Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player who is currently ranked World No. 2 in singles and World No. 1 in doubles. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on February 25, 2002.

Williams is the reigning champion in women's doubles at the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Her 21 Grand Slam titles ties her for twelfth on the all time list and is more than any other active female player except Serena Williams: seven in singles, twelve in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Her seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her with four other women for twelfth on the all-time list. Her five Wimbledon singles titles ties her with two other women for eighth on the all-time list. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships through the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held.

Williams has won three Olympic gold medals, one in singles and two in women's doubles. She has won more Olympic gold medals than any other female tennis player.

With 43 career singles titles, Williams along with Justine Henin leads active players on the WTA Tour and is tied for 10th overall in all-time titles.[citation needed] Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final, remains the longest winning streak since January 1, 2000.

Williams is the older sister of current World No. 1 Serena Williams. They have played each other in 23 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 13 of these matches as of October 2009. As of July 2009, they have met in eight Grand Slam finals, with Serena winning six times. Between the 2002 French Open and the 2003 Australian Open, they met in all four Grand Slam singles finals, the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam finals. The pair have won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles together.

Early life

Williams was born in Lynwood, California to Richard Williams and Oracene Price. She is of African American heritage and is the second youngest of Oracene's five daughters: half-sisters Yetunde (died September 14, 2003), Lyndrea and Isha Price, and younger sister and current World No. 1 tennis player Serena Williams. Her mother raised her five daughters as members of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious group.

Playing style

Williams is one of the most powerful and better baseliners on tour, equipped with an attacking all-court game. Her game is very well adapted to grass where she feels most comfortable, which is reflected in her five Wimbledon singles titles. Across her career, she has developed into a skillful volleyer and effectively utilizes her long 'wingspan' (1.85m) and agility around the net. She stated during an interview at the 2008 Australian Open that she was working to improve her volley. Williams also has great court coverage using her long reach to play balls that most players would not be able to reach and is capable of hitting outright winners from a defensive position.

She holds the record for the fastest serve struck by a woman in a main draw event. At the Zurich Open, she recorded 130 mph (210 km/h). She also holds the record for fastest serve in all four Grand Slam tournaments: 2003 Australian Open quarterfinal – 125 mph (201 km/h), 2007 French Open second round, 2008 Wimbledon final, 2007 US Open first round – 129 mph (208 km/h). At Wimbledon in 2008, her average first serve speed was 115 mph (185 km/h) in the quarterfinal, 116 mph (187 km/h) in the semifinal, and 111 mph (179 km/h) in the final. She also has a higher average serving speed than the ATP men's World No.1 Roger Federer as well as eventual men's champion Rafael Nadal.

Williams has always been a explosive hitter of the ball off the ground, but her backhand is the more consistently reliable of her groundstrokes. Her backhand is equally effective down-the-line or crosscourt (frequently for a set-up approach shot). Her forehand occasionally breaks down under pressure. However, it is still the more powerful of her groundstrokes and yields many winners, from a variety of court positions. Additionally, it is one the most powerful forehands in the women's game, frequently struck in the 85 – 90 mph (140 km/h) range. In the 2008 Wimbledon women's final, Venus struck a forehand winner measured at 94 mph (IBM/Wimbledon). Only a few women (notably Ivanovic, Serena Williams, and Justine Henin) hit to these speeds off the ground. Williams' best surface is grass: she has won Wimbledon five times and has reached the finals in eight of the last ten years. The low bounces that grass produces tend to make her first serve an even more powerful weapon. Her movement on grass is also among the best on the WTA tour. Clay is Williams's weakest surface: her movement is suspect and her powerful serve and groundstrokes are less effective. Still, she has won numerous titles on clay.