Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Celebrities who are most likely non-practicing JW's
Oracene Price
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Oracene Price
Born
April 3, 1952 (age 61)
Saginaw, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation
Coach
Oracene Price (born April 3, 1952) is an American tennis coach. She is best known for being the mother of Venus and Serena Williams, top professional tennis players. She is the former wife of Richard Williams, whom she divorced in 2002. As a coach and parent, she has regularly been called unflappable and calm.
Contents
[hide] 1 Biography
2 Coaching and guiding
3 References
4 Further reading
Biography[edit source]
Price was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1952. Her father was an automotive worker.[citation needed] She graduated from Buena Vista High School in 1970 and from Western Michigan University.[citation needed] She has three daughters from a previous marriage with Yusef Rasheed: Yetunde Price (1972-2003), who was former beauty salon owner and registered nurse; Lyndrea Price, a Web designer; and Isha Price, a Lawyer. After Rasheed's death, while working as a nurse, Oracene married Richard Williams and had two more daughters, Venus and Serena Williams.[1] She helped her husband as he began coaching Venus and Serena in tennis. The Williams family moved to Florida on the offer of Rick Macci to coach their daughters for free.[2][3]
By the end of 2000, Price was no longer living with her husband Richard Williams and, citing irreconcilable differences, they divorced in 2002. She subsequently reverted to her maiden name of Price.[4][5]
During a semifinal match between Serena and Justine Henin at the 2003 French Open, Williams was booed by fans after a complaint about a line call. Price believes that the boos were motivated by race, saying "We, as black people, live with this all the time. It's all about control."[6] Tennis journalist and author L. Jon Wertheim has said of Price, "You have to respect anyone incapable of gloss or spin (i.e., unwilling to lie)."[7] At the Indian Wells tournament in 2001, controversy resulted when Venus withdrew from a semifinal match with Serena, who was then booed during the final and trophy presentation. Price is reported to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses and raised her daughters in the faith; she describes herself as a deeply spiritual woman.[8] Price also has described herself as being a "rampant feminist" when dealing with what she believes to be the overly sexualized images of women in the media.[9]
She has traveled to Africa with her daughter Serena for charity work to help in the construction of schools particularly in Senegal .[10]
Coaching and guiding[edit source]
Price's coaching has arguably been overshadowed by her role as mother, but as a coach she has been called underappreciated.[11] Price is not a coach in a traditional sense (though she did learn tennis herself to help teach her daughters the technical aspects of the game) and is instead credited, along with Richard Williams, in keeping her daughters focused and disciplined and for helping to build a solid foundation of self-esteem and outside interests for her daughters.[12]
Venus and Serena's "poise under pressure"[citation needed] is often credited to the self-belief instilled in them by their mother. "There's no such thing as pressure," says Price. "As black Americans, that's all we've ever had. It's life. So where's the pressure?"[13] This approach was coupled with, according to noted tennis coach Nick Bollettieri, a respect that meant that neither Price nor Richard Williams raised their voices to their daughters.[14] Journalist Bonnie D. Ford has said that the longevity exhibited by the Williams sisters is directly attributable to their parents and the way that Richard Williams and Price have helped them manage their careers and lives. Ford believes it is especially admirable that Price and her ex-husband have continued to remain jointly supportive despite their separation.[15]
References[edit source]
1.^ Arrest in killing of tennis stars' half-sister
2.^ Edmonson[clarification needed]
3.^ Donaldson[clarification needed]
4.^ Wertheim[clarification needed]
5.^ Serena and Venus on the fabulous Oracene, mother of the Williams Dynasty
6.^ Theories About Paris From Serena's Mother
7.^ SI.com Tennis Mailbag- The Ultimate Battle
8.^ Daily Nation: The mother behind the Williams' sisters
9.^ Fein, Paul (2005). You Can Quote Me On That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights And Zingers. Washington: Potomac Books. p. 80. ISBN 1-57488-925-7.
10.^ Daily Nation: The mother behind the Williams' sisters
11.^ String Theory: Fits and Starts
12.^ Concrete Elbow: Ten Gifts From '07
13.^ Who's Your Daddy?
14.^ Bollettieri had a hand in grooming 10 players who hit No. 1
15.^ Williams sisters' parents deserve accolades for job well-done
Further reading[edit source]
Bradley, Michael (2003). Venus Williams. Michael Cavendish Publishing. ISBN 0-7614-1630-7.[clarification needed]
Donaldson, Madeline (2003). Venus & Serena Williams. Minneapolis, MN: LernerSports. ISBN 0-8225-3316-2.
Edmondson, Jacqueline (2005). Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-33165-0.
Fein, Paul (2005). You Can Quote Me On That: Greatest Tennis Quips, Insights And Zingers. Washington: Potomac Books. ISBN 1-57488-925-7.
Wertheim, L. Jon (2001). Venus Envy: A Sensational Season Inside the Women's Tennis Tour. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-019774-9.
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Venus Williams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For this tennis player's detailed statistics, records, and other achievements, see Venus Williams career statistics.
Venus Williams
Venus Williams 4.jpg
Country
United States
Residence
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Born
June 17, 1980 (age 33)
Lynwood, California
Height
1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight
72.5 kg (159.8 lbs)
Turned pro
October 31, 1994
Plays
Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money
US$28,674,658
(2nd in overall earnings)
Singles
Career record
632–160 (80.3%)
Career titles
44 (7th in overall rankings)
Highest ranking
No. 1 (25 February 2002)
Current ranking
No. 35 (8 July 2013)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open
F (2003)
French Open
F (2002)
Wimbledon
W (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008)
US Open
W (2000, 2001)
Other tournaments
Championships
W (2008)
Olympic Games
Gold medal.svg Gold Medal (2000)
Doubles
Career record
166–25
Career titles
21 WTA, 1 ITF
Highest ranking
No. 1 (June 7, 2010)
Current ranking
No. 35 (June 29, 2013)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open
W (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010)
French Open
W (1999, 2010)
Wimbledon
W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012)
US Open
W (1999, 2009)
Other Doubles tournaments
Championships
SF (2009)
Olympic Games
Gold medal.svg Gold Medal (2000, 2008, 2012)
Mixed Doubles
Career record
25–6 (80.6%)
Career titles
2
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open
W (1998)
French Open
W (1998)
Wimbledon
F (2006)
US Open
QF (1998)
Team Competitions
Fed Cup
W (1999)
Hopman Cup
RR (2013)
Last updated on: July 20, 2013.
Olympic medal record
Women's tennis
Competitor for the United States USA
Gold 2000 Sydney Singles
Gold 2000 Sydney Doubles
Gold 2008 Beijing Doubles
Gold 2012 London Doubles
Venus Ebony Starr Williams[1] (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 36 in singles as of July 29, 2013.[2] 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, becoming the first African-American woman to achieve this feat during the Open Era.
Her seven Grand Slam singles titles tie her for twelfth on the all time list,[3] and is more than any other active female player except for her younger sister Serena Williams. Her 22 overall Grand Slam titles consist of seven in singles, thirteen in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles. Her five Wimbledon singles titles tie her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. Venus Williams is one of only four women in the open era to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles. Between the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held. She is one of only five women in the open era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches.
Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in women's doubles.[4] She and her sister Serena have won more Olympic gold medals than any other female tennis player. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at the same Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924.
With 44 career singles titles, Williams is behind only her sister Serena amongst active players on the WTA Tour. Her 35-match winning streak from the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2000 Generali Ladies Linz tournament final is the longest winning streak since January 1, 2000. She is also one of only three active WTA players to have made the finals of all four Grand Slams, the other players being her sister Serena Williams and Russian Maria Sharapova.[5]
Venus Williams has played against her sister Serena Williams in 24 professional matches since 1998, with Serena winning 14 of the 24 matches. They have played against each other in eight Grand Slam singles finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they opposed each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, the first time ever in the open era that the same two players played against each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, let alone sisters. On the doubles side, the pair have won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles playing alongside each other.
Contents
[hide] 1 Early life
2 Playing style
3 Professional career 3.1 1994–96: Professional debut
3.2 1997–99: Early success
3.3 2000–02: Williams sisters domination
3.4 2003–06: Injuries and losses
3.5 2007–09: Return to form
3.6 2010: Return to top 2
3.7 2011: Injuries and illness
3.8 2012: Comeback to WTA tour
3.9 2013
3.10 Competition with Serena Williams
4 Fight for equal prize money
5 Personal life 5.1 Entrepreneur
6 Recognition
7 Equipment
8 Career statistics 8.1 Grand Slam performance timeline
9 Records and achievements
10 Awards
11 See also
12 References
13 External links
Early life[edit source]
Venus Ebony Starr Williams was born in Lynwood, California, to Richard Williams and Oracene Price.
The Williams family moved from Compton, California, to West Palm Beach, when she was ten, so that Venus and Serena could attend the tennis academy of Rick Macci, who took notice of the sisters and who would provide additional coaching. He did not always agree with Williams's father but respected that "he treated his daughters like kids, allowed them to be little girls".[6] Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments when Williams was eleven, since he wanted them to take it slow and focus on school work. Another motivation was racial, as he had allegedly heard parents of other players talk negatively about the Williams sisters during tournaments.[7] At that time, Venus Williams held a 63–0 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked No. 1 among the under-12 players in Southern California.[8] In 1995, Richard pulled his daughters out of Macci's academy, and from then on took over all coaching at their home.
Playing style[edit source]
This section of a biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2012)
Williams is a powerful baseliner, 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 in eight of the last ten years. Across her career, she has developed into a skillful volleyer and effectively utilizes her long "wingspan" (1.85m) and agility around the net.[9] 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.[10]
Venus Williams holds the record for the fastest serve struck by a woman in a main draw event. At the Zurich Open in 2008, she recorded 130 mph (210 km/h).[citation needed] She also holds the record for fastest serve in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments: 2007 French Open second round, 2008 Wimbledon final, 2007 US Open first round – 129 mph (208 km/h).[11] 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.[citation needed]
Williams has always been an explosive hitter of the ball off the ground, but her backhand is the more consistently reliable of her groundstrokes.[citation needed] Her backhand is equally effective down-the-line or crosscourt (frequently for a set-up approach shot).[citation needed] Her forehand occasionally breaks down under pressure.[citation needed] However, it is still the more powerful of her groundstrokes and yields many winners, from a variety of court positions.[citation needed] Additionally, it is one of the most powerful forehands in the women's game,[citation needed] frequently struck in the 85 – 90 mph (140 km/h) range.[citation needed] In the 2008 Wimbledon women's final, Venus struck a forehand winner measured at 94 mph (IBM/Wimbledon).[citation needed] Only a few women (notably Ivanovic, Serena Williams, and Justine Henin) hit to these speeds off the ground.[citation needed]
The low bounces that grass produces tend to make her first serve an even more powerful weapon.[citation needed] Her movement on grass is also among the best on the WTA tour.[citation needed] Clay is Williams's weakest surface although she has suffered numerous injuries prior to the French Open.[citation needed] Her movement is suspect and her powerful serve and groundstrokes are less effective.[citation needed] Still, she has won numerous[clarification needed] titles on clay.
Professional career[edit source]
This section of a biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2012)
1994–96: Professional debut[edit source]
Venus Williams turned professional on October 31, 1994, at the age of fourteen. In the second round of her first professional tournament, the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, Williams was up a set and a service break against World No. 2 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario before losing the match. That was the only tournament Williams played in 1994.
In 1995, Williams played three more events as a wild card, falling in the first round of the tournament in Los Angeles and the tournament in Toronto but reaching the quarterfinals of the tournament in Oakland, defeating World No. 18 Amy Frazier in the second round for her first win over a top 20 ranked player before losing to Magdalena Maleeva.
Williams played five events in 1996, falling in the first round four times but reaching the third round in Los Angeles, before losing to World Number 1 Steffi Graf.
1997–99: Early success[edit source]
Williams played 15 tour events in 1997, including five Tier I tournaments. She reached the quarterfinals in three of the Tier I events – the State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells, California, the European Indoor Championships in Zürich, and the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. In Indian Wells in March, Williams defeated World No. 9 Iva Majoli in the third round for her first win over a player ranked in the top 10. She then lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 8 Lindsay Davenport in a third set tiebreak. Her ranking broke into the top 100 on April 14, 1997. She made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament at the French Open, reaching the second round before losing to Nathalie Tauziat. She then lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Magdalena Grzybowska. During her debut at the US Open, she lost the final to Martina Hingis after defeating Irina Spîrlea in a semifinal famous for "the bump" in which Spîrlea intentionally collided with Williams during a changeover. Richard Williams, her father, later claimed that this incident was racially motivated.[12] She was the first woman since Pam Shriver in 1978 to reach a US Open singles final on her first attempt and was the first unseeded US Open women's singles finalist since 1958. On September 8, 1997, her ranking broke into the top 50 for the first time. She ended the year ranked World No. 22.
In her debut at the Australian Open, Williams defeated younger sister Serena in the second round, which was the sisters' first professional meeting. Venus eventually lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 3 Davenport.
Three weeks later, Williams defeated World No. 2 Davenport for the first time in the semifinals of the IGA Tennis Classic in Oklahoma City. Williams then defeated Joannette Kruger in the final to win the first singles title of her career. In her first Tier I event of the year, Williams lost in the semifinals of the State Farm Evert Cup in Indian Wells to World No. 1 Hingis. The following week, Williams won the Tier I Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, Florida, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals. On March 30, 1998, her ranking broke into the top 10 for the first time, at World No. 10.
Williams played only one tournament on clay before the 1998 French Open. At the Italian Open in Rome, she defeated sister Serena in the quarterfinals and World No. 5 Sánchez Vicario in the semifinals before losing to World No. 1 Hingis in the final. Williams lost again to Hingis in the quarterfinals of the French Open. Williams lost her first match at the Direct Line International Championships in Eastbourne on grass before losing to eventual champion and World No. 3 Jana Novotná in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. On July 27, 1998, her ranking rose to World No. 5.
Williams played three tournaments during the North American 1998 summer hard court season. She reached her fifth final of the year at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, defeating World No. 6 Monica Seles in the semifinals before losing to World No. 1 Davenport. Patella tendinitis in her left knee caused her to retire from her quarterfinal match at the tournament in San Diego while trailing Mary Pierce 4–0 in the third set. At the US Open, Williams defeated fourth seeded Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals before losing to second seeded and eventual champion Davenport in the semifinals.
Williams played four tournaments the remainder of 1998. She won her third title of the year at the Grand Slam Cup in Munich in September, defeating World No. 9 Patty Schnyder in the final. She lost in the second round of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Filderstadt before losing in the final of the Tier I Swisscom Challenge in Zürich to World No. 1 Davenport and the semifinals of the Tier I Kremlin Cup in Moscow to Pierce. She had earned enough points during the year to participate in the year-ending Chase Championship but withdrew from the tournament because of tendinitis in her knee. She finished the year ranked World No. 5.
In 1998, Williams teamed with Justin Gimelstob to win the mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open and the French Open. Her sister Serena won the other two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles that year, completing a "Williams Family Mixed Doubles Grand Slam". Williams won the first two women's doubles titles of her career, in Oklahoma City and Zürich. Both titles came with sister Serena, becoming only the third pair of sisters to win a WTA tour doubles title.[13]
Williams started the 1999 tour in Australia, where she lost to World No. 10 Steffi Graf in the quarterfinals of the Medibank International in Sydney and World No. 1 Davenport in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. However, she rebounded at the Faber Grand Prix in Hanover, defeating Graf for the first time in the semifinals before losing the final to World No. 3 Novotná. Williams then successfully defended her titles in both Oklahoma City and Key Biscayne. She defeated Novotná and Graf to reach the final in Key Biscayne, where she defeated Serena in three sets in the first final on the WTA Tour to be contested by two sisters.
Williams played four clay court events during the spring. She lost her first match at the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida. Three weeks later, however, she won her first title on clay at the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg, defeating Mary Pierce in the final. Williams then won the Tier I Italian Open in Rome, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals and World No. 8 Pierce in the final. At the French Open, she extended her winning streak to 22 matches before losing in the fourth round to World No. 125 Barbara Schwartz. Williams teamed with Serena to win the women's doubles title at this event, the first Grand Slam title the pair won together.
At the 1999 Wimbledon Championships, Williams defeated World No. 17 Anna Kournikova in the fourth round to reach the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year, where she lost to eventual runner-up Graf.
Williams rebounded in the summer when she won two Fed Cup matches against Italy and lost in the final of the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford to World No. 1 Davenport. One week later, Williams defeated Davenport in the semifinals of the TIG Tennis Classic in San Diego before losing to World No. 2 Hingis in the final. In her last tournament before the US Open, Williams won the Pilot Pen Tennis in New Haven, Connecticut, defeating World No. 5 Seles in the semifinals and Davenport in the final. On August 30, 1999, her world ranking reached third for the first time. Seeded third at the US Open, Williams lost in the semifinals to World No. 1 Hingis in three sets. However, she teamed with singles champion Serena at this event to win their second Grand Slam women's doubles title.
During the remainder of the year, Williams contributed to the USA's victory over Russia in the Fed Cup final, winning one singles rubber before joining Serena to win the doubles rubber. At the Grand Slam Cup in Munich, Venus defeated Hingis in the semifinals before losing to Serena for the first time in the final. Venus won her sixth title of the year at the Tier I event in Zurich, defeating World No. 1 Hingis in the final. Four weeks later, she lost to Davenport in the semifinals of the tournament in Philadelphia. Making her debut at the year-ending Chase Championships, Williams lost to Hingis in the semifinals. She finished the year ranked World No. 3.
2000–02: Williams sisters domination[edit source]
In 2000, Williams missed the first five months of the year with tendinitis in both wrists. She returned to the tour during the European clay court season. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Betty Barclay Cup in Hamburg to Amanda Coetzer and in the third round of the Tier I Italian Open in Rome to Jelena Dokić. Although she had won only two of her four matches before the French Open, she was seeded fourth there. She won her first four matches in Paris without losing a set before losing in the quarterfinals to eighth-seeded and former champion Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in three sets.
Williams then won 35 consecutive singles matches and six tournaments. She won her first Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, defeating World No. 1 Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals, sister Serena in the semifinals, and defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the final. She also teamed with Serena to win the women's doubles title at this event.
She won three Tier II events during the North American summer hard court season, defeating Davenport in the final of the tournament in Stanford, California and Monica Seles in the finals of both the tournament in San Diego and the tournament in New Haven, Connecticut.
At the US Open, Williams defeated still-World No. 1 Hingis in the semifinals and World No. 2 Davenport in the final. At the Olympic Games in Sydney, Williams defeated Sánchez Vicario in the quarterfinals, Seles in the semifinals, and Elena Dementieva in the final to win the gold medal. She also won the gold medal in women's doubles with her sister Serena. Davenport eventually snapped her winning streak in October in the final of the tournament in Linz. Williams did not play a tournament the rest of the year because of anemia. She finished the year ranked World No. 3 and with six singles titles.
