VENUS WILLIAMS FACTFILE
1980: Born in Lynwood, California, June 17.
1985: Started playing tennis.
1994: Turned professional after outsanding run as junior.
1997: Lost in Wimbledon first round. Reached US Open final on first appearance
at Flushing Meadows, becoming the first finalist on debut since Pam Shriver in
1978.
1998: Beat Martina Hingis and Anna Kournikova on way to first Tier I tour
title in Miami to enter world top five. Recorded fastest serve in WTA Tour
history with 127mph.
1999: Reached US Open semi-final. Helped America win Fed Cup. Won French Open
and US Open doubles with sister Serena. Earned more than US$2million in
prize money. Reached world's top three.
2000: Won her first Grand Slam after beating Lindsay Davenport in final at
Wimbledon. Won Wimbledon doubles with Serena. Won US Open also beating
Davenport. Won Olympic gold medal in singles and doubles with Serena. Won 35
straight matches and six consecutive titles before losing to Davenport in final
in Linz.
2001: Successfully defended Wimbledon and US Open titles, beating Justine
Henin and Serena in the final after reaching Australian Open semi-final.
Completed career Grand Slam in doubles by winning Australian with Serena.
2002: 24-match winning streak ends when beaten by Monica Seles in
quarter-finals at Australian Open. Becomes world number one for first time on
February 25, replacing Jennifer Capriati. Loses to Serena in the first
all-sister French Open final. Again loses to Serena in first all-sister
Wimbledon singles final since the first one in 1884.
Won doubles with Serena at Wimbledon, their fifth Grand Slam as a team but
20-match winning US Open run comes to an end when defeated by Serena in final.
2003: Wins Australian Open doubles title with Serena, their sixth Grand Slam
doubles title but loses to Serena in Australian Open singles final and Wimbledon
final.
Ankle injury forces her to miss rest of the season and she falls out of top 10
for first time since March 1998.
2004: Loses to Lisa Raymond in third round at the Australian Open. Beaten in
second round at Wimbledon, losing in straight sets to unseeded Katarina Sprem
after three defeats on Tour finals and slumps to lowest ever ranking of 18 after
fourth-round exit against Davenport at US Open.
2005: Reached final in Belgium losing to Amelie Mauresmo in three sets and
semi final at Amelia Island when beaten by Maria Sharapova in two. Finally wentg
to Istanbul in April to win first title in two years, beating Czech Republic's
16-year-old Nicole Vaidsova in final.
July 2 - Beats Lindsay Davenport in three sets to win Wimbledon title.
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