Venus Williams is a renowned American professional tennis player, whose impressive career has been marked by numerous achievements and accolades. She has held the world No. 1 ranking by the Women's Tennis Association on three occasions, a feat she first accomplished on February 25, 2002, making her the first African American woman to do so in the Open Era, and the second all-time since Althea Gibson.
Throughout her illustrious career, Williams has reached an impressive 16 Grand Slam finals, with her most recent appearance being at Wimbledon in 2017. She has also won an astonishing 14 Grand Slam Women's doubles titles, all of which were achieved alongside her sister Serena Williams, with whom she is unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals. Additionally, she has two Mixed Doubles titles under her belt.
Williams' impressive Grand Slam singles titles stand at five, tying her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. During the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2001 US Open, she won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments, a remarkable feat that showcases her dominance in the sport.
Her record as the all-time leader, male or female, in Grand Slams played, with 85, was extended at the 2020 Australian Open. She also broke the record for longest time between first and most recent grand slam singles finals appearances with her run to the 2017 Wimbledon singles final. Williams has been the season prize money leader twice, in 2001 and 2017.
In addition to her numerous singles titles, Williams has also won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in women's doubles, along with a silver medal in mixed doubles, tying her with Kathleen McKane Godfree for the most Olympic medals won by a male or female tennis player. She is the only tennis player to have won a medal at four Olympic Games.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at one Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody at the 1924 Summer Olympics. With 49 singles titles, Williams trails only her sister Serena Williams among active players on the WTA Tour with most singles titles. Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final is the longest since January 1, 2000.
Furthermore, Williams is one of only two active WTA players to have reached the finals of all four Grand Slams, along with her sister Serena. Her impressive career has solidified her position as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