In 2001, Williams reached the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time, where she lost to World No. 1 Hingis. However, Venus teamed with Serena to win the doubles title at the event, completing a Career Grand Slam in women's doubles for the pair.
Williams also reached the semifinals of the Tier I Tennis Masters Series tournament in Indian Wells, California, where she controversially defaulted her match with sister Serena just before the match started. Venus had been suffering from knee tendinitis throughout the tournament and eventually this prevented her from playing. The following day, Venus and her father Richard were booed as they made their way to their seats to watch the final.[14] Serena was subsequently booed during the final with Kim Clijsters and during the trophy presentation. Due to this, neither Williams sister has entered the tournament since.[15] Venus rebounded from the Indian Wells controversy to win the next tournament on the tour calendar, the Tier I Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida. She defeated Hingis in the semifinals and World No. 4 Jennifer Capriati in the final, after saving eight championship points. Because of this victory, her ranking rose to a career high of World No. 2.
During the European clay court season, Williams won the Tier II tournament in Hamburg but lost in the third round of the Tier I EUROCARD Ladies German Open to World No. 18 Justine Henin and the first round of the French Open to Barbara Schett. This was only the second time that she had lost in the first round of a Grand Slam singles tournament. Williams then successfully defended her Wimbledon title, defeating third-seeded Davenport in the semifinals and eighth-seeded Henin in three sets in Henin's first Wimbledon final.
During the North American summer hard court season, Williams won for the second consecutive year the tournaments in San Diego, defeating Seles in the final, and in New Haven, defeating Davenport in the final. Williams also won the US Open singles title for the second consecutive year, without dropping a set. In the quarterfinals, she beat fifth-seeded Clijsters, followed by a semifinal victory over World No. 2 Capriati. She played Serena in the final, which was the first Grand Slam singles final contested by two sisters during the open era. Venus won the match and her fourth Grand Slam singles title. Venus also became only the sixth woman in history to win the singles titles at both Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years, the others being Martina Navrátilová (twice), Steffi Graf (twice), Althea Gibson, Maureen Connolly Brinker, and Helen Wills Moody (twice).
Williams began 2002 by winning the Mondial Australian Women's Hardcourts in Gold Coast, Australia, defeating Henin in the final. However, she then lost for the first time in her career to Seles in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Williams then went on to win the Open Gaz de France in Paris when Jelena Dokić withdrew from the final, and the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium, defeating Henin in the final. As a result of her strong start to the season, Williams assumed the World No. 1 position for the first time on February 25, dislodging Capriati. Williams was the first African-American woman ever to hold the ranking. She held it for just three weeks before surrendering it back to Capriati.
Williams failed to defend her title in Miami after losing in the semifinals to Serena. However, she made a strong start to the clay-court season, winning the Bausch & Lomb Championships in Amelia Island, Florida, defeating Henin in the final. A week after winning that tournament, she once again replaced Capriati as the World No. 1, before losing it again to Capriati after three weeks. During those three weeks, Williams had made the final in Hamburg, defeating Hingis in the semifinals before losing to Clijsters in the final. Seeded second at the French Open, Williams defeated former champion Seles to reach the semifinals for the first time. There, she defeated Clarisa Fernández. In the final, Williams met Serena for a second time in a Grand Slam final, with Serena winning. Venus once again replaced Capriati as the World No. 1 as a result of reaching the final.
As the top seed at Wimbledon, Williams defeated Henin in the semifinals to make the final for the third consecutive year. However, there, she lost to Serena. This result meant Serena replaced Venus as the World No. 1. The Williams sisters teamed up to win the women's doubles title at the event, their fifth Grand Slam women's doubles title together.
Williams won the titles in San Diego and New Haven for the third consecutive year, defeating Davenport and Dokic to win the former and defeating Davenport in the final of the latter. At the US Open, Williams defeated Seles in the quarterfinals and Amélie Mauresmo in three sets to make the final. Playing Serena for their third consecutive Grand Slam final, Serena won once again. After that, Venus played just four more matches during the season. She reached the semifinals at the year-ending Sanex Championships after defeating Seles in the quarterfinals, but she then was forced to retire against Clijsters due to injury. Williams finished the year ranked World No. 2 having won seven titles, her best showing in both respects of her career.
2003–06: Injuries and losses[edit source]
Williams started 2003 by defeating fifth seed Justine Henin to make the final of the Australian Open for the first time. In the final, however, she lost to sister Serena. This marked the first time in the open era that the same two players had met in four consecutive Grand Slam finals. Venus and Serena teamed to win the women's doubles title at the event, their sixth Grand Slam title in women's doubles.
In February, Williams won the Proximus Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium for the second consecutive year, defeating Kim Clijsters in the final. However, shortly afterwards, she began to struggle with injury. She reached the final of the clay-court J&S Cup in Warsaw, before being forced to retire against Amélie Mauresmo. She then suffered her earliest exit at a Grand Slam tourmament in two years when she lost in the fourth round of the French Open to Vera Zvonareva.
At Wimbledon, Williams was seeded fourth. Williams defeated former champion Lindsay Davenport in the quarterfinals and Kim Clijsters in the semifinals to advance to her fourth consecutive Wimbledon final, where she lost again to sister Serena.
Wimbledon was Williams' last event of the year as an abdominal injury that occurred during the Clijsters match prevented her from playing again. While she was recovering from the injury, her sister Yetunde Price was murdered.[16] Williams finished the year ranked world no. 11. It was the first time in nearly six years that she had dropped out of the top 10.
In 2004, Williams came back to the tour suffering inconsistent results. As the third seed because of a protected ranking, she reached the third round of the Australian Open, where she lost to Lisa Raymond. She then lost in the quarterfinals of her next three tournaments.
Williams began to find her form at the beginning of the clay-court season. At the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, Williams defeated Conchita Martínez in the final to win her first title in over a year and the second Tier I title on clay of her career. She then won in Warsaw, defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final, before reaching the final of the Tier I German Open in Berlin. She then withdrew from that match against Mauresmo due to injury. Going into the French Open, Williams had the best clay-court record among the women and was among the favorites to win the title; however, after making the quarterfinals to extend her winning streak on the surface to 19 matches, she lost to eventual champion Anastasia Myskina. Despite her defeat, she re-entered the top 10.
At Wimbledon, Williams lost a controversial second-round match to Croatian Karolina Šprem. The umpire of the match, Ted Watts, awarded Šprem an unearned point in the second-set tiebreak. Upon the conclusion of the match, he was relieved of his duties.[17] This defeat marked the first time since 1997 that Williams had exited Wimbledon prior to the quarterfinals. After Wimbledon, Williams reached her fourth final of the year at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California, where she suffered her first defeat to Lindsay Davenport since 2000.
As the defending champion at the Athens Olympics, Williams lost in the third round to Mary Pierce. She then won three very close matches against Petra Mandula, Shikha Uberoi and Chanda Rubin to make the fourth round of the US Open where she lost to Davenport, the first time she had ever lost at the US Open prior to the semifinals. Williams completed the year by losing in the quarterfinals of three indoor tournaments in the fall, a period that included defeat in her first meeting with 17-year-old Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova at the Zurich Open. Williams finished the year as world no. 9 and did not qualify for the year-ending WTA Tour Championships.
In 2005, Williams started the year by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Alicia Molik. She then reached the final in Antwerp, defeating Clijsters and Myskina en route. In the final, Williams was a set and a service break up against Mauresmo before eventually losing.
In March, at the NASDAQ-100 Open in Miami, Williams defeated sister and Australian Open champion Serena in the quarterfinals, the first time she had defeated Serena since 2001. Venus went on to lose in the semifinals to world no. 3 Sharapova. In May, Williams won her first title in over a year at the clay-court İstanbul Cup, defeating Nicole Vaidišová in the final. However, at the French Open, she lost in the third round to 15-year-old Sesil Karatantcheva, who subsequently tested positive for steroids and was suspended.
Williams was seeded 14th at Wimbledon. In the quarterfinals of the tournament, she defeated French Open runner-up Pierce in an epic second-set tiebreak, winning it 12–10 to make the semifinals of a Grand Slam for the first time in two years. There, she defeated defending champion and second-seeded Maria Sharapova to make the Wimbledon final for the fifth time in six years. Playing top-seeded Davenport in the final, Williams saved a match point with a backhand winner en route to winning. This was Williams's third Wimbledon singles title, her fifth Grand Slam singles title overall and her first since 2001. It was the first time in 70 years that a player had won after being down match point during the women's final at Wimbledon.[citation needed] In addition, Williams was the lowest-ranked (world no. 16) and lowest-seeded (14th) champion in tournament history.[citation needed] Williams returned to the top 10 following the victory.
Following Wimbledon, Williams reached her fourth final of the year in Stanford, where she lost to Clijsters. At the US Open, Williams achieved her second consecutive win over Serena in the fourth round, but then lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. Williams did not qualify for the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships because of an injury sustained during the tournament in Beijing. She finished the year ranked world no. 10. It was the first year since 2001 that she had finished a year ranked higher than Serena.
Venus Williams prepares to serve during the 2006 J&S Cup in Warsaw
In 2006, Williams was upset in the first round of the Australian Open by Tszvetana Pironkova, which was her earliest loss ever at that tournament. After that loss, she did not play again for three months due to a wrist injury. She returned in late April on clay in Warsaw, where she defeated former world no. 1 Martina Hingis in the second round, before losing to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals. Wiliams completed the clay-court season by reaching the quarterfinals of the French Open, where she lost to Nicole Vaidišová.
Williams was the defending champion and one of the favorites to win the singles title at Wimbledon. However, she lost in the third round to 26th-seeded Jelena Janković. After the loss, Williams said that she was having pain in her left wrist, although she admitted that the injury was not the cause of her loss. Williams did not play in the US Open series or the US Open itself due to the wrist injury. During her first tournament in almost three months in October, she reinjured her wrist at the tournament in Luxembourg and lost in the second round to qualifier Agnieszka Radwańska. Williams finished the season as world no. 46, her lowest finish since she began to play on the WTA Tour full-time in 1997. It was the second consecutive year she finished higher than Serena, who finished the year at world no. 95
2007–09: Return to form[edit source]
Williams withdrew from the 2007 Australian Open, the second consecutive Grand Slam that she had missed due to her recurring wrist injury. She returned in February at the Cellular South Cup in Memphis, USA, defeating top-seeded Shahar Pe'er in the final, her first singles title since her victory at Wimbledon in 2005.
At the beginning of the clay-court season, Williams reached the semifinals of the Tier I Family Circle Cup in Charleston, South Carolina, where she lost to Jelena Janković on a third set tiebreak. She also lost to fourth seed Janković in the third round of the French Open, her third consecutive loss to Janković. During her second round win over Ashley Harkleroad, Williams hit a 206 km/h (128 mph) serve, which is the second fastest woman's serve ever recorded and the fastest ever recorded during a main draw match.
Venus competing in the WTT
Williams was ranked World No. 31 going into Wimbledon and was seeded 23rd at the tournament due to her previous results at Wimbledon. Williams was a game away from defeat in her first round match against Alla Kudryavtseva and in her third round match against Akiko Morigami she was two points away from defeat, but she eventually won both 7–5 in the third set. She then advanced to reach her sixth Wimbledon final, after beating Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivnovic en route to the final where she defeated 18th seed Marion Bartoli. Williams thus became only the fourth woman in the open era to win Wimbledon at least four times, along with Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. She also became the lowest-seeded Wimbledon champion in history, breaking the record she herself set in 2005. Williams returned to the top 20 as a result of the win.[18]
At the US Open, after setting a Grand-Slam record 129 mph (208 km/h) serve in the opening round,[19] Williams advanced to her first Grand Slam semifinal outside of Wimbledon since 2003. However she then lost to eventual champion Justine Henin. The tournament resulted in Williams's ranking moving up to World No. 9. Williams then won her third title of the year at the Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championships in Seoul, South Korea, defeating Maria Kirilenko in the final, before then losing in the final of the Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo to Virginie Razzano. Williams had earned enough points during the year to qualify for the year-ending WTA Tour Championships in Madrid; however, she withdrew because of continuing problems with anemia.[20] Williams finished the year as World No. 8 with three titles, her best performance in both respects since 2002, and a winning percentage of 83 percent.
Venus Williams serving to Ivanovic in their semifinal match at the Zurich Open
In 2008, as the eighth seed at the Australian Open, Williams reached the quarterfinals for the first time since 2003. However, she then lost to eventual runner-up Ana Ivanovic. Williams made her first semifinal of the year at the Bangalore Open in Bangalore, India, where she met sister Serena for the first time since 2005 with Serena winning despite Venus holding a match point in the third set tie break.
Williams missed two tournaments at the beginning of the clay-court season due to undisclosed medical problems.[21] At the French Open, Williams was seeded eighth but was eliminated by 26th-seeded Italian Flavia Pennetta in the third round.
Williams was the defending champion and seventh-seeded player at Wimbledon. Without dropping a set, she reached her seventh Wimbledon singles final. She then won her fifth Wimbledon singles title, and seventh Grand Slam singles title overall, by beating sister Serena in straight sets. This was the first time since 2003 that Venus and Serena had played each other in a Grand Slam final and was the first time since 2001 that Venus had defeated her in a Grand Slam final. Venus and Serena then teamed to win the women's doubles title, their first Grand Slam doubles title together since 2003.
Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the Beijing Olympics to Li Na. She did, however, earn a gold medal along with Serena in women's doubles, their second gold medal as a team, having won together at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. At the US Open, Williams was playing some of her best tennis since dominating the circuit in 2003, However, she was defeated in two tiebreaks by Serena in an epic quarter final match after Venus led 5–3 in both sets, and would later win the tournament.
Venus Williams at the 2008 WTA Tour Championships
At the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany in October, Williams defeated a player ranked in the top three for the first time that season by defeating World No. 3 Dinara Safina to reach her third semifinal of the year. There, she lost to Janković. A fortnight later, Williams won the Zurich Open, defeating Ivanovic in the semifinals before defeating Pennetta in the final to claim her second title of the year and secure a position in the year-ending 2008 WTA Tour Championships in Doha, Qatar. There, Williams defeated World No. 2 Safina, World No. 3 Serena and World No. 5 Dementieva in the preliminary round-robin stage. In the semifinals, Williams defeated World No. 1 Janković before winning the year-ending tournament for the first time by defeating Vera Zvonareva in the final. She ended the year ranked sixth in the world with three titles and a winning percentage of 78 percent.
As the sixth seed at the 2009 Australian Open, Williams lost in the second round to Carla Suárez Navarro after holding a match point in the third set. However, she teamed up with Serena to win the women's doubles title at the event, their eighth Grand Slam doubles title together. Venus rebounded in singles play in February at the Premier 5 (formerly Tier I) Dubai Tennis Championships, defeating defending champion and World No. 4 Dementieva in the quarterfinals and World No. 1 Serena in the semifinals on a third set tiebreak. The latter win meant that Venus led the head-to-head in career matches with her sister for the first time since 2002. Venus went on to defeat Virginie Razzano in the final. This win meant Williams was ranked in the top five for the first time since 2003, while it also marked her 40th professional singles title, only the twelfth player in the open era to achieve the feat.[22] Williams won another title the following week at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel in Acapulco, Mexico, defeating Pennetta in the final. This was her first title on clay since 2005.
On European clay, Williams reached the semifinals in Rome before losing to World No. 1 Safina. This run meant Williams was ranked in the top three for the first time since 2003. Seeded third at the French Open, Williams lost to Ágnes Szávay in the third round, the third consecutive year she had exited at that stage.[23]
Williams was seeded third at Wimbledon. She advanced to her eighth Wimbledon final where she had won 36 straight sets (held since Wimbledon 2007). In the final however she lost the first set tie break and from then on lost in two sets to sister Serena. The Williams sisters teamed up to win the doubles title at the tournament for the fourth time.
In Stanford, Williams defeated Maria Sharapova and Elena Dementieva to advance to the finals, where she would lose to Marion Bartoli. Teaming with her sister, she played doubles and won the title, defeating Monica Niculescu and Yung-Jan Chan.
Venus lost to the eventual champion at the US Open
At the 2009 US Open, as the third seed, Williams made it to the fourth round before losing to Kim Clijsters in three sets. Venus then teamed up with Serena to play doubles at the open, where they won the title over defending champions and world No. 1s in doubles, Cara Black and Liezel Huber, claiming their third grand slam doubles title in 2009.
Williams' last tournament in 2009 was the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships, where she was the defending champion in singles. She was in the maroon group which includes her sister Serena, along with Elena Dementieva and Svetlana Kuznetsova. She lost her first match against Dementieva, and her second match against Serena- both in straight sets, after taking the first set. In her third and final RR match, Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova. Because of Dementieva's loss to Kuznetsova in their round robin match, Venus advanced to the semifinal of the championships. In her semifinal match, she defeated Jelena Janković of Serbia to advance to her second consecutive final in the tournament. In the final, she lost to her sister Serena. In doubles, Venus teamed with Serena as the second seed. However, they lost to Nuria Llagostera Vives and María José Martínez Sánchez in the semifinal. Their doubles record at the end of the year stood at 24–2.
Venus finished 2009 ranked world number 6 in singles (with a winning percentage of 70 percent) and world number 3 in doubles with Serena, in spite of playing only 6 events together in 2009.
2010: Return to top 2[edit source]
Williams played at the Australian Open as the sixth seed. She defeated 17th-seeded Francesca Schiavone in the fourth round. She was two points from defeating 16th-seeded Li Na in the quarterfinals before losing in three sets. In doubles, she teamed with her sister Serena to successfully defend their title, defeating the top-ranked team of Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final. The Williams sisters are undefeated in Grand Slam women's doubles finals and are 4–0 in Australian Open doubles finals.
Williams at the 2010 Wimbledon.
Williams then played the Dubai Tennis Championships, where she was the defending champion. Seeded third, she successfully defended her title by defeating fourth-seeded Victoria Azarenka in the final.
Williams next played on clay at the Abierto Mexico Telcel in Acapulco where she was the defending champion. She reached the semifinals after recovering from a 1–5 third set deficit to Laura Pous Tió in the quarterfinals. In the final, she defeated first-time finalist Polona Hercog from Slovenia. This was her 43rd career title, the most among active female players.
Her next tournament was the Premier Mandatory Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, where she was seeded third. She defeated World No. 9 Agnieszka Radwańska in the quarterfinals and World No. 13 Marion Bartoli in the semifinals to reach her third straight WTA tour final and fourth Sony Ericsson Open final. She was defeated by Kim Clijsters in the final in just 58 minutes, ending her 15-match winning streak. By reaching the final, her ranking improved to World No. 4 and she crossed the $26 million mark in career prize money, the only player besides Serena to do so.
