Williams, Venus

(born June 17, 1980, Lynwood, Calif., U.S.) U.S. tennis player. Venus and her sister Serena were taught by their father to play tennis when they were young. Venus turned professional in 1994, and Serena followed suit a year later. The sisters attracted attention in professional women's tennis because of their forceful ground strokes and obvious strength and endurance on the court. Venus won both the women's singles and (with Serena) the women's doubles gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. She won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2000 and 2001, but in 2002 Serena defeated her in the finals of the French Open, the U.S. Open, and Wimbledon. Venus went on to win Wimbledon in 2005, 2007, and 2008. Venus and Serena won a second women's doubles gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.