Here's How Venus Williams Became A Tennis Legend and Grew Her Fortune

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Sporting is a lucrative profession, This is evident in the net worth and lifestyle of many people in sports. Tennis is among the top 10 highest-paid sports in the world and while a lot of tennis players live secluded lives, their wealth can still be seen in form of investments and business deals. This piece is not about Tennis as a sport, It is about a legendary female tennis player In the name of Venus Williams who had the world in a chokehold when she first started playing. By the time you’re done with this article, you’d be familiar with the life of Venus Williams, her rise to the highest echelons of Tennis, and how she grew her fortune.

The Early Life of Venus Williams

Venus Ebony Starr Williams was born on the 17th day of June 1980 in Compton, California. Her family would later relocate to West Palm Beach in Florida in 1991. Venus and her Sister, Serena had loved Tennis as a sport since they were kids and their father, Richard Williams did well to enroll them as trainees under Rick Macci, a renowned Tennis player-turned-coach. Their Mother, Oracene Price raised them as Jehova Witnesses having converted to that denomination of Christianity in the 1980s, and Venus, although low-key about her religion and faith, has upheld and lived by the teachings of their faith and still makes time to attend services and log her hours for evangelism. Apart from Serena, Venus Williams has other siblings from her parents’ other marriages who are not into Tennis including Isha, a renowned attorney, Lyndrea, a fashion merchandise expert, Richard III, Ronner, Sabrina, Chavoita, Dylan Starr, and the late Yetunde Price who tragically lost her life in 2003 at the age of 31. Until her death, she worked as Serena and Venus’s personal assistant and the Tennis Sisters established the Yetunde Price Resource Center to honor her memory.

The Child Star Venus Williams

In 1991, Venus, who was almost 11 at that time, was featured by Sports Illustrated in an article titled “Childs Play” for her Tennis prowess. The article gave Venus international recognition as a rising star in Tennis.

As a young Tennis player, Venus Williams had always wanted to play in Wimbledon and fly to Jupiter. Anyone listening would have said that was too ambitious for a child her age but time would tell that she knew what she wanted and didn’t stop till she got it. While her dream of flying to Jupiter has not been actualized yet, Venus Williams has played in Wimbledon a lot of times and she, alongside her sister, Serena, has won a lot of titles at the All England Club where she was one of the first female Tennis players to advocate for equal pay between male and female Tennis players. Her attendance at the Grand Slam committee meeting in 2005 where she expressed concerns about the gender pay gap and her 2006 op-ed in the London times on the same issue are some of the factors that coerced the All England Club to correct the disparities in the prize money policy.

Venus’ Introduction to Professional Tennis

On the 31st day of October in the year 1994, Venus Williams turned pro and that would forever change the dynamics of Tennis. Her professional debut was at the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California, where she knocked out Shaun Stafford who was ranked 59th in the world at that time, therefore, proceeding to the second round of the tournament where she was to face Arantxa Sanchez Vicario who was ranked 2nd in the world. The match was greatly contested and although Venus impressed spectators, she couldn’t go past Sanchez Vicario who later went on to win the tournament. The impressive tennis she played and her great form earned her a reputation as a tennis star in the making, one to watch out for and she proved this to be right when on the 25th day of February 2002, she made history by becoming the first black Tennis player to be ranked number 1 in the world.

Olympic Medals and Grand Slam Titles

Venus Williams is a master of her craft and she is not only exceptionally good at tennis, but she also has a lot of titles to show for it too. While she has numerous Grand Slam titles under her belt, her biggest wins are at the Olympics as she is a 5-time Olympic medal winner with four gold medals and one silver medal to her name. What's more? She is a part of the doubles team that has won the most medals in Olympic history. She is the only female five-time Olympian in Tennis.

At well over 40 years old, Venus is still going strong and has made it clear that she is not retiring from Tennis anytime soon. She is the oldest player on the WTA Ranking list and in all her Grand Slam victories, The only tours she hasn’t won are the French and Australian Open.

Venus’ Income Outside Of Tennis

Venus Williams has enjoyed a successful career and a successful life as well. Not all her wealth comes from Tennis though. She has tried her hands at other things and she was successful at them too. In 2009, Venus purchased a minority stake in the Miami Dolphins alongside Serena, her sister. Before then, in 2002, she founded V Starr, a luxury interior design company, and EleVen By Venus Williams, an activewear brand. That's not all. In 2005, Venus started a reality TV show, Venus and Serena: For Real which aired on ABC Family.

Venus is also a New York Times best-selling author, having co-authored the book, Come to Win: Business Leaders, Artists, Doctors, and How Sports Can Help You Top Your Profession. Her entrepreneurial prowess has seen her take on a lot of other ventures and her business empire has never stopped growing.

Sources: MetalFloss, Forbes