The knee injury that hampered her during the final of the Sony Ericsson Open forced her to skip the Fed Cup tie against Russia and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. Williams returned to the tour at the Premier 5 Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. She suffered the worst defeat of her career in the quarterfinals, losing to World No. 4 Jelena Janković 6–0, 6–1. Despite this loss, Williams' ranking improved to World No. 3 on May 10.
Williams at the 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open
Her next tournament was the Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open, a Premier Mandatory tournament. She lost to Aravane Rezaï in the final. In doubles, she teamed with Serena to win the title.
On May 17, her ranking improved to World No. 2, behind only Serena. This was the fourth time that the William sisters' have occupied the top two spots, and the first time since May 2003.
Her next tournament was the French Open, where she played both singles and doubles despite her knee injury. Seeded second in singles, she advanced past the third round at this tournament for the first time since 2006 before losing to Nadia Petrova in the round of 16. She also played doubles with Serena as the top seeds. Their defeat of Huber and Anabel Medina Garrigues in the semifinals increased their doubles ranking to World No. 1. They then defeated 12th seeded Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam women's doubles title.
Her next tournament was the Wimbledon Championships, where she had reached the final the previous three years. Despite her knee injury, she made it to the quarterfinals, where she lost to Tsvetana Pironkova. Pironkova was ranked 82nd in the world and had never gone past the second round of a Grand Slam event. As a result, Williams dropped to #4 in the world. She was the defending champion in doubles with her sister Serena, having won the tournament in the previous two years. However, they lost this time in the quarterfinals to Elena Vesnina and Vera Zvonareva.
Williams then missed all tournaments in the US Open Series because of a left knee injury but still participated at the US Open as the third seed. She won three matches to move into the fourth round. Williams became one of only two women in 2010 (along with Caroline Wozniacki) to reach at least the fourth round at all four Grand Slam singles tournaments. Williams then defeated Pe'er and French Open champion Schiavone en route to her eighth US Open semifinal, against defending champion Clijsters. Williams won the first set of their match and recovered from 5–2 down in the second set but ultimately double-faulted on a key point near the end of the match and lost in three sets. Because of Serena's withdrawal from the US Open, Venus did not participate at the doubles event where she was the defending champion.
The recovery of her left knee took longer than expected and it forced her to miss the rest of 2010, including the year-ending Sony Ericsson Championships and Fed Cup final.[24] Williams ended the year ranked fifth in singles, the first time she ended a year in the top five since 2002, while playing only nine tournaments. She finished the year ranked eleventh in doubles.
2011: Injuries and illness[edit source]
Williams in 2011
Williams started 2011 by participating at the Hong Kong Tennis Classic. She lost both her singles matches against Vera Zvonareva and Li Na, but she managed to help Team America to win the silver group. Her next tournament was the 2011 Australian Open where she was the fourth seed. She retired in the second game of her third round match against the 30th seed Andrea Petkovic due to a hip muscle injury.[25] This was Williams' first retirement during a match in a Grand Slam tournament since 1994 and thus ended her record of most Grand Slam matches without ever retiring, with 250 consecutive matches.[26] This was also her first retirement from a match since LA Women's Tennis Championships in Los Angeles in 2004, ending her 294 consecutive matches without retiring.
The injury forced Williams to pull out of the Fed Cup quarterfinal against Belgium, the Dubai Tennis Championships, and the Abierto Mexicano Telcel, where she was the two-time defending champion in both tournaments. She also pulled out of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami causing her ranking to drop to world no. 15. Further, she missed Madrid and Rome. This caused her rankings to drop to world no. 29. Originally scheduled to come back in Brussels, she eventually withdrew from the Premier tournament. Further, she also missed Roland Garros, marking the first Grand Slam tournament since 2003 US Open where neither of the Williams sisters are competing.
Williams then made her first appearance since the Australian Open in Eastbourne. Unseeded, she lost for the first time in eleven meetings to Daniela Hantuchová in the quarterfinals. She was seeded 23rd at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships. She played for nearly three hours in her second round match against Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm, winning in three tough sets. She then defeated Spaniard María José Martínez Sánchez in the third round but was defeated by Bulgarian 32nd seed Tsvetana Pironkova in the fourth round.
Originally scheduled to participate in Toronto and Cincinnati, Williams withdrew due to viral illness.[27] Her next scheduled tournament was the US Open.[28] As an unseeded player, Williams defeated Vesna Dolonts in the first round. She was scheduled to meet 22nd seed Sabine Lisicki in the second round, but withdrew before the match began due to Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease with which she was recently diagnosed.[29][30] This marked the first time in her career that she did not reach the quarterfinals or better in any of the grandslam tournaments in a season. As a result, her ranking dropped to world no. 105.
Williams did not play for the rest of the year in competitive level; although she did appear in three exhibitions tournaments in November and early December. She played a match against Serena in Colombia which she won in straight sets.[31] The week later, the sisters appeared in Milan, Italy to play exhibition against Italian duo Francesca Schiavone and Flavia Pennetta. Williams lost both her singles tie-break matches but won the doubles pairing with her sister.[32] Williams then headed to Barbados to play her third exhibition tournament where she lost to Victoria Azarenka.
She ended the year ranked world no. 102. This is her first finish of a season ranked outside of the world top 50 since 1997.
2012: Comeback to WTA tour[edit source]
Williams was scheduled to play in Auckland as her preparation before the Australian Open.[33] However, she withdrew from the tournament because of her ongoing health problems. Further, she announced in her website that she also withdrew from the Australian Open. However, she also mentioned her intention to come back to the WTA circuit in February.[34] As a result, her ranking dropped further to world no. 135. Williams returned to the competition in the doubles match of the Fed Cup's World Group II tie between USA and Belarus that was held in Worcester, Massachusetts on 4–5 February.[35] She partnered with Liezel Huber and won the dead-rubber in straight sets.
Williams was granted wildcards to participate in Miami[36] and Charleston.[37] In her first singles match since the 2011 US Open, Williams defeated Japanese veteran, Kimiko Date-Krumm in straight sets in the first round of Miami. She followed up the victory by defeating world no. 3 Petra Kvitová in the second round, her first Top 3 victory since defeating Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2009. Then, she beat Aleksandra Wozniak in a three-set tiebreaker in the third round, in a match that lasted almost three hours and where she saved a match point, to advance to the fourth round. In the round of 16, she bested world no. 15, Ana Ivanovic in three sets to reach the quarterfinals where she appeared fatigued and lost to the eventual champion, Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets. Her run improved her ranking to no. 87. A week later in Charleston, she reached her second consecutive quarterfinals appearance, defeating Jelena Janković en route. She lost in three sets in the quarterfinals to Samantha Stosur.
In the following the clay court season, Williams was granted wildcards to participate in Madrid and Rome. In Madrid, she lost in the second round to Angelique Kerber but still improved her world ranking to no. 63. A week later in Rome, she reached her third quarterfinals of the four tournaments she had participated in with a straight-sets victory against Samantha Stosur in the third round. She lost in the quarterfinals in straight sets to the world no. 2, defending and eventual champion Maria Sharapova.[38] Her appearance in Rome increased her ranking to world no. 52 and putting her as the third-ranked American. She lost in the second round of the French Open to Agnieszka Radwańska in straight sets.
She next participated in the Wimbledon tournament, where for the first time since 1997 she was not seeded.[39] She was drawn against Elena Vesnina in the first round, to whom Venus lost in straight sets.[40] It was also the first time Venus lost in the first round of a Grand Slam Tournament since the 2006 Australian Open, as well as the first opening round loss at Wimbledon since her pro tennis debut appearance there in 1997.[41] Williams fared much better in her return to doubles competition where she played alongside her sister, Serena. In just the pair's first tournament since 2010 Wimbledon, the unseeded sisters advanced to the final with notable victories against fourth-seeded Maria Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova in the second round and top-seeded Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond in the semifinals. The Williams sisters claimed their fifth Wimbledon doubles title after defeating sixth-seeded Andrea Hlaváčková and Lucie Hradecká in straight sets in the final, on the same day Serena won her fifth Wimbledon singles title.
Williams' next stop was the 2012 Summer Olympics Games which was held in the same venue as Wimbledon. She entered the women's singles and women's doubles events, partnering with sister Serena in doubles. In singles, Williams defeated Sara Errani and Aleksandra Wozniak in convincing fashion to reach the third round where she faced Angelique Kerber. She lost to Kerber in two tiebreaks despite having three set points and leading 5–1 in the tiebreak in the first set. In doubles, the unseeded Williams sisters advanced to the final which was a repeat of Wimbledon's final match against fourth-seeded Hlaváčková and Hradecká. The sisters won their third gold medal in doubles after defeating the Czech pair in straight sets.
Next, Williams participated in Cincinnati where she received a singles wild card entry. She defeated her first two opponents, 14th seeded Maria Kirilenko and Chanelle Scheepers, in three tight sets before crushing 8th seeded Errani in the third round. In the quarterfinals, she defeated her second top 10 opponent in a row Samantha Stosur in three sets which advanced her to her first semifinals appearance since the 2010 US Open. In the semifinals Williams played through a back injury, eventually losing in three sets to Li Na in a match where her average first serve was between 80–90 miles per hour.[citation needed] Her semifinals run would bring her ranking back to within the top 50 for the first time in almost a year. At the US Open Williams lost in a second round match against Angelique Kerber in three sets, after she had a 4–2 lead in the third set.[citation needed]
Williams won her 44th career WTA title and her first in over two and half years at the 2012 BGL Luxembourg Open. She defeated Belinda Bencic, Mona Barthel, Roberta Vinci, and Andrea Petkovic to reach the final. There she defeated Monica Niculescu in two sets. With the title, Williams' ranking rose to #24 and ended 2012 with this ranking.
2013[edit source]
At the 2013 Hopman Cup, and playing for USA (with John Isner), the first rubber was against South Africa. Williams beat Chanelle Scheepers and, with John Isner, they comfortably defeated the South African pair Chanelle Scheepers and Kevin Anderson. In USA's second rubber against France, she won both her singles and in mixed doubles defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mathilde Johansson. Next she faced Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain and won in two sets.
From there Williams went onto the Australian Open, seeded 25, after missing it the previous year due to injury. She beat Galina Voskoboeva and Alizé Cornet before losing to the second seed, Maria Sharapova. Her next tournament was Brasil Tennis Cup. She participated the tournament as the 1st seed. She defeated Mirjana Lučić-Baroni in the first round, Garbiñe Muguruza in the second round and Magdaléna Rybáriková during the quarterfinals. Reaching her first semifinal of the year, she was then defeated by Olga Puchkova in three sets, 6–4, 4–6, 5–7. This tournament allowed Williams to strengthen her position in the Top 20. She retired from the 2013 Sony Open Tennis in the third round due to a lower back injury.
One week after Miami, Williams participated in Charleston as the fifth seed. She reached the semifinals, after playing both her third round and quarterfinals matches on the same day, where she lost to her sister, Serena, in two sets in the sisters' first meeting since the 2009 WTA Tour Championships.A few weeks later she participated in Fed Cup, in a tie between the United States and Sweden.After Sloane Stephens lost the opening match, Williams stepped into her spot,winning a match against Johanna Larsson 6–3, 7–5, after converting on her eighth match point.This was the first time in Williams' career that she clinched the winning match in a Fed Cup tie,leading the United States to a 3–2 victory over Sweden. Venus's next event was the Mutua Madrid Open where she withdrew just before playing her 1st Round match, her next tournament was the Italian Open in Rome where she lost in the 1st Round to Laura Robson 6–3, 6–2. Venus then played at the 2013 French Open where she lost to Urszula Radwanska in the 1st Round she was also entered in Doubles with her sister Serena but pulled out just before their 1st Round match, her next scheduled events are the 2013 Wimbledon Championships where she will play Singles, Doubles & Mixed Doubles, the 2013 Swedish Open in Bastad on Red Clay followed by the 2013 Roger's Cup and the 2013 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and then the 2013 US Open. She is seeded 4th at the 2013 Swedish Open and is seeded 1st in the doubles competition partnering with Serena Williams.
On June 18. 2013, Williams announced she has withdrawn from Wimbledon. This will be the first one she will miss since 1996.[42]
Competition with Serena Williams[edit source]
Main article: Williams sisters rivalry
In professional women's tennis, Venus has played her sister Serena 24 times, accumulating a 10–14 record in the series. They are the only women during the open era to have played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals. They have met in a total of eight Grand Slam finals, ahead of the number of finals played by Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and by Helen Wills Moody and Helen Jacobs but behind the record of fourteen finals set by Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.[43] Currently Venus has 44 career tennis titles and Serena has 53. Serena has 16 slams and Venus has 7. Also, they won the doubles championship at Wimbledon in 2012, as well as their 4th doubles Olympic gold medal that same year.
Fight for equal prize money[edit source]
Despite years of protesting by tennis pioneer Billie Jean King and others, in 2005 the French Open and Wimbledon still refused to pay women's and men's players equally through all rounds. In 2005, Williams met with officials from both tournaments, arguing that female tennis players should be paid as much as male tennis players.[44] Although WTA tour President Larry Scott commented that she left "a very meaningful impression", Williams's demands were rejected.
The turning point was an essay published in The Times on the eve of Wimbledon in 2006. In it, Williams accused Wimbledon of being on the "wrong side of history", writing:
I feel so strongly that Wimbledon's stance devalues the principle of meritocracy and diminishes the years of hard work that women on the tour have put into becoming professional tennis players.
I believe that athletes – especially female athletes in the world's leading sport for women – should serve as role models. The message I like to convey to women and girls across the globe is that there is no glass ceiling. My fear is that Wimbledon is loudly and clearly sending the opposite message....
Wimbledon has argued that women's tennis is worth less for a variety of reasons; it says, for example, that because men play a best of five sets game they work harder for their prize money.
This argument just doesn’t make sense; first of all, women players would be happy to play five sets matches in grand slam tournaments....
Secondly, tennis is unique in the world of professional sports. No other sport has men and women competing for a grand slam championship on the same stage, at the same time. So in the eyes of the general public the men's and women's games have the same value.
Third, ... we enjoy huge and equal celebrity and are paid for the value we deliver to broadcasters and spectators, not the amount of time we spend on the stage. And, for the record, the ladies’ final at Wimbledon in 2005 lasted 45 minutes longer than the men's....
Wimbledon has justified treating women as second class because we do more for the tournament. The argument goes that the top women – who are more likely also to play doubles matches than their male peers – earn more than the top men if you count singles, doubles and mixed doubles prize money. So the more we support the tournament, the more unequally we should be treated! But doubles and mixed doubles are separate events from the singles competition. Is Wimbledon suggesting that, if the top women withdrew from the doubles events, that then we would deserve equal prize money in singles? And how then does the All England Club explain why the pot of women's doubles prize money is nearly £130,000 smaller than the men's doubles prize money?
I intend to keep doing everything I can until Billie Jean's original dream of equality is made real. It's a shame that the name of the greatest tournament in tennis, an event that should be a positive symbol for the sport, is tarnished.[44]
In response, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of Parliament publicly endorsed Williams's arguments.[45] Later that year, the Women's Tennis Association and UNESCO teamed for a campaign to promote gender equality in sports, asking Williams to lead the campaign.[46] Under enormous pressure, Wimbledon announced in February 2007 that it would award equal prize money to all competitors in all rounds, and the French Open followed suit a day later.[47] In the aftermath, the Chicago Sun-Times cited Williams as "the single factor" that "changed the minds of the boys" and a leader whose "willingness to take a public stand separates her not only from most of her female peers, but also from our most celebrated male athletes."[48] Williams herself commented, "Somewhere in the world a little girl is dreaming of holding a giant trophy in her hands and being viewed as an equal to boys who have similar dreams."[49]
Venus herself became the first woman to benefit from the equalization of prize money at Wimbledon, as she won the 2007 tournament and was awarded the same amount as the male winner Roger Federer. Venus' fight for equality was documented in the ESPN Films' Nine for IX film, Venus Vs. It premiered on July 2, 2013.[50][51]
Personal life[edit source]
Williams for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "National Wear Red Day"
On December 13, 2007, Williams received her associate degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.[52]
Beginning the fall 2011 semester, Williams began pursuing a bachelor's degree in the school of business through an online degree program at Indiana University East in Richmond, Indiana.[53] Her ultimate goal is to get an MBA in the near future.[54]
Williams's longtime boyfriend, pro golfer Hank Kuehne, had been a visible presence since Wimbledon 2007. "He's a great guy", Williams said. "He understands competition. He's very supportive. I love having him here and everyone else in the box, too."[55] After rumors of engagement, the couple broke up in 2010, after which Kuehne dated and (in May 2011) married his current wife Andy.
In 2003, Venus and Serena Williams's older sister Yetunde Price, 31, was shot dead in Compton, California near the courts on which the sisters once practiced. Price was the Williams sisters' personal assistant. The Williams family issued this statement shortly after the death: "We are extremely shocked, saddened and devastated by the shooting death of our beloved Yetunde. She was our nucleus and our rock. She was a personal assistant, confidante, and adviser to her sisters, and her death leaves a void that can never be filled. Our grief is overwhelming, and this is the saddest day of our lives."[56]
In 2011, Williams was forced to withdraw from the US Open before her second-round match, following a Sjögren's syndrome diagnosis.[30]
After the diagnosis, she resolved to eat a vegan diet in order to decrease inflammation and reduce the energy-sapping symptoms of the disease through the reduction of calories, pesticides and sugars.[57]
Venus is now dating Cuban model, Elio Pis. Pis and Williams met when he modeled for her fashion line EleVen and has been a visible presence at her tournaments lately.[58]
Entrepreneur[edit source]
Williams in July 2010
Williams is the chief executive officer of her interior design firm "V Starr Interiors" located in Jupiter, Florida. Williams's company designed the set of the Tavis Smiley Show on PBS, the Olympic athletes' apartments as part of New York City's failed bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.[59]
In 2001, Williams was named one of the 30 most powerful women in America by the Ladies Home Journal.[60]
In 2007, Williams teamed with retailer Steve & Barry's to launch her own fashion line EleVen. "I love fashion and the idea that I am using my design education to actually create clothing and footwear that I will wear on and off the tennis court is a dream come true for me. The vision has been to create a collection that will allow women to enjoy an active lifestyle while remaining fashionable at the same time. I'm thrilled with everything we've created to launch EleVen."[61][62]
In June 2009, Venus was named 77th in the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities compiled by Forbes magazine.[63]
In August 2009, Venus Williams became part-owners of the Miami Dolphins with sister Serena Williams. The announcement was made during a press conference overlooking the practice field. This made Venus and indeed her sister Serena the first African-American females to obtain ownership in an NFL franchise. Stephan Ross, the majority owner of the Dolphins, said "We are thrilled to have Venus and Serena join the Dolphins as limited partners. They are among the most admired athletes in the world and have become global ambassadors for the game of tennis. Their addition to our ownership group further reflects our commitment to connect with aggressively and embrace the great diversity that makes South Florida a multicultural gem."[64]
In late June 2010, Venus Williams released her first book, entitled Come to Win; on How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession, which she co-wrote with Kelly E. Carter. In promotion of the book she embarked on a tour around America in support of the release, whilst also appearing on several talk shows including The Early Show and Good Morning America. This gave her a place on the top 5 The New York Times Best Seller List.[65]
Recognition[edit source]
In 2005 Tennis Magazine ranked her as the 25th-best player in 40 years.[66][67] In June 2011, she was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.[68]
Equipment[edit source]
Coach: Richard Williams, Oracene Price
Racquet: Wilson BLX Blade Team (104)
Clothing: EleVen
Shoes: Nike
Career statistics[edit source]
Grand Slam performance timeline[edit source]
Key
W F SF QF #R RR Q# A P Z# PO SF-B F S G NMS NH
Won tournament, or reached Final, Semifinal, Quarterfinal, Round 4, 3, 2, 1; competed at a Round Robin stage or lost in Qualification Round 3, 2, Round 1; absent from a tournament or participated in a team event; played in a Davis Cup Zonal Group (with its number indication) or Play-off; won a bronze, silver (F or S) or gold medal at the Olympics, the former of which has, from 1908–1924 and 1996–present, been awarded to the winner of a play-off match between losing semifinalists. The last two are for a Masters Series/1000 tournament that was relegated (Not a Masters Series) or a tournament that was Not Held in a given year. To avoid confusion and double counting, these charts are updated either at the conclusion of a tournament, or when the player's participation in the tournament has ended.
