennis Association tour in 1994, Venus has won 56 titles, which include 17 Grand Slam titles - seven in singles, eight in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles.

Venus dominated women’s tennis in 2000, winning singles titles at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Sydney Olympics, and winning doubles titles at Wimbledon and Sydney with her younger sister, Serena. In doubles, teamed with her sister Serena to capture the Wimbledon doubles and the Olympic gold medal. Venus became the only second player to win the women’s singles and doubles titles at the same Olympic games.(Her victory at Wimbledon made her the first black female champion there since Althea Gibson in 1957 and 1958.)

Venus was already a famous figure in tennis for her size (6’1"), overpowering strength, and unusual tennis background: she and Serena learned to play on public courts in tough Compton, California, coached by their self-taught father, Richard. After her breakthrough 2000 campaign, she was named Sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine. In 2001, she repeated as Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion (defeating Serena in the U.S. Open finals) and she won again at Wimbledon in 2005, 2007 and 2008.

Venus had her most memorable moment in the 2000 Olympics. Venus has a Certificate in Interior Decorating and designs a line of women’s leather apparel for Wilson’s Leather, called the Venus Williams Collection. And for leisure she enjoys art, especially that of young emerging artists, and appreciates the styles of artists all around the world. After tennis, she would like to continue her careers in interior design, fashion design and would like to take up choreography and music production. She also loves Asian antiques, dancing, writing poetry, reading, sewing, studying new subjects, being at home and playing the guitar.