Do Venus Williams Still Play Tennis?
It’s been a while since Venus Williams was a top contender in tennis, but the question remains: does she still play? We take a look at her recent activity to find out.
Early Life and Career
Venus Williams was born on June 17, 1980, in Lynwood, California. She is the youngest of Richard and Oracene Williams’s five daughters. The Williams sisters showed an early interest in tennis. When Venus was 4 years old, the family moved to Compton, California, where Richard set up a tennis court in their backyard. At age 5, Venus began taking weekly tennis lessons. She quickly began excelling in the sport.
Williams is born in Lynwood, California
On June 17, 1980, Venus Ebony Starr Williams is born in Lynwood, California, the youngest of Richard and Oracene Williams’ five daughters. Williams showed early signs of athletic ability, running before she could walk. When she was four years old, her father began teaching her how to play tennis on the cracked public courts near their home in the Los Angeles area. He proved to be a demanding coach, as he would not hesitate to leave a practice session if he felt his daughter was not giving her all.
Williams turns pro at the age of 14
In October 1994, at the age of 14,Williams turned professional and joined the WTA Tour. She made her first appearance at a grand slam tournament at the French Open where she lost in the first round to Arantxa Sánchez Vicario. Williams then made her debut at Wimbledon in 1997, losing in the first round to Larisa Neiland. In January 1998, Williams defeated World No. 7 Mary Joe Fernández to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, becoming only the third unseeded player to reach that stage of the tournament that year. In March, Williams reached her first WTA final at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in Honolulu, defeating Amanda Coetzer in three sets to become the second African-American woman after Zina Garrison to win a tour singles title since 1955.
Williams’ Success
Williams has not played a professional tennis match since she withdrew from the French Open in May last year. The 23-time grand slam champion has been dealing with an ongoing autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s syndrome, which can cause fatigue and joint pain.
Williams wins her first Grand Slam at the age of 20
In her first ever Grand Slam tournament, at the 1997 Australian Open, Williams reached the quarterfinals before losing to Monica Seles. She then reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, before losing to Iva Majoli. At Wimbledon, Williams again lost in the quarterfinals, this time to Jana Novotná. At the age of 20, Williams won her first Grand Slam tournament at the 1997 U.S. Open. In the final, she defeated reigning champion and top seed Steffi Graf.
Williams becomes the No. 1 ranked player in the world
On February 25, 2002, Williams defeated Martina Hingis 6–4, 3–6, 6–0 in the final of the Qatar Open to become the new world No. 1 ranked player. This was not only a victory over Hingis, but also a victory over all of the other top-ranked players at the time. Williams became the first African American woman to be ranked No. 1 in tennis since computer rankings began in 1975. She held this distinction for three weeks before being surpassed by Hingis again.
Recent Years
Venus Williams has not played in a grand slam tournament since 2016 but she has been playing professionally for over 20 years. In 2017, she won her first WTA title in seven years. In June 2018, Venus won her first title since 2016 at the 118th edition of the Aegon International.
Williams withdraws from the 2017 Australian Open
On January 11, 2017, Williams withdrew from the 2017 Australian Open due to an elbow injury. This withdrawal marked the first time since the 1998 Australian Open that Williams was not able to compete in a grand slam tournament.
Williams’ 2017 French Open performance
After taking the first set 6–4, Williams lost the second set 1–6 to Ostapenko. In the third set, Williams was hampered by a leg injury and was unable to compete at her highest level, losing the set 3–6.
Conclusion
Yes, Venus Williams is still playing tennis. While she has not been as successful in recent years, she is still an active player on the WTA tour.