Tournament
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
SR
W–L
Australian Open A QF QF A SF QF F 3R 4R 1R A QF 2R QF 3R A 3R 0 / 13 41–13
French Open 2R QF 4R QF 1R F 4R QF 3R QF 3R 3R 3R 4R A 2R 1R 0 / 16 41–16
Wimbledon 1R QF QF W W F F 2R W 3R W W F QF 4R 1R A 5 / 16 71–11
US Open F SF SF W W F A 4R QF A SF QF 4R SF 2R 2R 2 / 14 61–11
Win–Loss
7–3
17–4
15–4
18–1
19–2
22–4
15–3
10–4
16–3
6–3
14–2
17–3
12–4
16–4
6–2
2–3
2–1
7 / 58
214–50
Records and achievements[edit source]
Main article: Venus Williams career statistics
These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
Records in italics are currently active streaks.
Championship Years Record accomplished Player tied
1999 French Open – 2012 Wimbledon 1999–2012 First 13 Grand Slam doubles finals won (with Serena Williams) Stands alone
French Open 2010 Fastest serve by a woman (207 km/h/128.6 mph)[69] Stands alone
2002 French Open – 2003 Australian Open 2002–2003 Four consecutive runner-up finishes Chris Evert
2002 French Open – 2003 Australian Open 2002–2003 Four consecutive runner-up finishes to the same player (Serena Williams) Stands alone
Wimbledon 2005 Longest women's singles final[70] Lindsay Davenport
Wimbledon 2007 Lowest-ranked champion (31st)[71] Stands alone
Wimbledon 2007 Lowest-seeded champion (23rd)[71] Stands alone
Wimbledon 2008 Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)[72] Stands alone
US Open 2007 Fastest serve by a woman (129 mph)[73][74] Stands alone
Summer Olympics 2000–2012 4 Gold Medals Serena Williams
Summer Olympics 2000–2012 3 Doubles Gold Medals (with Serena Williams) Stands alone
Miami Masters 1998–2002 22 consecutive singles matches won at this tournament Steffi Graf
In 1997, Williams became the first woman since Pam Shriver in 1978 to reach the singles final of the US Open on her first attempt.[75]
In 1997, Williams became the first unseeded singles finalist at the US Open.[75]
In 1997, the combined ages of Williams at age 17 and Martina Hingis at age 16 in the US Open final were the lowest in the open era history of that tournament.
At 1999 IGA SuperThrift Classic in Oklahoma City marking the first time in tennis history that sisters won titles in the same week (Serena won the Open Gaz de France in Paris).
At the 1999 Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne became the first pair of sisters in the open era to meet in a tournament final (with Serena Williams).
In 2000, Williams became the second African-American to win Wimbledon during the open era.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at the same Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924. Serena Williams has since joined these 2 women in completing this feat when she won gold in the Singles and Doubles at 2012 London Olympics.
By winning the 2001 Australian Open doubles championship, Venus and Serena Williams became the fifth pair to complete a Career Doubles Grand Slam and the only pair to win a Career Doubles Golden Slam.
The 2001 US Open marked the first time in the open era, and only the second time in 117 years, that sisters met in a Grand Slam singles final (with Serena Williams).
In 2001, she became the third woman in the open era, after Navratilova and Graf, to win both Wimbledon and the US Open in consecutive years.
In February 2002, she became the first African-American woman to become World No. 1 since the computer rankings began in 1975.
In 2002 became the first ever siblings to rank Top 2 at same time with sister Serena.
At Wimbledon in 2003, she reached her fourth consecutive Wimbledon final, which since the abolishment of the challenge round system is tied with Helen Wills Moody for fourth behind Navratilova's nine, King's five, and Evert's five.
Williams and Hingis hold the open era record for consecutive losses in Grand Slam singles finals (five).
One of four women, the others being Serena Williams, Navratilova and Graf, to win the Wimbledon singles title at least five times during the open era.
At Wimbledon in 2009, Williams defeated World No. 1 Dinara Safina in the semifinals 6–1, 6–0, which was the most one-sided women's semifinal at Wimbledon since 1969, when King defeated Rosemary Casals by the same score.
Awards[edit source]
See also: WTA Awards
1995Sports Image Foundation Award for conducting tennis clinics in low-income areas
1997WTA Newcomer of the Year
September's Olympic Committee Female Athlete
1998Tennis Magazine's Most Improved Player
2000WTA Player of the Year
WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
Sports Illustrated for Women's Sportswoman of the Year
Teen Choice Awards – Extraordinary Achievement Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.62)
Women's Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year for team sports (with Serena Williams)
2001Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
EMMA Best Sport Personality Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.57)
2002Best Female Athlete ESPY Award
Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.60)
200334th NAACP Image Awards' President's Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.65)
2004Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No.1)
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.77)
2005Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.81)
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No.3)
2006Best Female Tennis Player ESPY Award
BET's Best Female Athlete of the Year
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No.1)
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.90)
2007Gitanjali Diamond Award
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No.3)
2008Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No.3)
2009Anti-Defamation League Americanism Award
Whirlpool 6th Sense Player of the Year Award
ITF Women's Doubles World Champion (with Serena Williams)
WTA Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
Doha 21st Century Leaders Awards – Outstanding Leadership
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.77)
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No.2)
2010Caesars Tennis Classic Achievement Award
Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.83)
YWCA GLA Phenomenal Woman of the Year Award
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
Forbes 30 Utterly Inspiring Role Models
Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (No.60)
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No.2)
2011Forbes The Celebrity 100 (No.86)
TIME Magazine 30 Legends of Women's Tennis
Forbes Most Powerful Black Women In The U.S. (No.10)
Harris Poll Top 10 Favorite Female Sports Star (No.2)
2012World TeamTennis Finals Most Valuable Player
WTA Player Service Award
WTA Fan Favorite Doubles Team of the Year (with Serena Williams)
See also[edit source]
Portal icon Tennis portal
Hingis – V. Williams rivalry
Williams sisters rivalry
List of Grand Slam women's singles champions
List of Grand Slam women's doubles champions
List of Grand Slam mixed doubles champions
References[edit source]
Notes
1.^ "Family Tree Legends". Family Tree Legends. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
2.^ Chase, Chris (July 15, 2010). "Ranking the top-10 women's tennis players of all time – Busted Racquet – Tennis Blog – Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
3.^ "All-Time Women's Majors Titles". Blueridgenow.com. June 5, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
4.^ "Williams sisters net gold in doubles, beating off Spaniards in final". ESPN. August 17, 2008. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
5.^ Chase, Chris (September 13, 2010). "Ranking the top-10 women's tennis players of all time – Busted Racquet – Tennis – Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
6.^ Kaufman, Michelle (April 22, 2007). "Venus, Serena reflect as they prepare for Fed Cup". blackathlete.net. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
7.^ Peyser, Marc; Samuels, Allison (August 24, 1998). "Venus And Serena Against The World". Newsweek. Retrieved April 19, 2009.[dead link]
8.^ Lydia Pyle, 2005, Venus and Serena Williams, p. 10.
9.^ the, United States. "Venus Williams: Biography from". Answers.com. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
10.^ "Venus Williams Interview Australian Open – Jan 17". Tennis-x.com. January 17, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
11.^ 'Harder, Better, Faster...' Article discussing the serve speeds of women in 2008 – Nov 28[dead link]
12.^ "Venus Envy". Sportsillustrated.com. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
13.^ "WTA, Info, Venus Williams". WTA Tour, Inc. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
14.^ "What Happened at Indian Wells?". ESPN. March 11, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
15.^ Rogers, Martin (September 13, 2010). "Indian Wells boycott hurts Williamses more than it helps". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
16.^ Keating, Gina; Tippit, Sarah. Eldest sister of Venus, Serena shot dead, Rediff, September 15, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
17.^ Burt, Jason. Seeds are shaken by Sprem's flowering talent, The Independent, June 27, 2004. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
18.^ "Williams joins women's elite with fourth Wimbledon title". Sport.monstersandcritics.com. July 7, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
19.^ "Sister Sister: Venus sets record with 129 mph (208 km/h) serve; Serena sails". SI.com. August 27, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
20.^ Sharapova, Hantuchova Round Out Elite Eight Field[dead link]
21.^ "Venus Williams Out of Tennis Indefinitely with Mystery Illness". Tennis-x.com. April 9, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
22.^ Williams Beats Razzano for 40th Career Singles Title[dead link]
23.^ "Venus crashes out of French Open". BBC Sport. May 29, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
24.^ "Venus Williams out for the remainder of 2010; Will miss Fed Cup Final , Pro Tennis – News". USTA. October 6, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
25.^ "Venus Williams Injury: Tennis Star Withdraws From Australian Open". Huffington Post. January 21, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
26.^ "Venus Retires, Petkovic Moves Through". Wtatennis.com. January 21, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
27.^ "Venus Williams Out Again For The Western & Southern Open". tennisnow.com. 2011. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
28.^ Lynch, Lauren. "Venus Williams Out Again For The Western & Southern Open". Tennis Now. Retrieved 16 August 2011.
29.^ "Venus Williams Pulls Out Of U.S. Open : NPR". npr.org. 2011 [last update]. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
30.^ a b Lila (2011-08-31). "Venus Williams Leaves US Open. 10 Things You Should Know About Sjogren's Syndrome". Celebritydiagnosis.com. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
31.^ Venus defeats Serena in exhibition in Colombia
32.^ Schiavone beats Venus, Serena in Milan
33.^ "Tennis: Venus Williams pulls out of ASB Classic". NZ Herald News. December 20, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-01.
34.^ 2012 Australia Open
35.^ [1]
36.^ V. Williams, Gonzalez, and Nalbandian Granted Sony Ericsson Open Wildcards
37.^ Venus Williams Enters Cup
38.^ Maria Sharapova ends Venus Williams' run. Accessed 20 May 2012.
39.^ "Venus Williams". Retrieved 2012-06-25.
40.^ "Venus Williams". Retrieved 2012-06-25.
41.^ "Venus Williams ousted in first round".
42.^ "Venus Williams Will Skip Wimbledon". NY Times. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
43.^ "ESPN.com Tennis: Women's Grand Slam Title Winners". ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
44.^ a b Williams, Venus. Wimbledon has sent me a message: I'm only a second-class champion, The Times, June 26, 2006. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
45.^ "Blair adds support for equal pay". BBC Sport. June 28, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
46.^ WTA Tour and UNESCO to promote gender equality, International Herald Tribune, November 11, 2006. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
47.^ Roland Garros Awards Equal Pay[dead link]
48.^ "French Open To Give Equal Paydays To Male, Female Winners", Sports Business Daily
49.^ Slezak, Carol. "We haven't heard last of Venus", Chicago Sun-Times, March 18, 2007.
50.^ Cingari, Jennifer (February 19, 2013). "ESPN Films and espnW Announce Nine for IX". Retrieved February 27, 2013.
51.^ "Air dates set for Nine for IX series". espnW.com. April 10, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
52.^ "Venus Williams Aces Fashion Degree from Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale". Artinstitutes.edu. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
53.^ "Tennis star Venus Williams enrolls at Indiana University East". indystar.com. Retrieved September 2, 2011.
54.^ "Sister Act: Serena and Venus Williams". http://hamptons-magazine.com. Retrieved August 26, 2011.
55.^ Robson, Douglas. Venus Williams: Rain brings 'clarity', USA Today, July 5, 2007. Retrieved July 6, 2008.
56.^ "Williams sisters 'shocked' by shooting death of oldest sister – Sports". Findarticles.com. September 29, 2003. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
57.^ "Vegan Venus Williams talks about food and tennis". Mercury News. January 14, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
58.^ "Venus Williams Is Dating Cuban Model Elio Pis". People. September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
59.^ Vstarr Interiors[dead link]
60.^ "#21 to #25". Ladies Home Journal.[dead link]
61.^ "Eleven website". Elevenbyvenus.com. September 6, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
62.^ Venus Unveils EleVen Clothing Range[dead link]
63.^ "#77 Venus Williams". Forbes Magazine. June 3, 2009.
64.^ Williams sisters buy into Dolphins group ESPN, August 25, 2009
65.^ "Venus Williams book on NYT Bestseller list". Usta.com. July 15, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2010.
66.^ "40 Greatest Players of the Tennis Era (25–28)". Tennis Magazine. May 17, 2006. Retrieved April 22, 2009.[dead link]
67.^ "High time we appreciate Venus Williams". ESPN. September 13, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
68.^ William Lee Adams (June 22, 2011). "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future – Venus Williams". TIME. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
69.^ "Venus, la force tranquille". L'Équipe. France. May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
70.^ 3:21 am ET (July 3, 2005). "Venus rallies to win longest Wimbledon final". MSNBC. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
71.^ a b 7:00 pm ET (June 19, 2008). "A Trio of Favorites at Wimbledon". MSNBC. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
72.^ "Venus Williams Defeats Sister Serena, Taking Fifth Wimbledon Title". Fox News. July 5, 2008. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
73.^ "Venus sets record with 129-mph serve; Serena sails". SI.com. August 27, 2007. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
74.^ "Venus serves up a record". Tvnz.co.nz. August 28, 2007. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
75.^ a b 1997 U.S. OPEN: A Phenomenal Final; Hingus (sic) and Williams Show Improvement With Every Match,The New York Times, September 7, 1997. Retrieved July 30, 2009.
BibliographyEdmondson, Jacqueline (2005). Venus and Serena Williams: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 0-313-33165-0.
External links[edit source]
Find more about Venus Williams at Wikipedia's sister projects
Media from Commons
Official website
Venus Williams on Twitter
Venus Williams on Facebook
Venus Williams at the Women's Tennis Association
Venus Williams at the International Tennis Federation
Venus Williams at the Fed Cup
Venus Williams at the Internet Movie Database
Venus Williams, National Press CLub 2010
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Venus Williams (Achievement precedessor & successor)
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Venus Williams in the Grand Slam Tournaments
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Venus Williams Achievements
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Serena Williams
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For this tennis player's detailed statistics, records, and other achievements, see Serena Williams career statistics.
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Serena Williams
Serena Williams 2012 Wimbledon.jpg
At the 2012 Wimbledon Championships
Country
United States
Residence
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida[1]
Paris, France
Born
September 26, 1981 (age 31)
Saginaw, Michigan
Height
1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Weight
70 kg (154 lb)
Turned pro
September 24, 1995
Plays
Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Prize money
US$ 46,583,995[2]
(1st all-time among women athletes and 4th all-time among tennis athletes)[3]
Official website
serenawilliams.com
Singles
Career record
605–111 (84.4%)
Career titles
53 WTA[1] (5th in overall rankings)
Highest ranking
No. 1 (July 8, 2002)
Current ranking
No. 1 (August 5, 2013)[4]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open
W (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010)
French Open
W (2002, 2013)
Wimbledon
W (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012)
US Open
W (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012)
Other tournaments
Championships
W (2001, 2009, 2012)
Olympic Games
Gold medal.svg Gold Medal (2012)
Doubles
Career record
169-22 (89.1%)
Career titles
22
Highest ranking
No. 1 (June 7, 2010)
Current ranking
No. 27 (May 27, 2013)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open
W (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010)
French Open
W (1999, 2010)
Wimbledon
W (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012)
US Open
W (1999, 2009)
Other Doubles tournaments
Championships
SF (2009)
Olympic Games
Gold medal.svg Gold Medal (2000, 2008, 2012)
Mixed Doubles
Career record
27–3 (90%)
Career titles
2
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open
F (1999)
French Open
F (1998)
Wimbledon
W (1998)
US Open
W (1998)
Team Competitions
Fed Cup
W (1999)
Hopman Cup
W (2003, 2008)
Last updated on: July 8, 2013.
Olympic medal record
Women's tennis
Competitor for the United States
Gold 2000 Sydney Doubles
Gold 2008 Beijing Doubles
Gold 2012 London Singles
Gold 2012 London Doubles
Serena Jameka Williams (born September 26, 1981) is an American professional tennis player who is currently ranked No. 1 in women's singles tennis. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her World No. 1 in singles on six separate occasions. She became the World No. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002, and regained this ranking for the sixth time on February 18, 2013, becoming the oldest world no. 1 player in WTA's history.[5] She is the only female player to have won over $40 million in prize money.[6] Williams is the reigning French Open, US Open, WTA Tour Championships and Olympic ladies singles champion.
Arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time, among active players (male or female), Williams holds the most Major singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles. She is the only player to have achieved a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. Her record of 31 Grand Slam titles ties her for eighth on the all-time list: 16 in singles, 13 in women's doubles, and 2 in mixed doubles. She is the most recent player, male or female, to have held all four Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously ('02–'03) and only the fifth woman ever to do so. Her total of 16 Grand Slam singles titles is sixth on the all-time list,[7] and fourth in the open era, behind Steffi Graf (22 titles) and Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova (18 titles each).[7] She has won 13 Grand Slam doubles titles with her sister Venus Williams and the pair are unbeaten in Grand Slam finals.[8] Serena Williams is also a three-time winner of the WTA Tour Championships.[9] Williams is only one of five tennis players all-time to win a multiple slam set in two disciplines, matching Margaret Court, Roy Emerson, Martina Navratilova and Frank Sedgman. The arrival of Venus and Serena Williams has been credited with launching a new era of power and athleticism in women's tennis.[10][11][12][13]
Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, one in women's singles and three in women's doubles, an all-time record shared with her sister Venus.[14][15]
Contents
[hide] 1 Early life
2 Playing style
3 Professional career 3.1 1995–98: Professional debut
3.2 1999–2001: Becoming a top-10 player
3.3 2002–03: "Serena Slam"
3.4 2004–07: Injuries, depression and the comeback
3.5 2008–10: Back to Number One, back in the titles and a life threatening injury
3.6 2011–present: Oldest World No. 1 and Golden Slam
4 On-court activities 4.1 Rivalry with Venus Williams
4.2 Controversies 4.2.1 2004 US Open
4.2.2 2009 US Open
4.2.3 2011 US Open
5 Off-court activities 5.1 Personal life
5.2 Fashion
5.3 Entertainment
5.4 Miami Dolphins venture
5.5 Charity work
5.6 Writing
5.7 Social comment controversy
6 Grand Slam tournaments 6.1 Grand Slam tournament performance timeline
6.2 Grand Slam tournament finals 6.2.1 Singles: 20 (16 titles, 4 runner-ups)
6.2.2 Women's doubles: 13 finals (13 titles)
6.2.3 Mixed doubles: 4 finals (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)
7 Records and achievements
8 See also
9 Works Cited
10 References
11 External links
Early life[edit source]
Serena Williams was born in Saginaw, Michigan, to Richard Williams and Oracene Price and is the youngest of Price's five daughters: half-sisters Yetunde, Lyndrea and Isha Price, and full sister Venus.[1] When the children were young, the family moved to Compton, California, where Serena started playing tennis at the age of four.[16][17] Her father home-schooled Serena and her sister Venus[18][19] and to this day, Serena Williams was and remains coached by both her parents.[1]
Williams' family moved from Compton to West Palm Beach[16] when she was nine so that she could attend the tennis academy of Rick Macci, who would provide additional coaching. Macci spotted the exceptional talents of the sisters. He did not always agree with Williams' father, but respected that "he treated his daughters like kids, allowed them to be little girls".[20] Richard stopped sending his daughters to national junior tennis tournaments when Williams was 10, since he wanted them to take it slow and focus on school work. Another factor was racial, as he had heard white parents talk about the Williams sisters in a derogatory manner during tournaments.[21] At that time, Williams had a 46–3 record on the United States Tennis Association junior tour and was ranked No. 1 among under-10 players in Florida.[22] In 1995, when Serena was in the ninth grade, Richard pulled his daughters out of Macci's academy, and from then on took over all coaching at their home. When asked in 2000 whether having followed the normal path of playing regularly on the junior circuit would have been beneficial, Williams responded: "Everyone does different things. I think for Venus and I, we just attempted a different road, and it worked for us."[22] In 2003 sister Yetunde was fatally shot in an SUV after a confrontation with youths in Compton.[23][24]
Playing style[edit source]
"She's a competitor. She doesn't like to give free points and free games.
No matter the score she wants to win those games and those points,
whether she's down a break point or up a break point or whatever it is."
Maria Sharapova, on Serena Williams in 2013.[25]
Williams is primarily a baseline player, with a serve that critics, pundits and tennis experts consider the greatest serve in the history of women's tennis.[26] Her game is built around taking immediate control of rallies with her powerful and consistent serve,[27] return of serve, and forceful groundstrokes from both her forehand and backhand swings. Williams' forehand is considered to be among the most powerful shots in the women's game as is her double-handed backhand. Williams strikes her backhand groundstroke using an open stance, and uses the same open stance for her forehand. Williams's aggressive play, a "high risk" style, is balanced in part by her serve, which combines great power and placement with very high consistency. In the 2013 Australian Open, she had a peak serve speed of 128.6 mph (207.0 km/h) which was the second-fastest all-time among female players (Venus recorded the fastest with 129 mph).[28] At the 2012 Wimbledon Championships, Serena hit a tournament record of 102 aces which was more than any of the men hit during the two weeks.[29] Serena also possesses a very solid volley and powerful overhead which is very useful for her net game. Although many think of Williams as only an offensive player, she also plays a strong defensive game.[30]
Williams is also known for her mental toughness and her ability to come back from improbable situations.[31] [32] She has won three Grand Slam singles titles after saving match points (2003 Australian Open versus Kim Clijsters, 2005 Australian Open versus Maria Sharapova, and 2009 Wimbledon versus Elena Dementieva), more than any other player in history, male or female.[33] In the 2012 US Open final against Victoria Azarenka, she was led 5-3 in the third set and found herself two points away from losing the match. Williams then proceeded to win the next 4 games and defeat Azarenka.[34] In recent years, Williams has shown an ability to serve aces at critical moments. One of these instances was the 2013 French Open final, where in the last game of the match, she fired three aces, including one clocked at 123 mph (198 km/h) on match point.[35] [36]
Professional career[edit source]
1995–98: Professional debut[edit source]
Main article: Serena Williams' early career
Williams' first professional event was in September 1995, at the age of 14 to counteract the forthcoming changes to age-eligibility rules, at the Bell Challenge. She lost in the first round of qualifying to Anne Miller, winning just two games.[37]
Williams did not play a tournament in 1996. The following year, she lost in the qualifying rounds of three tournaments, before winning her first main-draw match in November at the Ameritech Cup Chicago. Ranked world no. 304, she upset world no. 7 Mary Pierce and world no. 4 Monica Seles, recording her first career wins over top 10 players and becoming the lowest-ranked player in the open era to defeat two top 10 opponents in one tournament.[1] She ultimately lost in the semifinals to world no. 5 Lindsay Davenport. She finished 1997 ranked world no. 99.
Williams began 1998 at the Medibank International Sydney. As a qualifier ranked world no. 96, she defeated world no. 3 Davenport in the quarterfinals, before losing to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario in the semifinals. Williams made her debut in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament at the Australian Open, where she defeated sixth-seeded Irina Spîrlea in the first round, before losing to sister Venus in the second round in the sisters' first professional match.[38] Williams reached six other quarterfinals during the year, but lost all of them, including her first match against world no. 1 Martina Hingis at the Lipton International Players Championships in Key Biscayne, and her second match against Venus at the Italian Open in Rome. She failed to reach the quarterfinals of any Grand Slam tournament the remainder of the year, losing in the fourth round of the French Open to Sánchez Vicario, and the third round of both Wimbledon and the US Open, to Virginia Ruano Pascual and Spîrlea, respectively. She did, however, win the mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon and the US Open with Max Mirnyi, completing the Williams family's sweep of the 1998 mixed doubles Grand Slam tournaments. Williams won her first professional title in doubles in Oklahoma City with Venus, becoming the third pair of sisters to win a WTA title.[1] The Williams sisters won two more doubles titles together during the year. Serena finished the year ranked world no. 20 in singles.
1999–2001: Becoming a top-10 player[edit source]
Williams lost in the third round of the 1999 Australian Open to Sandrine Testud. Williams won her first professional singles title, when she defeated Amélie Mauresmo in the final of the Open Gaz de France. With Venus also winning the IGA Superthrift Classic that day, the pair became the first sisters to win professional tournaments in the same week.[39] A month later, Serena won her first Tier I singles title at the Evert Cup, defeating Steffi Graf in the final. At the Lipton International Players Championships, Williams had her 16-match winning streak ended by Venus in the first all-sister singles final in WTA history, Serena made her top-10 debut at world no. 9. She then lost in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open and the German Open, and the third round of the French Open, where she and Venus won the women's doubles title. She then missed Wimbledon because of injury. When she returned to the tour, Williams won a Fed Cup singles match, won the JPMorgan Chase Open, beating Julie Halard-Decugis in the final, and reached the US Open final where she defeated Hingis to become the second African-American woman after Althea Gibson in 1958 to win a Grand Slam singles tournament.[1] The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at this tournament. To complete 1999, Williams won a doubles match in the Fed Cup final against Russia. Williams ended the year ranked world no. 4 in just her second full year on the main tour.
Williams started 2000 by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Elena Likhovtseva. She failed to defend her titles in Paris and Indian Wells, although she did win the Faber Grand Prix. Williams missed the French Open because of injury. She returned at Wimbledon, where she lost to Venus in the semifinals, but they won the doubles title at the event. Williams successfully defended her title in Los Angeles, defeating Davenport in the final. She reached the final of the Du Maurier Open where an injury forced her to retire from her match with Hingis. Her defense of the US Open title ended when she lost in the quarterfinals to Davenport. Williams teamed with Venus to win the gold medal in doubles at the Sydney Olympics in September. She ended the year winning the Toyota Princess Cup. She finished the year ranked world number 6.
Williams began 2001 losing to Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals of both Sydney and the Australian Open. Serena and Venus won the doubles title at the latter tournament, becoming only the fifth doubles team in history to win all four Grand Slam women's doubles titles during their career, completing a "Career Grand Slam". Her next event was the Pacific Life Open, defeating Kim Clijsters in the final. However the final was marred by the behavior of the crowd towards Williams and her family. The crowd were incensed at the apparent match fixing of games involving the family after Venus withdrew before their semifinal. Neither Williams sister has entered the tournament since.[40] The following week at the Ericsson Open, Williams lost to Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals. She then lost in the quarterfinals to Capriati at the French Open and Wimbledon. This was the fourth consecutive Grand Slam tournament at which Williams had exited in the quarterfinals. At the North American hard-court season, she lost in the quarterfinals of Los Angeles, then captured her second title of the year at the Rogers Cup, defeating Capriati in the final. Williams reached the final of the US Open, losing to sister Venus. That was the first Grand Slam final contested by two sisters during the open era. At the 2001-ending Sanex Championships, Williams won the championship by walkover when Davenport withdrew before the start of the final because of a knee injury. Williams finished 2001 at world no. 6 for the second straight year.
2002–03: "Serena Slam"[edit source]
Playing Amélie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Sydney in 2003
Injury forced Williams to retire from her semifinal match at the Medibank International Sydney and to withdraw from the 2002 Australian Open. She won her first title of the year at the State Farm Women's Tennis Classic, defeating world no. 2 Jennifer Capriati in the final. She then won the Ericsson Open for the first time, becoming one of three players in the open era to defeat the world's top 3 at one tournament,[1] after beating world no. 3 Martina Hingis in the quarterfinals, world no. 2 Venus in the semifinals, and world no. 1 Capriati in the final. Her 6–2, 6–2 win over Venus was her second career win over her sister. Williams played three clay-court tournaments before the 2002 French Open. Her first tournament was at Charleston, where she was the third seed. Serena reached the quarterfinals losing to Patty Schnyder. She reached her first clay-court final in May, at the Eurocard German Open losing to Justine Henin in a third set tiebreak. Williams went on to win her first clay court title at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, defeating Capriati in the semifinals and Henin in the final.[41] This raised her ranking to a new high of world no. 3. Williams was the third seed at the French Open, where she claimed her first French Open title defeating Venus in the final winning her Second Grand Slam title. Serena rose to a career high of no. 2 after the win, second only to older sister Venus. At the 2002 Wimbledon Championships, Williams won the title for the first time, defeating Venus to win a Grand Slam singles title without dropping a set for the first time in her career. This victory earned Williams the world no. 1 ranking, dethroning her sister and becoming only the third African-American woman to hold that ranking.[1] The Williams sisters also won the doubles title at the tournament, the fifth Grand Slam doubles title for the pair. Williams played just one tournament between Wimbledon and the US Open, losing in the quarterfinals of the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles to Chanda Rubin, ending a 21-match winning streak. As the top-seeded player at the US Open, Williams reached the final where once again she defeated her sister to win the title for the second time. Williams won two consecutive singles titles in the fall, defeating Kim Clijsters to win the Toyota Princess Cup in Tokyo, and Anastasia Myskina to win the Sparkassen Cup in Leipzig, Germany. She reached the final at the year-end Home Depot Championships, where she lost to fifth-seeded Clijsters in straight sets, ending her 18-match winning streak. Williams finished 2002 with a 56–5 record, eight singles titles, and the world no. 1 ranking. She was the first African-American (male or female) to end a year with that ranking since Althea Gibson in 1958. She was the first woman to win three Grand Slam titles in one year since Hingis in 1997.[1]
At the 2003 Australian Open, Williams went on to reach the semifinals for the first time, where she recovered from 5–1 down in the third set and saved two match points, before defeating Clijsters. She faced her sister Venus for the fourth consecutive Grand Slam final and won to become the sixth woman in the open era to complete a Career Grand Slam, joining Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, and Margaret Court. She also became the fifth woman to hold all Grand Slam singles titles simultaneously, joining Maureen Connolly Brinker, Court, Graf, and Navratilova. This feat was dubbed the Serena Slam by the press.[42][43] The Williams sisters won their sixth Grand Slam doubles title together at this event.[44]
Williams then captured singles titles at the Open Gaz de France and the Sony Ericsson Open. Williams' winning streak came to an end when she lost the final of the Family Circle Cup to Henin, her first loss of the year after 21 wins. She also lost to Mauresmo in the semifinals of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. Despite these losses, Williams was the top seed at the French Open, where she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Henin, marking Williams's first loss in a Grand Slam tournament since 2001. The match was controversial, as Williams questioned Henin's sportsmanship, and spectators applauded Williams's errors.[45] She was known to be dating professional football player LaVar Arrington at the time.[citation needed] Williams rebounded from the loss at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Henin in the semifinals and Venus in the final. This was Williams' second consecutive Wimbledon title and her sixth Grand Slam singles title overall. This was her last tournament of the year after pulling out of three events in the USA, Williams underwent surgery on the quadriceps tendon in her knee at the start of August. Initially she was expected to be out for six to eight weeks.[46]
2004–07: Injuries, depression and the comeback[edit source]
Main articles: 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 Serena Williams tennis season
Delivering a serve at an exhibition in November 2004.
After eight months away from the tour during which her desire was questioned,[47] Williams began her comeback at the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami, where she made a triumphant return as she won the title. This was the third consecutive year that Williams had won this tournament. She then played three clay-court tournaments leading up to the French Open. She lost in the quarterfinals of the Bausch & Lomb Championships, at the Family Circle Cup she withdrew before her third-round match because of an injured knee. She then played the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome, where she lost to world number nine Jennifer Capriati in the semifinals. Although ranked world number seven, she was seeded second at the French Open. She won her first four matches over players ranked outside the top 50, before Capriati beat her in the quarterfinals. This was the first time she had lost before the semifinals at a Grand Slam singles tournament since Wimbledon in 2001. She was seeded first at Wimbledon, even though her ranking had dropped to world number ten. She reached the final, where she was defeated by 13th-seeded Sharapova. This loss caused her ranking to drop out of the top 10 for the first time since 1999. Williams reached her third final of the year at the JPMorgan Chase Open in Los Angeles on hard courts where she lost to Lindsay Davenport which was her first loss to Davenport since the 2000 US Open. Williams then withdrew before her quarterfinal match at the Acura Classic in San Diego with another left knee injury. She returned for the US Open, where she was seeded third even though she was ranked world number 11. She lost there in the quarterfinals to world number eight Capriati in three sets. This match featured several missed line calls, including one that led to the suspension of the chair umpire for the remainder of the tournament. This match is commonly referred to as the impetus for the current challenge system.[48] Williams won her second title of the year at the China Open in Beijing, in which she defeated US Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final. Williams qualified for the WTA Tour Championships. In the round-robin phase of the tournament, she defeated Dementieva and Anastasia Myskina, but lost to Davenport. She lost to Sharapova in the final where Williams suffered an abdominal injury that caused her to serve around 65 mph.[49] Williams finished 2004 ranked world no. 7, but did not win a Grand Slam singles tournament for the first time since 2001.
At the 2005 Australian Open, Williams rejected suggestions that she and sister Venus were a declining force in tennis, following Venus's early exit at the tournament.[50] In the quarterfinals, Williams defeated second-seeded Mauresmo. In the semifinals, she saved three match points in defeating Sharapova 8–6 in the third set. In the final, Williams defeated world #1 and top seed Davenport to win her second Australian Open singles title and seventh Grand Slam singles title, winning 12 of the last 15 games.[51] The win moved Williams back to world number two, and she stated that she was targeting the number one spot.[52] Williams completed just two tournaments between the Australian Open and Wimbledon, losing to Venus in Miami and at Internazionali BNL d'Italia to Francesca Schiavone. Williams suffered a series of retirements and withdraws. Williams withdrew before her quarterfinal match at the Open Gaz de France;[53] she retired from her semifinal Dubai Duty Free Women's Open, citing a strained tendon in her right shoulder, and a left ankle injury forced her to retire from the Bausch & Lomb Championships.[54] The ankle injury reoccurred, causing her to miss the French Open.[55] She returned for Wimbledon as the fourth-seeded player, but was defeated in the third round by world no. 85 Jill Craybas. After Serena won her first match at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, a recurrence of her left knee injury caused her to withdraw from the tournament. At the US Open, Williams lost to her sister Venus in the fourth round. This was the earliest the sisters had met in a Grand Slam tournament since their first meeting at the 1998 Australian Open. Williams played just one more match the remainder of the year, a loss to world no. 127 Sun Tiantian at the tournament in Beijing. She failed to qualify for the year-end championship for the first time since 1998. She finished the year 2005 ranked world number 11, her first time finishing outside the top 10 since 1998.
Williams started 2006 by participating in the Australian Open. Despite being the defending champion, she lost to Daniela Hantuchová in the third round.[56] After the tournament, Williams told the press that she was injured, blaming a lack of fitness and a knee injury for keeping her off the court.[57] However, in her biography, Serena claims that she was actually suffering from depression. After she had shut herself off from the world for a period, her sisters held a type of intervention which made Williams see her therapist daily.[58] After a chance meeting with a young girl who idolized Serena, she signed up to play in Cincinnati. During her conversation with the girl, Williams felt inspired and was informed that she could be even better at tennis. Williams went home and watched some of her old matches and started to believe that she could win again.[59] She had been away from the tour for almost six months and had slipped to 139 in the world, the lowest ranking Williams had held since 1997. On her return, Williams defeated Myskina and Bethanie Mattek,[60][61] before losing in the semifinals to Vera Zvonareva.[62] She also reached the semifinals in Los Angeles, losing to Janković in straight sets. At the US Open, Williams needed a wildcard to enter the tournament, as her ranking at the cut-off time was 139th in the world, outside the automatic 102. However her ranking had improved to 79th by the time the tournament came around.[63] She lost to top-seeded Mauresmo in the fourth round.[64] She did not play again in 2006, ending the year ranked world number 95, her lowest year-end ranking since 1997.
