Venus Williams

By Tom Kirvan

A five-time winner at Wimbledon, Venus Williams has seven Grand Slam singles titles to her credit, cementing her status as one of the most dominant female tennis players in history.

Born on June 17, 1980, in Lynwood, Calif., Williams teamed with her sister Serena to win 14 Grand Slam doubles titles, while also sparkling on the Olympic front, earning four gold medals across the 2000, 2008, and 2012 Summer Games. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Williams became only the second player to win gold medals in both singles and doubles competition.

In addition to her stardom on the tennis court, Williams has been widely celebrated for her commitment to wellness, a journey that became more complex for her after being diagnosed in 2011 with Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and muscle and joint pain.

Last fall, she released a book, titled “Strive,” that shares a series of lessons designed to inspire readers to live a healthy and fulfilling life.

“Tennis has always been more than just a sport for me – it’s been my greatest teacher,” Williams wrote in promoting the book. “Winning a match isn’t just about hitting aces or perfect volleys, it’s about courage, mental strength, and finding balance in everything you do.”

Venus Williams*

In 2005, Williams led a battle for equal prize money for women in Grand Slam tournaments, a quest that received a ringing endorsement a year later from British Prime Minister Tony Blair who encouraged the organizers of the Wimbledon tournament to recognize the need for gender equality in terms of pay. In February 2007, Wimbledon officials agreed to award equal prize money for women and men, spurring other major tournaments to follow suit thanks largely to the efforts of Williams.

“Somewhere in the world, a little girl is dreaming of holding a giant trophy and being viewed as an equal to boys who have similar dreams,” Williams said after the turnabout was announced.

Other notable sayings from Williams:

“Just believe in yourself. Even if you don’t, just pretend that you do and, at some point, you will.”
“Real growth comes from experience, including those hard-won lessons. Mistakes are invaluable for teaching resilience and helping you get clear about your goals.”
“The message I like to convey to women and girls across the globe is that there is no glass ceiling.”

*si.robi, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons