Tennis icon Venus Williams was born Venus Ebony Starr Williams in 1980 in Saginaw, Michigan. When Venus was a young child, she moved with her family to California so that she and her sister, Serena, could focus on learning to play tennis. A second move to West Palm Beach brought Venus under the tutelage of coach Rick Macci, although within a few years the Williams family decided to allow the girls to focus more on school and their social activities, and so they left the intensive training for a period.

Venus Williams made her professional debut in 1994 when she was fourteen years old. Between 1994 and 1997 she competed regularly, but in 1997 she competed for fifteen tour events, reaching the quarterfinal in the European Indoor Championships, the Kremlin Cup, and the State Farm Evert Cup. Rising through the ranks, Venus defeated formidable players such as Iva Majoli, Irina Spirlea, and even her younger sister, Serena, in her debut at the Australian Open. By 1998, Williams had risen into the top ten world rankings. By 2002, she had risen to World Number One, becoming the first black female tennis player to reach this milestone.

Today, Venus Williams currently ranks World Number Eleven in singles. Regarded as one of the era’s most groundbreaking female athletes and the best grass court player of her time, Williams’ achievements include: seven Grand Slam singles titles; thirteen Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles; two Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles; four Olympic gold medals; and forty-six career singles titles.

Off the court, Venus serves as CEO for V Starr Interiors, her own interior design firm located in Jupiter, Florida. She has also released her own fashion line, EleVen, and she is part-owner of the Miami Dolphins, a business venture she shares with her sister Serena. Venus has also published her first book, Come to Win: On How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession, which was released in 2010. The book has risen into the top five on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Venus Williams has been recognized as one of 30 Legends of Women’s Tennis by Tennis Magazine. Forbes has also listed her among the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities. Venus Williams continues to compete in the sport of tennis, most recently making it to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. Shortly thereafter, she lost to her sister in the fourth round at Wimbledon.

• Coming Soon...

• Coming Soon...