Williams began 2007 with renewed confidence, stating her intention to return to the top of the rankings,[65] a comment former player and commentator Pat Cash branded "deluded."[66] Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Hobart, Australia, a warm-up for the Australian Open. Williams was unseeded at the Australian Open because of her world no. 81 ranking and was widely regarded as "out of shape."[67] Williams experienced a huge amount of pressure on herself prior to the tournament, coming from her fans and the press as well as Serena herself about her weight, focus and needing a good showing. But just before her first match, a representative from Nike paid Williams a visit in the players' lounge, informing her that if she didn't perform to her accustomed level, the company might drop her. Williams claimed that Nike's ultimatum meant that she would have to reach the quarterfinals at least.[68] The distraction from Nike did not put Williams off, as she lost just three games to Mara Santangelo and defeated Anne Kremer in straight sets.[69] By this point, a blister had developed on Williams' foot and she had contracted a cold. In the third round, Williams found herself two points away from going home against Nadia Petrova, but fought back to win in three sets, which was her first win over a top-10 player since defeating Lindsay Davenport in the 2005 Australian Open final. Williams then made it all the way to the final, defeating Jankovic, Peer and Vaidisova. Williams described them as "good players. Strong players. Players who certainly didn't expect an overweight, out-of-shape, has been champion like me to give them a game."[70] Williams also found herself two points from going out against Peer before turning it around.[71] By the time Williams had reached the final, the cold and blister had gone, but Tracy Austin in her tournament analysis stated that Serena had a great tournament, but the ride was over and that Sharapova would have no trouble with Williams. Serena thought it was mean and unnecessary and used it as motivation with all the other criticism.[72] In the final, Williams lost just three games against Maria Sharapova winning her first title at any tournament since winning the 2005 Australian Open.[71] Williams became the first player since Chris O'Neill to win the title whilst not being seeded; and claimed her third Australian Open and eighth Grand Slam singles title overall. The win elevated Williams to 14th in the rankings. Williams dedicated the title to her deceased sister Yetunde.[73] Her performance in the final was described in the press as "one of the best performances of her career" and "arguably the most powerful display ever seen in women's tennis."[67][74] In her post match interview, Williams took a swipe at her critics, stating that she had proved them wrong.[75]
After defeating Dinara Safina in the fourth round of the 2007 French Open
Williams won the Sony Ericsson Open for the fourth time after defeating Justine Henin. Williams had to record a come-from-behind win after being whitewashed in the first set and saving 2 match points in the second.[76] At the Family Circle Cup, Williams retired from her second-round match because of a groin muscle strain.[77] Williams then played for her country in the Fed Cup for the first time since 2003 in a tie against Belgium. Williams won her opening match,[78] but withdrew from the her second, due to a knee injury.[79] At the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, Williams lost to Patty Schnyder in the quarterfinals.[80] At the French Open, Williams lost in the quarterfinals to Henin.[80]
During her fourth round match against Hantuchová at Wimbledon, Williams collapsed from an acute muscle spasm at 5–5 in the second set. After a medical timeout and holding serve to force a tiebreak, rain forced play to be suspended for nearly two hours. When the players returned, Williams won the match in three sets.[81] Williams then lost her quarterfinal match with Henin, whilst suffering from the injuries sustained in the previous round.[82] At the US Open, Williams lost her third consecutive Grand Slam singles quarterfinal to Henin.[83] Williams reached the final of Kremlin Cup, losing to Elena Dementieva and retired from her first match in Zurich with a thigh injury. Williams qualified for the WTA Championships, but retired from her first match with Anna Chakvetadze with a knee injury and subsequently withdrew from the tournament.[84][85] Williams finished 2007 as World number seven and the top-ranked American for the first time since 2003.[80]
2008–10: Back to Number One, back in the titles and a life threatening injury[edit source]
Main articles: 2008, 2009, and 2010 Serena Williams tennis season
Williams started 2008 by participating on the U.S. team that won the Hopman Cup with Mardy Fish.[86] At the Australian Open she lost in the quarterfinals to Jelena Janković.[80] This was her fourth straight loss in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament. In the women's doubles event, She and Venus lost in the quarterfinals. Williams then withdrew from three tournaments because of an urgent need for dental surgery.[87] Williams then won three consecutive singles titles at Bangalore and her fifth Miami title, tying Steffi Graf for the most singles titles at this tournament. Williams then added Family Circle Cup her first clay-court title since the 2002 French Open. Her 17-match winning streak was ended by Dinara Safina in the quarterfinals of Berlin.[80] Williams then withdrew in Rome in the quarterfinals against Alizé Cornet because of a back injury. Williams was the only former winner of the French Open in the draw, but lost in the third round to Katarina Srebotnik.
Stretching for a ball in her first round match against Kaia Kanepi of Estonia at Wimbledon in 2008
At Wimbledon, Williams reached the finals for the first time in four years. She lost the final to her older sister Venus in straight sets, in their first Slam final since 2003. Serena and Venus then teamed to win the women's doubles title in their first Grand Slam women's doubles title since 2003. Williams played at Stanford, but retired 6–2, 3–1 down with a left knee injury from her semifinal match against qualifier Aleksandra Wozniak, the injury forced her to withdraw from Los Angeles. At the Olympics, Williams lost to Dementieva in the quarterfinals. Serena and her sister Venus won the gold medal in doubles, beating Anabel Medina Garrigues and Virginia Ruano Pascual in the final. Williams at the US Open, defeated sister Venus, Safina and Jelena Janković in the final. This was her third US Open and ninth Grand Slam singles title. This victory returned her to the world no. 1 ranking for the first time since 2003.[88] At the Year-End Championships she defeated Safina and lost to her sister Venus in her round-robin matches, but withdrew from her match against Dementieva, citing a stomach muscle injury. She ended the year ranked world no. 2 and with four singles titles, her strongest performance in both respects since 2003.
Williams began 2009 at the Medibank International losing in the semifinals to Elena Dementieva. At the Australian Open, she claimed her tenth Grand Slam singles title by defeating Dinara Safina in the final in 59 minutes. This win returned her to the world no. 1 ranking and resulted in her becoming the all-time career prize money leader in women's sports, overtaking golfer Annika Sörenstam. In women's doubles, with Venus, they captured the title for the third time. At the Open GDF Suez, Williams withdrew before her semifinal with Dementieva because of a knee injury. Williams then played at Dubai, losing to Venus in the semifinals.
At the 2009 Australian Open
At the Sony Ericsson Open, Williams hampered with ankle and quad injuries was upset in the final by Victoria Azarenka. This was the first of four consecutive losses for Williams, the longest losing streak of her career.[89] She was defeated in her opening matches at Barcelona, Rome, and Madrid. Despite not having won a match on clay in 2009 before the French Open, she lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. This ended her 18-match Grand Slam tournament winning streak. She rebounded at Wimbledon, saving a match point in defeating fourth seeded Dementieva in the semifinals. In the final, Serena defeated her sister Venus to win her third Wimbledon title and her 11th Grand Slam singles title.[90] Williams and her sister Venus teamed to win the women's doubles title at Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, their ninth Grand Slam title in women's doubles.
As a US Open preparation, Williams played at Cincinnati losing in the third round and in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup. At the US Open, she lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kim Clijsters amid controversy involving shouting at a line judge when defending match point, an offense which cost Williams the point and consequently the match. She continued in the doubles competition, teaming up with Venus to win their third Grand Slam doubles title of the year and tenth of their career.[91] Williams won all three of her round-robin matches at the year-end WTA Tour Championships, defeating Venus, Dementieva, and Kuznetsova, saving a match point against Venus. She then advanced to the final, when Wozniacki retired from their semifinal match. In the final, Williams defeated Venus for her second singles title at this event.[92] Williams finished the year ranked world no. 1 for the second time in her career, having played in 16 tournaments, more than any other year. She also broke the record previously set by Justine Henin for the most prize money earned by a female tennis player in one year, with Williams earning $6,545,586. In doubles, the Williams sisters finished the year ranked world no. 2, despite playing only six tournaments as a pair. She won five Grand Slam titles, putting her total Grand Slam titles at 23. Williams was named Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press.[93] She also was the ITF World Champion in singles and doubles.[94]
Williams on her way to the singles and doubles title at the 2010 Australian Open
In 2010, Williams's first scheduled tournament was the Medibank International Sydney, losing in the final to Elena Dementieva. At the Australian Open, Williams was the defending champion in both singles and doubles. Williams reached the final, where she defeated Justine Henin for her twelfth Grand Slam singles title. In doubles, Serena and Venus successfully defended their title by defeating Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the final. Williams withdrew with a leg injury from her next events. She returned at the Rome losing to Jelena Janković in the semifinals. At the Madrid, she fell to Nadia Petrova in the third round. She teamed with Venus to win the doubles title. At the French Open, she lost to Samantha Stosur in the quarterfinals. She also played doubles with Venus as the top seeds, they won the title defeating Květa Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik in the final to win their fourth consecutive Grand Slam women's doubles title and improved their doubles ranking to world no. 1.
Her next tournament was Wimbledon, where she defeated Russian Vera Zvonareva in the final without facing a break point and breaking the serve of Zvonareva three times.[95][96] She did not lose a set in the tournament.[97] After the match, Martina Navratilova said that Williams is in the top 5 of all the women's tennis players in all of history, which she said that "it's not just about how many Slams you win or how many tournaments you win—it's just your game overall. And she's definitely got all the goods."[96] Serena was the defending champion in doubles with her sister Venus, winning the last two years. They lost in the quarterfinals to Elena Vesnina and Zvonareva. In Munich on July 7, Williams stepped on broken glass while in a restaurant, and missed the rest of the year. She ended the year ranked no. 4 in singles, despite having played only six tournaments, and no. 11 in doubles after four tournaments. On March 2, 2011, she confirmed that she had suffered a hematoma and a pulmonary embolism.[98][99][100]
2011–present: Oldest World No. 1 and Golden Slam[edit source]
Main articles: 2011, 2012, and 2013 Serena Williams tennis season
Williams finally made a return to the practice court in March 2011.[101] She made her first appearance on the WTA tour in almost a year at the 2011 Aegon International in Eastbourne.[102] Williams lost in round two to Vera Zvonareva, in a match that lasted over three hours.[103] Her next tournament was Wimbledon, where she was the defending champion. She reached the round of 16, where she lost to Marion Bartoli. After the loss her ranking plummeted to no.175. Williams next competed at the Stanford where she won her first title on her comeback, beating Bartoli in the finals. This title was quickly followed by another in Toronto over Samantha Stosur. At the Western & Southern Open, Serena defeated Lucie Hradecká, only to withdraw the next day, citing a right toe injury. She then played at the US Open going all the way to the finals losing to Samantha Stosur, during a match which featured her verbally abusing the chair umpire. The US Open final turned out to be Williams' last match in 2011, and she ended the year ranked world no. 12 with 2 titles and with a 22–3 record for the season. She only participated in six tournaments throughout the season.
Williams won the singles gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games.
In 2012, Williams started the year by playing her debut at Brisbane International, However, during her match against Bojana Jovanovski, she injured her left ankle when serving for the match late in the second set. As a result, Williams was forced to withdraw from the tournament.[104] Next she participated at the Australian Open where she was upset by Ekaterina Makarova in the fourth round. After a month layoff Williams returned to competition in Miami losing in the quarterfinals to Caroline Wozniacki. Williams then won consecutive titles at Charleston and Madrid beating Lucie Šafářová and Victoria Azarenka respectively but withdrew from her semifinals match against Li Na in Rome citing a lower back injury. Williams suffered her first ever loss in the opening round of a Grand Slam tournament at the French Open against Virginie Razzano. Williams notched up a 33–1 record for the second half of the season winning five titles in the process.[105] Williams won her fifth Wimbledon singles title, her fourteenth Grand Slam title;[106][107] setting a serving record of 24 aces by a female in a match as well as having the most aces, male or female during the tournament(102).[108] Williams returned to America to successfully defend her title in Stanford beating Coco Vandeweghe in the finals.[109][110] Serena then returned to Wimbledon to represent her country at the Olympic Games where she became the second female player to win a career Golden Grand Slam after winning the gold medal and the first player in history, male or female, to win the career Golden Grand Slam in both singles and doubles.[110] Williams undefeated streak ended with a loss in Cincinnati to Angelique Kerber. In New York City, Williams went on to win her fourth US Open singles title and her 15th career Grand Slam title overall beating Azarenka in the finals.[105][111] She missed the Asian swing[jargon] but ended the season competing at the WTA Championships going undefeated to win the event for her third title. Serena Williams was voted WTA Player of the Year for 2012, the fourth time she has won this award.[112] Based on her brilliant show in 2012, Serena was also named International Tennis Federation World Champion.[113] Williams also returned to doubles competitions with Venus; in the pair's first tournament since 2010 Wimbledon, they claimed their fifth Wimbledon doubles title and the 13th grand slam doubles title.[114] The pair successfully defended their Olympic doubles title which meant that they became the only tennis players to win four gold medals.[14]
In 2013, Williams' first tournament of the season was Brisbane where she won the tournament without dropping a set. Williams lost in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Australian Open to fellow American player Sloane Stephens. After defeating Petra Kvitova in Doha, Williams ascended to the World Number One position for the sixth time in her career and became the oldest woman in the Open Era to hold the ranking.[115] Williams lost to Victoria Azarenka in the final. In Miami, Williams lost a set to Maria Sharapova for the first time since 2008. However, this setback did not stop Williams who recorded her seventieth come-from-behind win. The win made Williams a six-time champion in Miami breaking the record she held with Steffi Graf and became only the fourth woman in the open era to have won a tournament at least six times.[116] Williams successfully defended her Charleston title winning it for the third time in all.[117] Williams' next tournament was Madrid, where she was the defending champion. Williams set up a rematch of the Miami final against Maria Sharapova and won convincingly to retain her number 1 ranking and earn her 50th singles title. Williams then played Rome, where she cruised through without dropping a set to make her first final in Rome since 2002; where she defeated Victoria Azarenka to take her second title. Williams only dropped ten games in reaching the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. There, she faced Svetlana Kuznetsova. Williams squeezed it out in three sets and then defeated Sara Errani, dropping only a game, something Chris Evert described as the finest female performance on clay she had ever seen.[118] She progressed to the final and won her second Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, defeating Maria Sharapova in straight sets. She became the fourth woman in the Open era after Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Steffi Graf to win each Grand Slam title twice or more. At the 2013 Wimbledon Championships, Williams had her 600th WTA Tour win in the third round against Kimiko Date-Krumm,[119] However, her 34-wins match-streak (narrowly missing her sister Venus' decade-record of 35) was ended by Sabine Lisicki in the fourth round who won in three sets.[120] After Williams' unexpected fourth round loss at Wimbledon, she entered the Swedish Open for the first time.[121] She won the tournament by defeating Johanna Larsson in the final, making it her 53rd WTA Title. This win also marked her first WTA International tournaments Title. She is undefeated on clay this season, with a winning ratio of 28-0.[122] In the meantime, she got two 2013 ESPY Awards on July 17, 2013, as Best Female Athlete and as Best Female Tennis Player. The first being her second, only the fourth female athlete to do so, the latter being her sixth.[123] Serena Williams next tournament is the 2013 Rogers Cup In Toronto,Canada, where she is seeded first.
On-court activities[edit source]
Rivalry with Venus Williams[edit source]
Main article: Williams sisters rivalry
Serena Williams has played older sister Venus in 24 professional matches since 1998. Overall Serena is 14–10 against her sister. Serena has played Venus 12 times in Grand Slam singles tournaments and 11 times in other tournaments (including 11 finals). They have met in eight Grand Slam finals, with Serena winning six times. Beginning with the 2002 French Open, they played each other in four consecutive Grand Slam singles finals, which was the first time in the open era that the same two players had contested four consecutive Grand Slam finals.
Controversies[edit source]
2004 US Open[edit source]
In her 2004 U.S. Open quarterfinal match against Jennifer Capriati, an overrule was made by chair umpire Mariana Alves in Capriati's favor, even though later video review showed this to be an error. Williams attempted to argue the call, but was not successful. Capriati won the match, but tournament officials dismissed the umpire from the tournament. The controversy renewed calls for the adoption of technology like the MacCam and Hawk-Eye systems.[124]
2009 US Open[edit source]
In 2009, Williams again was involved in a controversial U.S. Open match, this time against Kim Clijsters in the semifinal round. The drama began at the end of the first set, when Williams slammed her racquet on the court in frustration over losing the set. She was given a warning, with a potential second violation carrying a one-point penalty. While trailing 4–6, 5–6, 15–30, Williams's second serve was called a foot fault, resulting in two match points for Clijsters. Williams gestured with her racquet to the lineswoman who had made the call and yelled at her, with profanities and an injury threat.[125] During the subsequent on-court conference between the head judge, the lineswoman, US Open officials, and Williams, a television microphone picked up Williams saying to the lineswoman, "I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious?"[126] The incident resulted in Williams being penalized a point for unsportsmanlike conduct — necessitated by the earlier warning for racquet abuse — meaning Clijsters won the match 6–4, 7–5. The following day, Williams was issued the maximum permissible on-site fine of $10,000 (plus $500 for racquet abuse). After further investigation, the Grand Slam Committee in November 2009 fined her $175,000 in lieu of suspending her from the 2010 US Open or other Grand Slam events.[127] They also placed her on a two-year probation, so if Williams committed another offense in the following two years at a Grand Slam tournament, she would be suspended from participating in the following US Open. If she committed no offenses in the next two years, her fine would be reduced to $82,500.[127] Williams initially refused to apologize for her outburst, both in her post-match press conference[128] and in an official statement released the following day.[91] She eventually apologized to the lineswoman in a statement two days following the incident.
