Venus Williams, the American tennis legend, turns 43 years old on June 17, 2023.
Williams continues to play on the WTA Tour though not as frequently; she made her return to the grass courts earlier this week after a five-month layoff to recover from a hamstring injury.
Here are four facts about Venus Williams.
1. She Has Won 23 Total Grand Slam Titles
Venus is a 23-time Grand Slam champion.
She has achieved victories in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles with the breakdown being 7 singles titles, 14 doubles titles, and 2 mixed doubles titles.
In addition, she is a 4-time Olympic gold medalist in singles and doubles in the 2000, 2008, and 2012 Olympic games.
A tennis legend and fashion icon on and off the court.
🎾 7 singles Grand Slams
🎾 14 women’s doubles Grand Slams
🎾 4x Olympic Gold Medalist
🎾 49 WTA titlesVenus Williams turns 43 today 👑 pic.twitter.com/EMONPaHKcb
— espnW (@espnW) June 17, 2023
2. She Earned 2 College Degrees
Venus has two college degrees and may not be done pursuing further education.
She earned her associate degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale in 2007.
In 2015, Venus received her bachelor of science degree in business administration from Indiana University East.
She has indicated that an MBA may be another degree she obtains in the future.
Venus Williams is more than just a star tennis player. She’s a college graduate! And unlike those honorary degrees given to so many
— Julia Sekimoto (@JuliaSekimoto) September 8, 2015
3. She Suffers From An Autoimmune Disease
In 2011, Venus was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome.
This is an autoimmune disease that is attributed to genetic and environmental factors.
It manifests in various ways including pain and fatigue.
Venus adopted a vegan diet after her diagnosis to improve her overall health.
Venus Williams introduces plant nutrition powders via her Happy Viking line.
After the diagnosis of an autoimmune disease, the tennis champ adopted a plant-based diet.
Her inspiration? Creating accessibility for people to fuel their bodies in a healthy way.
(@Venuseswilliams) pic.twitter.com/okcg5YnoDz
— Andscape (@andscape) September 21, 2021
4. She Was A Trailblazer
Thinking of Venus Williams on her special day! 🎉
She is the first Black woman in the Open Era to rank No. 1 in singles, and has played in 89 Grand Slams, the most ever by any player. pic.twitter.com/CFubSXIVYq
— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) June 17, 2023
Like Billie Jean King in her generation, Venus Williams carried the torch of working with the appropriate governing bodies to ensure that female tennis players earned equal pay at both the French Open and Wimbledon.
When meeting with officials of both tournaments did not obtain the desired results in 2005, the British newspaper The Times published an essay before Wimbledon 2006.
In the essay, Williams accused officials of being “on the wrong side of history”.
Prime Minister Tony Blair joined her cause, and with more work, in 2007 both tournaments changed their policies and offered equal prize money to both the men’s and women’s singles winners.
Ironically, Venus won the 2007 Wimbledon title so was among the first to benefit from her extensive lobbying efforts.
Happy Birthday Venus Williams!
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