2011 US Open[edit source]
In the final of the 2011 U.S. Open against Samantha Stosur, Williams again generated controversy. After shouting "Come on!" as the Australian attempted to return a forehand Williams believed to be a winner, chair umpire Eva Asderaki awarded the point to Stosur based on the USTA's deliberate hindrance rule, which states, "If a player commits any act which hinders his opponent in making a stroke, then, if this is deliberate, he shall lose the point or if involuntary, the point shall be replayed."[129] As the point was 30–40 on Williams's serve, the penalty gave the break of serve to Stosur. Williams became angry with the chair umpire and made several gestures and unflattering comments toward her during the next several changeovers, warning her, "Don't look at me," and telling her that if Asderaki ever saw Williams coming toward her, she should "look the other way". She told the umpire that she was "a loser", "a hater" and "unattractive on the inside". [130] Williams initially gained momentum in the set following the penalty, breaking back in the next game, but eventually flagged and lost the match, 6–2, 6–3. At the end of the match, she declined to offer the customary handshake to Asderaki.[131][132] Williams mentioned the incident in her post-match speech as the tournament runner-up, claiming, "I hit a winner, but I guess it didn't count", but added, "It wouldn't have mattered in the end. Sam played really well."[citation needed] A writer for ESPN suggested that Williams could avoid being found to have violated the terms of the "probation" on which she was placed following her 2009 outburst, as she did not appear to have used profanity in addressing Asderaki during the match.[133] In the end, Williams was fined $2,000 and was not barred from competing in the 2012 US Open because "...Williams's conduct, while verbally abusive, [did] not rise to the level of a major offence under the Grand Slam code of conduct."[134]
Off-court activities[edit source]
Personal life[edit source]
As of 2013, Williams is dating her French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.[135] She had previously dated Jackie Long, Brett Ratner and the rapper Common, the last of whom she dated for two years until they broke up in 2010.[135]
Fashion[edit source]
Williams was once known for her unusual and colorful outfits on court. In 2002, there was much talk when she wore a black lycra catsuit at the US Open.[136] At the 2004 US Open, Williams wore denim skirts and knee-high boots—tournament officials, however, did not allow her to wear the boots during matches.[137] At Wimbledon in 2008, the white trench coat she wore during warm-up for her opening match was the subject of much discussion since it was worn despite the sunny weather.[138] Off-court, Williams has also presented new designs. In November 2004, at the London premiere of After the Sunset she wore a red gown that had a near-topless effect.[139]
Williams formerly had a special line with Puma[140] and currently has a line with Nike. The deal with Nike is worth US$40 million and was signed in April 2004.[141] Since 2004, she has also been running her own line of designer apparel called "Aneres"—her first name spelled backward. In 2009 she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry.[142] The collection, called Signature Statement, is sold mainly on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).
In early 2010, Williams became a certified nail technician in preparation for her upcoming nail collection with a company called HairTech.[143]
Entertainment[edit source]
Williams has appeared on television and also provided voice work on animated shows: in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons Serena joined the animation along with sister Venus, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.[144] She has also provided guest voice work in a 2005 episode of Playhouse Disney's animated kids show Higglytown Heroes and a 2007 episode of the Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender,[145] which she has described as her "favorite show".[146]
Williams has posed for the 2003 and 2004 editions of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[147] In April 2005, MTV announced plans to broadcast a reality show around the lives of Serena and Venus, which was eventually aired on ABC Family. Williams has appeared twice on MTV's Punk'd and in 2007, appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race. In 2002, she played Miss Wiggins in the season 3 episode "Crouching Mother, Hidden Father" of My Wife and Kids;[148] she has also guest-starred during episodes of The Bernie Mac Show, ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.[149] In 2007 Williams appeared in the music video of "I Want You" by the American rapper Common, alongside performers Alicia Keys and Kanye West.[150]
In late 2009, Williams became the first active female professional athlete to appear in a feminine hygiene product advertising campaign. A series of online videos and print advertisements for Tampax Pearl tampons showed her hitting balls at Mother Nature, played by Catherine Lloyd Burns, to prevent Mother Nature giving her a red-wrapped gift, representing her menstrual period. In the online videos, the two have dueling press conferences over the "bad blood" between them. "A lot of celebrities are not open to working with our brand, and we're thrilled that Serena is", said a brand manager for Tampax at Procter & Gamble.[151]
In May 2012, a minute of a new hip-hop track by Serena Williams was leaked, along with reports the sports star was planning to release an album.[152] In July 2012, she appeared in the ABC comedic improv television series Trust Us With Your Life and as a lawyer on the Lifetime television series Drop Dead Diva.
Miami Dolphins venture[edit source]
In August 2009, Serena and Venus Williams became part-owners of the Miami Dolphins. The formal announcement was made during a press conference overlooking the practice field. The Williams are the first African-American females to obtain ownership in an NFL franchise. Other prominent owners include: Jimmy Buffett, Gloria and Emilio Estefan (the first Cuban-American owners), and Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. Stephan Ross, the majority owner of the Dolphins, said "We are thrilled to have Venus and Serena join the Dolphins as limited partners. They are among the most admired athletes in the world and have become global ambassadors for the game of tennis. Their addition to our ownership group further reflects our commitment to connect with aggressively and embrace the great diversity that makes South Florida a multicultural gem."[153]
Charity work[edit source]
In 2008 Williams helped to fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya.[154][155] She received a Celebrity Role Model Award from Avon Foundation in 2003 for work in breast cancer.[156] Williams has also been involved in a number of clinics at schools and community centers, particularly those which have programs focusing on at-risk youth.[1] She has also won the "Young Heroes Award" from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and Inland (2003) and the "Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award" (2004).[1] In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Williams, along with other ATP and WTA stars decided to forgo their final day of preparation for the 2010 Australian Open to form a charity event in which all proceeds will go to the Haiti earthquake victims.[157]
Writing[edit source]
The Williams sisters, with author Hilary Beard, wrote a book titled Venus & Serena: Serving From The Hip: 10 Rules For Living, Loving and Winning, which was published in 2005.[158][159] During the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, Williams said that she is in the process of writing a TV show storyline, which will be converted into script form by her agency. She stated that the show will represent subject matter from a mix of popular American television shows such as Desperate Housewives, and Family Guy.[160] Serena released her first solo autobiography entitled On the Line, following the 2009 US Open.
Social comment controversy[edit source]
In June 2013, Serena Williams attracted criticism for her remarks on the Steubenville High School rape case from Ohio; In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Serena said that "she shouldn't have put herself in that position." She later apologized for what she "supposedly said" about the girl, and had a thirty-minute phone conversation with the victim's parents.[161][162]
Grand Slam tournaments[edit source]
Main article: Serena Williams career statistics
Grand Slam tournament performance timeline[edit source]
Tournament
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
SR
W–L
Australian Open 2R 3R 4R QF A W A W 3R W QF W W A 4R QF 5 / 13 58–8
French Open 4R 3R A QF W SF QF A A QF 3R QF QF A 1R W 2 / 12 46–10
Wimbledon 3R A SF QF W W F 3R A QF F W W 4R W 4R 5 / 14 70–9
US Open 3R W QF F W A QF 4R 4R QF W SF A F W 4 / 13 65–9
Win–Loss
8–4
11–2
12–3
18–4
21–0
19–1
14–3
12–2
5–2
19–3
19–3
23–2
18–1
9–2
17–2
14–2
16 / 52
236–36
Grand Slam tournament finals[edit source]
Singles: 20 (16 titles, 4 runner-ups)[edit source]
Outcome
Year
Championship
Surface
Opponent
Score
Winner 1999 US Open Hard Switzerland Martina Hingis 6–3, 7–6(7–4)
Runner-up 2001 US Open Hard United States Venus Williams 2–6, 4–6
Winner 2002 French Open Clay United States Venus Williams 7–5, 6–3
Winner 2002 Wimbledon Grass United States Venus Williams 7–6(7–4), 6–3
Winner 2002 US Open (2) Hard United States Venus Williams 6–4, 6–3
Winner 2003 Australian Open Hard United States Venus Williams 7–6(7–4), 3–6, 6–4
Winner 2003 Wimbledon (2) Grass United States Venus Williams 4–6, 6–4, 6–2
Runner-up 2004 Wimbledon Grass Russia Maria Sharapova 1–6, 4–6
Winner 2005 Australian Open (2) Hard United States Lindsay Davenport 2–6, 6–3, 6–0
Winner 2007 Australian Open (3) Hard Russia Maria Sharapova 6–1, 6–2
Runner-up 2008 Wimbledon (2) Grass United States Venus Williams 5–7, 4–6
Winner 2008 US Open (3) Hard Serbia Jelena Janković 6–4, 7–5
Winner 2009 Australian Open (4) Hard Russia Dinara Safina 6–0, 6–3
Winner 2009 Wimbledon (3) Grass United States Venus Williams 7–6(7–3), 6–2
Winner 2010 Australian Open (5) Hard Belgium Justine Henin 6–4, 3–6, 6–2
Winner 2010 Wimbledon (4) Grass Russia Vera Zvonareva 6–3, 6–2
Runner-up 2011 US Open (2) Hard Australia Samantha Stosur 2–6, 3–6
Winner 2012 Wimbledon (5) Grass Poland Agnieszka Radwańska 6–1, 5–7, 6–2
Winner 2012 US Open (4) Hard Belarus Victoria Azarenka 6–2, 2–6, 7–5
Winner 2013 French Open (2) Clay Russia Maria Sharapova 6–4, 6–4
Women's doubles: 13 finals (13 titles)[edit source]
Outcome
Year
Championship
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Winner 1999 French Open Clay United States Venus Williams Switzerland Martina Hingis
Russia Anna Kournikova 6–3, 6–7(2–7), 8–6
Winner 1999 US Open Hard United States Venus Williams United States Chanda Rubin
France Sandrine Testud 4–6, 6–1, 6–4
Winner 2000 Wimbledon Grass United States Venus Williams France Julie Halard-Decugis
Japan Ai Sugiyama 6–3, 6–2
Winner 2001 Australian Open Hard United States Venus Williams United States Lindsay Davenport
United States Corina Morariu 6–2, 2–6, 6–4
Winner 2002 Wimbledon (2) Grass United States Venus Williams Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
Argentina Paola Suárez 6–2, 7–5
Winner 2003 Australian Open (2) Hard United States Venus Williams Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
Argentina Paola Suárez 4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Winner 2008 Wimbledon (3) Grass United States Venus Williams United States Lisa Raymond
Australia Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–2
Winner 2009 Australian Open (3) Hard United States Venus Williams Slovakia Daniela Hantuchová
Japan Ai Sugiyama 6–3, 6–3
Winner 2009 Wimbledon (4) Grass United States Venus Williams Australia Samantha Stosur
Australia Rennae Stubbs 7–6(7–4), 6–4
Winner 2009 US Open (2) Hard United States Venus Williams Zimbabwe Cara Black
United States Liezel Huber 6–2, 6–2
Winner 2010 Australian Open (4) Hard United States Venus Williams Zimbabwe Cara Black
United States Liezel Huber 6–4, 6–3
Winner 2010 French Open (2) Clay United States Venus Williams Czech Republic Květa Peschke
Slovenia Katarina Srebotnik 6–2, 6–3
Winner 2012 Wimbledon (5) Grass United States Venus Williams Czech Republic Andrea Hlaváčková
Czech Republic Lucie Hradecká 7–5, 6–4
Mixed doubles: 4 finals (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)[edit source]
Outcome
Year
Championship
Surface
Partner
Opponents
Score
Runner-up 1998 French Open Clay Argentina Luis Lobo United States Justin Gimelstob
United States Venus Williams 4–6, 4–6
Winner 1998 Wimbledon Grass Belarus Max Mirnyi India Mahesh Bhupathi
Croatia Mirjana Lučić 6–4, 6–4
Winner 1998 US Open Hard Belarus Max Mirnyi United States Patrick Galbraith
United States Lisa Raymond 6–2, 6–2
Runner-up 1999 Australian Open Hard Belarus Max Mirnyi South Africa David Adams
South Africa Mariaan de Swardt 4–6, 6–4, 6–7(5–7)
Records and achievements[edit source]
Main article: List of career achievements by Serena Williams
These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.
Records in italics are currently active streaks.
[show]Time span
Selected Grand Slam tournament records
Players matched
[show]Grand Slam tournaments
Time Span
Records at each Grand Slam tournament
Players matched
[show]Time span
Other selected records
Players matched
See also[edit source]
Portal icon Tennis portal
List of Grand Slam women's singles champions
List of Grand Slam women's doubles champions
List of Grand Slam mixed doubles champions
Henin–S. Williams rivalry
Hingis–S. Williams rivalry
Williams sisters rivalry
Works Cited[edit source]
Morgan, Terri (2001). Venus and Serena Williams: Grand Slam Sisters - Sports Achievers Biographies. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lerner Publishing. 64pp. ISBN 9780822536840.
Williams, Venus; Williams, Serena & Beard, Hilary (2005). Venus and Serena : Serving from the Hip : 10 Rules For Living, Loving and Winning. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 133pp. ISBN 9780618576531.
Williams, Serena & Paisner, Daniel (2009). On The Line. Hachette Digital. 214pp. ISBN 9780446564021.
also Williams, Serena & Paisner, Daniel (2009). My Life : Queen of the Court. Simon & Schuster. 257pp. ISBN 9781847375445.
References[edit source]
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59.^ (Williams 2009, pp. 198-199)
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69.^ (Williams 2009, p. 206)
70.^ (Williams 2009, pp. 208-209)
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72.^ (Williams 2009, p. 209)
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74.^ Resurgent Serena targets Paris, BBC News. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
75.^ "I proved critics wrong - Williams". BBC Sport. January 27, 2007.
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79.^ "Teenage sub for Serena seals win | Tennis - News | NDTVSports.com". Sports.ndtv.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
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81.^ Injured Serena seals amazing win, BBC News. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
82.^ Cheese, Caroline (2007-07-04). "Henin overcomes battling Serena". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
83.^ Robbins, Liz (September 5, 2007). "Henin Defeats Serena Williams Again". The New York Times.
84.^ "Serena Williams Hurts Knee in Madrid". The Washington Post. Associated Press. November 7, 2007.
85.^ "Williams withdraws from Madrid through injury". Reuters. November 8, 2007.
86.^ USA beat Serbia to take Hopman Cup, BBC News. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
87.^ "Serena returns to action with win". BBC News. March 5, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2008.
88.^ Lin, Thomas (September 7, 2008). "Serena Williams Wins to Regain No. 1 Ranking". The New York Times. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
89.^ Tandon, Kamakshi (May 13, 2009). "Serena's protests lack teeth". ESPN. Retrieved May 19, 2009.
90.^ Newbery, Piers (July 4, 2009). "Serena shocked to stay number two". BBC News. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
91.^ a b Pucin, Diane. Serena Williams is fined $10,500 for tirade at U.S. Open Los Angeles Times (September 13, 2009)
92.^ "Serena ends Venus reign in Doha". BBC Sport. November 1, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
93.^ "Williams wins AP's Female Athlete of the Year award". tennis.com. December 22, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
94.^ "Serena ITF World Champion". wtatennis.com. December 23, 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
95.^ Bishop, Greg (July 3, 2010). "A Booming Serena Williams Keeps Title". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
96.^ a b "Serena routs Zvonareva for fourth Wimbledon title". Tennis Magazine. Associated Press. July 3, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
97.^ Wilson, Stephen (July 3, 2010). "Serena Williams beats Zvonareva to win Wimbledon". The Washington Times. Associated Press. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
98.^ Cherner, Reid (March 2, 2011). "Tennis star Serena Williams home after treatment for blood clot". USA Today.
99.^ Berman, Michele (March 2, 2011). "Serena Williams undergoes emergency treatment for pulmonary embolism". Celebrity Diagnosis. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
100.^ Berman, Michele (March 9, 2011). "Serena Williams gives more details about recent health scare". Celebrity Diagnosis. Retrieved 2012-01-05.
101.^ "Serena Williams returns to tennis court after lay-off". BBC Sport. April 12, 2011.
102.^ Clarey, Christopher (June 6, 2011). "Serena Williams Plans to Play at Wimbledon". The New York Times. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
103.^ "Serena comeback ended by Zvonareva". CNN. June 15, 2011.
104.^ "Serena withdraws from Brisbane International". Brisbane International. January 4, 2012. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
105.^ a b "Serena Williams beats Sharapova in WTA Championships final". BBC Sport. October 28, 2012.
106.^ Hegde, Prajwal (July 8, 2012). "Serena Williams beats Radwanska to clinch fifth Wimbledon title". The Times of India.
107.^ "Wimbledon 2012 – Serena Williams stretched to three sets, wins 5th title". ESPN. Associated Press. July 7, 2012.
108.^ "Serena books latest Wimbledon final appearance". ESPN. July 5, 2012.
109.^ "Serena Williams wins at Stanford in final Olympic tuneup". USA Today. Associated Press. July 15, 2012 (posted) July 20, 2012 (updated).
110.^ a b Wine, Steven (August 4, 2012). "Serena Williams Wins Gold Medal In Olympic Singles Tennis, Beats Maria Sharapova In Final". The Huffington Post. AP.
111.^ "Serena tops Azarenka for fourth U.S. Open championship". AP. September 9, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
112.^ "Serena Williams wins WTA Tour Player of the Year award". BBC Sport. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
113.^ "Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams crowned ITF world champions". Retrieved December 11, 2012.
114.^ Bondy, Filip (July 8, 2012). "Bondy: Williams sisters are kin-do at Wimby – New York Daily News". New York: Daily News. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
115.^ "Serena To Return To No.1 For Sixth Time". WTA Tennis (WTA Tour). February 15, 2013.
116.^ "Serena Conquers Sharapova & Miami". WTA Tennis (WTA Tour). March 30, 2013.
117.^ "Serena Wins 49th WTA Title In Charleston". WTA Tennis (WTA Tour). April 7, 2013.
118.^ Caple, Jim. "New Heights For Serena Williams". ESPN. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
119.^ "Serena Williams hits 600th win milestone against veteran Japanese". The Guardian UK. June 29, 2013.
120.^ Newbery, Piers (July 1, 2013). "Serena Williams beaten by Sabine Lisicki at Wimbledon". BBC Sport. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
121.^ "Serena Goes for Another First in Bastad". WTA Tour. July 14, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
122.^ "Serena Wins 53rd WTA Title in Bastad". WTA Tour. July 21, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
123.^ "Serena Wins Best Female Athlete ESPY". WTA Tour. July 18, 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
124.^ "Officials apologize to Serena for bad call – U.S. Open, Aug. 30-Sept. 12- NBC Sports". MSNBC. September 9, 2004. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
125.^ Donegan, Lawrence (September 14, 2009). "Serena Williams is fined $10,500 for US Open line judge tirade". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved June 5, 2010.
126.^ "Clijsters wins after controversial ending". ESPN news services. September 13, 2009. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
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128.^ "Serena Williams tries to move on from uproar over outburst". CNN. September 15, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
129.^ "RULE 21 : Player Hinders Opponent". Tennis 4 You.
130.^ Abad-Santos, Alexander (September 12, 2011). "Serena Williams' Tirade Was Seven Years in the Making". The Atlantic Wire.
131.^ "Serena Williams Upset By Samantha Stosur 6–2, 6–3 In US Open Final". Huffington Post. September 11, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
132.^ Chase, Chris (September 11, 2011). "She did it again: Serena Williams blows up in U.S. Open loss". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
133.^ Garber, Greg (September 11, 2011). "Serena Williams loses cool, then match". ESPN. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
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137.^ "Serena Dresses in Denim, Boots at U.S. Open". FOX News Network, LLC. Associated Press. August 31, 2004. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
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149.^ "Serena to voice queen with 'devious plans' for planet". ESPN. Associated Press. January 30, 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
150.^ "Common "I Want You" Video". rapdirt.com. October 23, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
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155.^ Claire Wanja (November 10, 2008). "Serena Williams to Visit Kenya on Charity cause". Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2009.
156.^ "Jewel and Serena Williams Help the Avon Foundation Raise Millions for the Fight Against Breast Cancer". Avon. Avon Products, Inc. October 15, 2003. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
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158.^ "The Website of Author Hilary Beard – Books". Hilarybeard.com. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
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160.^ "S Williams – June 24, 2009". 2009.wimbledon.org. June 24, 2009. Retrieved February 23, 2011.[dead link]
161.^ "Serena Williams apologises after comment that rape victim 'shouldn't have put herself in that position'". Independent. 19 June, 2013.
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External links[edit source]
Find more about Serena Williams at Wikipedia's sister projects
Media from Commons
Quotations from Wikiquote
Official website
Serena Williams on Twitter
Serena Williams on Facebook
Serena Williams at the Women's Tennis Association
Serena Williams at the International Tennis Federation
Serena Williams at the Fed Cup
Serena Williams at the Internet Movie Database
Interview with Serena Williams on Hossli.com
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Serena Williams (Achievement precedessor & successor)
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Serena Williams in the Grand Slam Tournaments
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Selena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Selena Quintanilla Perez)
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This article is about the singer. For other uses, see Selena (disambiguation).
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Selena
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.jpg
Background information
Birth name
Selena Quintanilla
Also known as
Selena
Born
April 16, 1971
Lake Jackson, Texas, United States
Died
March 31, 1995 (aged 23)
Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
Genres
Tejano, Mexican cumbia, Ranchera, Latin pop, R&B, Pop
Occupations
Singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, model, designer, entrepreneur
Instruments
Vocals
Years active
1982–1995
Labels
Freddie Records, Cara Records, GP Productions, EMI Latin, Q-Productions, SBK Records
Associated acts
Selena y Los Dinos, Abraham Quintanilla III, Suzette Quintanilla, Chris Pérez
Website
www.q-productions.com
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American singer-songwriter, fashion designer and entrepreneur. Selena was born as the last child of a Mexican American father and a half-Cherokee mother. She released her first LP record at the age of twelve with her Selena y Los Dinos band. At the 1987 Tejano Music Awards, she won Female Vocalist of the Year; she won the award eight consecutive times after that starting in 1989. She landed her first major recording contract with EMI Latin in 1989 and released her debut album with them that same year. Her brother and principal record producer, A.B. Quintanilla III, began writing materials for Selena to record. "Como La Flor", the lead single for Entre a Mi Mundo (1992), peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot Latin Tracks. It launched Selena's Mexico tour which expanded her fan base and gained critical acclaim from critics who cite it as being her signature song and as well as being a fan favorite recording.
On April 2, 1992, Selena and her guitarist Chris Pérez eloped, despite disapproval from her father who later accepted the relationship. Her Live! (1993) album garnered her first Grammy Award for Best Mexican/American Album, becoming the first Tejano recording artist to win a Grammy. That same year, Selena opened her Selena Etc. boutique store in Corpus Christi, Texas and named Yolanda Saldívar as president. Selena's decision was made after Saldivar helped her fan club reached an unprecedented number of fans. According to Hispanic Business magazine, Selena earned $5 million from these establishments. In 1994, Amor Prohibido was released and debuted atop the Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums chart and became one of the best-selling Latin albums being certified 20× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of 2,000,000 copies. Four number-one singles including, the title track, "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "No Me Queda Más" and "Fotos y Recuerdos", received a positive reception from music critics. Selena had the most successful singles of 1994 and 1995 for "Amor Prohibido" and "No Me Queda Más". She was then called "The Queen of Tejano music"[1] and the Mexican equivalent of Madonna.[2]
The chairman of EMI Records at the time, Charles Koppelman, launched Selena's crossover contract. He believed that Selena reached her peak in the Spanish-speaking market and wanted to propel her as an American solo pop artist to expand her career. After performing at a sold out concert at the Houston Astrodome in February 1995, Selena's father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. noticed that money was missing from Selena's boutique. Abraham, Selena and her sister and drummer Suzette Quintanilla held a meeting with Saldívar to discuss inconsistencies concerning disappearing funds. She was then banned by Abraham from his recording studio Q-Productions. Saldívar bought a gun a few weeks later and tried luring Selena to meet her alone at her hotel room. On 31 March 1995, Selena was killed by Saldívar. Selena's death affected people in Hispanic communities, many candlelight vigils took place, as well as other memorials from fans. Two weeks later, Governor of Texas at the time, George W. Bush, declared 16 April as "Selena Day" in Texas.
Her crossover album Dreaming of You, which was not finished, was released on 18 July 1995 and became the first vast majority Spanish-language album to top the Billboard 200 and sold 175,000 units its first day of release, a then-record for a pop singer. In 1997, Warner Bros. released a biographical film based on her life which starred Puerto Rican actress Jennifer Lopez as "Selena" in the movie, which became her breakout role. Selena was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Hot Latin Songs chart, including seven number-one hits. Selena's life was also the basis of the musical Selena Forever starring Veronica Vazquez as Selena. To commemorate her tenth anniversary of her death, Univision produced Selena ¡VIVE! in April 2005 which scored a 35.9 Nielsen household rating. It became the most-watched and highest-rated Spanish-language program in American television history. In June 2006 Selena was commemorated with a life-sized bronze statue (Mirador de la Flor in Corpus Christi, Texas) and a Selena museum. She has sold over 60 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time.
Contents
[hide] 1 Early life
2 Success
3 Murder 3.1 Impact
4 Posthumous commemorations and popularity
5 Discography
6 Filmography
7 Tours
8 See also
9 Citations
10 References
11 External links
Early life
Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas,[3] as the youngest of three children born to a Mexican American[4] father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. and a half-Cherokee Native American mother,[5] Marcella Ofelia (née Samora).[6] She was raised as a Jehovah's Witness.[7] Selena began singing at age three. When she was nine years old, her father launched a vocal group consisting of several of his children, Selena y Los Dinos.[2] They initially performed at a restaurant the family operated,[8] but went bankrupt soon thereafter. They moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where they performed wherever they could - street corners, weddings, quinceañeras, and fairs.[9] As Selena grew more popular, the demands of her performance and travel schedule began to interfere with her education. Her father took her out of school when she was in the eighth grade.[1] At seventeen, she earned a high school diploma by the American School Program.[10]
The band's efforts paid off in 1985, when fourteen-year-old Selena recorded her first album for a record company. Her father bought all of the original copies.[11] It was re-released in 1995 as Mis Primeras Grabaciones.[12] Over the next three years, not under a recording contract, she released six more albums.
Success
At the 1987 Tejano Music Awards, Selena won Best Female Vocalist, an award she would dominate for the rest of her life.[1][13] In 1989, José Behar, the former head of Sony Music Latin, signed Selena with Capitol/EMI. Behar later explained signed her because he thought he had discovered the next Gloria Estefan.[1] In 1988, she met Chris Pérez, who had his own band. Two years later, the Quintanilla family hired him to play in Selena's band and they began dating. At first her father opposed their relationship and went as far as firing Pérez from the band. He eventually came to accept the relationship.[14] On April 2, 1992, Selena and Pérez were married in Nueces County, Texas.[2]
In 1990, her debut album Ven Conmigo was released, written by her brother and main songwriter Abraham Quintanilla III. This recording was the first Tejano album recorded by a female artist to achieve gold status. Around the same time, a registered nurse and fan named Yolanda Saldívar approached Selena's father with the idea of starting a fan club. He approved and Saldívar became the club's president; later, she worked as the manager of Selena's retail enterprises.[2] In 1992, Selena’s stardom got a big boost with the song, "Como La Flor" off a new album, Entre a Mi Mundo. The next album, Selena Live! won Best Mexican-American Album at the 36th Grammy Awards.[2]
"Como La Flor" (1993)
The song Como La Flor is one of Selena's best known Spanish language songs.
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Problems playing this file? See media help.
The album Amor Prohibido was released in 1994. It was nominated for a Grammy award for Mexican-American Album of the Year. Selena and her band received yet more accolades in 1994. Billboard's Premio Lo Nuestro awarded them six awards, including Best Latin Artist and Song of the Year for "Como La Flor". Meanwhile, her duet with the Barrio Boyzz, "Donde Quiera Que Estés", reached number one in the Billboard Latin Charts. This prompted Selena to tour in Latin America.[15] She performed a duet with Salvadoran singer Álvaro Torres, "Buenos Amigos". By fall of 1994, Amor Prohibido was a commercial success in Mexico and made four number one Latin hits, replacing Gloria Estefan's Mi Tierra on the chart's number one spot. It sold over 400,000 copies by late 1994 in the U.S. and another 50,000 copies in Mexico, reaching gold status.[2]
Aside from music, she began designing and manufacturing a clothing line in 1994 and opened two boutiques called Selena Etc., one in Corpus Christi and the other in San Antonio. Both were equipped with in-house beauty salons.[16] Hispanic Business magazine reported that the singer earned over five million dollars from these boutiques.[17] Selena briefly played opposite Erik Estrada in a Mexican telenovela titled Dos Mujeres, Un Camino.[18] In 1995 she entered negotiations to star in another telenovela produced by Emilio Larrosa.[18]
At the peak of her career, Selena visited local schools to talk to students about the importance of education. She also donated her time to civic organizations such as D.A.R.E.. These demonstrations of community involvement won her loyalty from her fan base.[19] Selena scheduled her English album for release in the summer of 1995.
Murder
Main article: Murder of Selena
In early 1995, the Quintanillas discovered that Saldívar was embezzling money from the fan club and decided to fire her.[2] Three weeks later, Selena agreed to meet Saldívar at a Days Inn motel in Corpus Christi[20] to retrieve financial records Saldívar had been refusing to turn over. Saldívar once again delayed the handover by claiming she had been raped in Mexico.[1] Selena then drove Saldívar to a local hospital, where doctors found no evidence of rape.[21] They returned to the motel, where Selena again demanded the missing financial papers.[2] Saldívar drew a pistol from her purse and pointed it at Selena. Selena tried to flee, but Saldívar shot her once in her right shoulder, severing an artery. Critically wounded, Selena ran towards the lobby for help. She collapsed on the floor as the clerk called 911, with Saldívar still chasing her and calling her a "bitch".[22] Selena died in a hospital from loss of blood at 1:05 p.m. on March 31, 1995, 16 days before her 24th birthday.[23]
Selena was buried at Seaside Memorial Park, in Corpus Christi, Texas.[24]
Impact
Selena's murder had widespread impact. Major networks interrupted their regular programming to break the news; Tom Brokaw referred to Selena as "The Mexican Madonna".[25] It was front page news on The New York Times for two days after her death.[26] Numerous vigils and memorials were held in her honor, and radio stations in Texas played her music non-stop.[27] Her funeral drew 60,000 mourners, many of whom traveled from outside the United States.[27] Among the celebrities who were reported to have phoned the Quintanilla family to express their condolences were Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, Julio Iglesias, and Madonna.[28] People published a commemorative issue in honor of Selena's memory and musical career, titled Selena 1971–1995, Her Life in Pictures.[27] This issue sold nearly 450,000 copies. Two weeks later, the company released a special issue for Selena, which sold more than 600,000 copies.[29] A few days later, Howard Stern mocked Selena's murder and burial, poked fun at her mourners, and criticized her music. Stern said, "This music does absolutely nothing for me. Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul ... Spanish people have the worst taste in music. They have no depth." Stern's comments outraged and infuriated the Hispanic community in Texas.[30] After a disorderly conduct arrest warrant was issued in his name, Stern made an on-air apology, in Spanish, for his comments.[citation needed] On April 12, 1995, George W. Bush, then Governor of Texas, declared Selena's birthday April 16 as "Selena Day" in Texas.[8] Selena was inducted into the "Latin Music Hall of Fame" that same year.[29]
That summer, Selena's album Dreaming of You, a combination of Spanish-language songs and new English-language tracks, debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making her the first Hispanic singer to accomplish this feat.[31] and the second highest debut after Michael Jackson's HIStory. On its release date, the album sold over 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer, and it sold two million copies in its first year.[32] Dreaming of You sold more than 330,000 copies in its first week.[33][34] The album was number 75 in the List of BMG Music Club's top selling albums in the United States.[35] Songs such as "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" were played widely by mainstream English-language radio, with the latter reaching number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, "I Could Fall in Love", while ineligible for the Hot 100 at the time, reached number 8 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. "Dreaming of You" was certified 35× Platinum (Latin field) by the Recording Industry Association of America.[36] In October 1995, a Houston jury convicted Saldívar of first degree murder and sentenced her to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in thirty years.[37] Under a judge's order, the gun used to kill Selena was destroyed in 2002, and the pieces thrown into Corpus Christi Bay.[38][39]
Posthumous commemorations and popularity
Mirador de la Flor is a tourist attraction in Corpus Christi, Texas, that was unveiled in 1997 to honor Selena.
Jennifer Lopez portrayed Selena in a film about Selena's life. Selena was among two other Latin artists who had the best sales of records in 2001.[40] On March 16, 2011, the United States Post Office released a "Latin Legends" memorial stamp to honor Selena, Carlos Gardel, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Carmen Miranda.[41] She has sold over 60 million albums worldwide.[42]
Discography
Main articles: Selena albums discography, Selena singles discography, Selena videography, and List of Selena songs
Selena (1989)
Ven Conmigo (1990)
Entre a Mi Mundo (1992)
Selena Live! (1993)
Amor Prohibido (1994)
Dreaming of You (1995)
Filmography
Film
Title
Year
Role
Notes
Don Juan DeMarco
1995 Ranchera singer Minor role
Television
Title
Year
Role
Notes
Johnny Canales Show
1985–1995 herself
Tejano Music Awards
1987–1995 herself
Dos mujeres, un camino
1993 herself
The Making of Selena the Movie
1997
Por Siempre Selena
1998
E! True Hollywood Story: The Murder Trial of Selena
1998
VH1 All Access: Selena
1999
Para Siempre Selena
2000
Por Siempre... Selena
2001–present
Selena ¡VIVE!
2005 herself honoree
Biography
2008 TV series (2 episodes)
Top Trece
2009 TV series (1 episode)
Historia de una Leyenda
2009 TV series (1 episode)
Famous Crime Scene: Selena
2010 TV series (1 episode) featured
Tours
Main article: List of Selena concert tours
Selena Live! Tour (1993–94)
Amor Prohibido Tour (1994–95)
See also
Portal icon Texas portal
Portal icon Biography portal
Honorific nicknames in popular music
Citations
1.^ a b c d e Mitchell 1995.
2.^ a b c d e f g h New York Times 1995.
3.^ Patoski 1996, p. 30.
4.^ HSA Banquet Features Father of Late Tejano Star Selena, Baylor University press release, November 4, 1999. Retrieved October 13, 2006.
5.^ Patoski 1996, p. 20.
6.^ Ware, Susan. Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, Harvard University Press 2005. ISBN 0-674-01488-X
7.^ Caller-Times April 16, 1997.
8.^ a b Orozco, Cynthia E. Quintanilla Pérez, Selena. The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved on May 29, 2009
9.^ Patoski 1996, p. 53.
10.^ Patoski 1996, p. 59.
11.^ Patoski 1996, p. 49.
12.^ Patoski 1996, p. 288.
13.^ "Fans, Family Remember Selena". CBSNews.com, October 17, 2002. Retrieved on July 9, 2006.
14.^ Patoski 1996.
15.^ Patoski 1996, p. 123.
16.^ Patoski 1996, p. 120.
17.^ "Selena – Life Events"[dead link]. Corpus Christi Caller Times, March 27, 2005. Retrieved on June 7, 2006.
18.^ a b Patoski 1996, p. 134.
19.^ Selena[dead link]. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on September 9, 2010.
20.^ "Testimony of Richard Fredrickson". Houston Chronicle, October 13, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
21.^ "October 12, 1995 testimony of Carla Anthony". Houston Chronicle, October 12, 1995. Retrieved on May 21, 2008.
22.^ "October 12, 1995, the testimony of Norma Martinez". Houston Chronicle, October 12, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
23.^ Villafranca, Armando and Reinert, Patty. "Singer Selena shot to death". Houston Chronicle, April 1, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
24.^ Harvey, Bill (2003). Texas Cemeteries: The Resting Places of Famous, Infamous, and Just Plain Interesting Texans. University of Texas Press. p. 92. ISBN 0-292-73466-2.
25.^ "In the spirit of Selena: Tributes, a book and an impending film testify to the Tejano singer's enduring". by Gregory Rodriguez Pacific News, March 21, 1997. Retrieved on July 18, 2006.
26.^ Patoski, p. 174
27.^ a b c Mitchell, Rick. "Selena". Houston Chronicle, May 21, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
28.^ Patoski, p. 165
29.^ a b Lannert, John (1995). "Latin pride". Billboard 107 (23): 112.
30.^ Asin, Stephanie and Dyer, R.A. "Selena's public outraged: Shock jock Howard Stern's comments hit raw nerve." Houston Chronicle, April 6, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
31.^ Hodges, Ann. "Selena legend lives on with TV movie'[dead link] Houston Chronicle, December 6, 1996. Retrieved on May 20, 2006. Archived June 28, 2006 at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
32.^ "In the spirit of Selena: Tributes, a book and an impending film testify to the Tejano singer's enduring". Houston Chronicle, March 31, 1996. Retrieved on January 18, 2008.
33.^ Patoski pg. 199
34.^ Nilou Panahpour (1995). "Rock and Roll yearbook, the best in music, movies, and television". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow Publishers Company) (724/725): 64.
35.^ "List of BMG Music Club's top selling albums in the United States". BMG. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
36.^ "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
37.^ Graczyk, Michael. "Selena's killer gets life". Associated Press, October 26, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
38.^ National Briefing Southwest: Texas: Gun That Killed Singer Is To Be Destroyed The New York Times, June 8, 2002. Retrieved on July 16, 2006.
39.^ Compiled, Items (June 11, 2002). "Gun used in slaying of Selena destroyed". chicagotribune.com (Chicago Tribune). Retrieved October 26, 2011.
40.^ Oumano, Elena (1999). "U.S. Latin Music Sales Break Records". Billboard magazine 111 (43): 108.
41.^ Sara Inés Calderón (January 18, 2011). "Selena, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente In U.S. Postal Stamp Form". NewsTaco. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
42.^ "A 17 años de su trágica muerte, Selena Quintanilla vuelve en grande.". E! Online (in Spanish). Retrieved February 17, 2012.
References
Caller-Times (April 16, 1997). "Birthday hoopla is prohibited". Corpus Christi, Texas: Caller.com.
Mitchell, Rick. "Selena". Houston Chronicle, May 21, 1995.
New York Times (April 1, 1995). "Grammy Winning Singer Selena Killed in Shooting at Texas Motel". p. 1.
Patoski, Joe Nick (1996). Selena: Como La Flor. Boston: Little Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-69378-2.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Selena
Official website
Selena at the Open Directory Project
Selena discography at Discogs
Selena at the Internet Movie Database
Selena at AllMusic
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