Challenges Faced by Venus Williams: Obstacles and Turning Points
A closer look at the defining struggles that shaped Venus Williams's life and career.
Venus Williams is a highly accomplished, though currently inactive, American tennis player. She achieved the world No. 1 ranking in both singles (for 11 weeks) and doubles (for 8 weeks). Her impressive career includes 49 WTA singles titles, highlighted by seven major victories. In doubles, she has secured 22 titles, featuring 16 majors and three Olympic gold medals. Williams is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
1994: First Retirement During a Grand Slam Tournament Since 1994
In 1994, Venus Williams had her first retirement during a match in a Grand Slam tournament since 1994 at the Australian Open.
1997: Finished Year Ranked Outside Top 50
In 1997, Venus Williams ended the year ranked No. 102, her first year-end finish ranked outside of the top 50 since 1997.
1997: Williams Exits Wimbledon Early
In 1997, Venus Williams exited Wimbledon prior to the quarterfinals, marking the first time this had happened since 1997.
1997: Unseeded at Wimbledon for First Time Since 1997
In 1997, Venus Williams was unseeded at Wimbledon for the first time since 1997, where she lost in the first round.
1997: Williams Finishes Season at Lowest Ranking Since Turning Pro
In 2006, Venus Williams finished the season as No. 46, her lowest finish since she began to play on the WTA Tour full-time in 1997. She finished higher than her sister Serena for the second consecutive year.
2000: Williams Loses to Davenport
In 2000, Venus Williams lost to Lindsay Davenport for the first time since 2000 at the Stanford Classic final.
2000: Missed Five Months
In 2000, Venus Williams missed the first five months of the year with tendinitis in both wrists.
2002: Williams Reaches US Open Final
At the 2002 US Open, Venus Williams advanced to the final after defeating Seles and Mauresmo. In the final, she played her younger sister Serena for their third consecutive Grand Slam final, with Serena winning. Williams finished the year ranked No. 2, having won seven titles.
2003: Missed Grand Slam
In 2003, Venus Williams missed the French Open, marking the first Grand Slam tournament since the 2003 US Open where neither she nor her sister Serena competed.
2003: Death of Yetunde Price
In 2003, Yetunde Price, Venus and Serena Williams's 31-year-old sister and their personal assistant, was shot dead in Compton, California.
2003: Williams Reaches US Open Semifinal
In 2007, after not playing a major semifinal outside of Wimbledon since 2003, Venus Williams reached US Open Semifinal.
2004: Williams Returns to Tour with Inconsistent Results in 2004
In 2004, Venus Williams returned to the tour with inconsistent results. She reached the third round of the Australian Open, losing to Lisa Raymond, and then lost in the quarterfinals of her next three tournaments.
2004: Williams Loses at Athens Olympics and US Open
In 2004, as the defending champion at the Athens Olympics, Venus Williams lost in the third round to Mary Pierce. At the US Open, she lost to Davenport in the fourth round, her earliest exit at the tournament. She completed the year losing in the quarterfinals of three indoor tournaments, including a loss to Maria Sharapova.
2004: First Retirement From a Match Since 2004
In 2004, at the Australian Open, Venus Williams had her first retirement from a match since 2004.
2005: Williams Reaches US Open Quarterfinals
In 2005, Venus Williams reached her fourth final of the year in Stanford, where she lost to Clijsters. At the US Open, Williams defeated her sister Serena for the second consecutive time in the fourth round but lost in the quarterfinals to Kim Clijsters. She finished the year ranked No. 10.
2005: Williams Reaches Antwerp Final
In 2005, Venus Williams started the year by losing in the fourth round of the Australian Open to Alicia Molik. She then reached the final in Antwerp, defeating Clijsters and Myskina en route, but lost to Mauresmo after being up a set and a break.
2005: Venus meets Serena for the first time since 2005
In 2008, Venus and Serena Williams played each other for the first time since 2005. Serena won despite Venus holding a match point in the third set tie break
2006: Williams Upset at Australian Open and Deals With Injury
In 2006, Venus Williams was upset in the first round of the Australian Open by Tsvetana Pironkova, marking her earliest loss at the tournament. She did not play for three months due to a wrist injury. She returned in late April on clay in Warsaw, where she defeated Hingis before losing to Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.
2006: First Round Loss at Grand Slam Since 2006
In 2006, at Wimbledon, Venus Williams had her first first-round loss at a Grand Slam since the 2006 Australian Open.
2007: Williams Reaches US Open Semifinal and Withdraws from WTA Championships
In 2007, Venus Williams reached her first major semifinal outside of Wimbledon since 2003 at the US Open, losing to Justine Henin. She then won the Korea Open in Seoul before losing in the final of the Japan Open. Williams qualified for the WTA Championships but withdrew due to anemia.
2008: Williams Reaches Australian Open Quarterfinals
In 2008, Venus Williams reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the first time since 2003, losing to Ana Ivanovic. She also made her first semifinal of the year at the Bangalore Open, losing to her sister Serena despite holding a match point.
2009: Lost to Serena Williams at WTA Tour Championships
In 2009, Venus Williams lost to her sister Serena in two sets at the WTA Tour Championships semifinals. This was their first meeting since the 2009 WTA Tour Championships.
2010: Missed Rest of Year Due to Knee Injury
In 2010, Venus Williams missed the rest of the year, including the WTA Championships, due to a left knee injury. She ended the year ranked fifth in singles.
2010: Returned to World No. 2
In 2010, Venus Williams returned to the world No. 2 position in singles but suffered again from injuries.
2011: Lost to Daniela Hantuchova
In 2011, Venus Williams made her first appearance since the Australian Open in Eastbourne, losing for the first time in eleven meetings to Daniela Hantuchová in the quarterfinals.
2011: Sjögren's Syndrome Diagnosis
In 2011, Venus Williams was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, forcing her to withdraw from the US Open. She subsequently adopted a vegan diet.
2011: Diagnosed with Sjögren's Syndrome
In 2011, Venus Williams withdrew from the US Open after being diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome. This was the first time in her career that she did not reach the quarterfinals or better in any of the Grand Slam tournaments in a season.
2012: Earliest Wimbledon Exit Matched 2012
In 2019, Venus Williams faced Coco Gauff at Wimbledon, losing in two sets, which matched 2012 as her earliest Wimbledon exit.
2013: First Time Since 2013 Failing to Finish Season Inside Top 20
In 2013, 2018 marked the first time since 2013 that Venus Williams failed to finish the season inside the top 20, ending the year ranked No. 40.
2013: 2013 Season Summary
In 2013, Venus Williams experienced a mixed season, including a first-round loss at the Roger's Cup to Kirsten Flipkens, an upset victory at the US Open against Flipkens, and a semifinal appearance in doubles with Serena Williams. She ended her season prematurely at the Kremlin Cup due to injury.
2013: Withdrawal from Wimbledon Championships
In 2013, Venus Williams pulled out of the Wimbledon Championships due to a back injury, marking the first time she missed Wimbledon in her career.
2015: Lost to Serena Williams at US Open
In 2015, Venus Williams lost to her sister Serena in the quarterfinals of the US Open in three sets.
2016: US Open
At the 2016 US Open, Williams broke the record for most major appearances with 71, surpassing Amy Frazier. She reached the fourth round, losing to Karolína Plíšková after failing to convert a match point.
2016: Rio Summer Olympics
In 2016, Williams experienced her worst Olympic exits, failing to medal in singles and doubles, losing in the first round of both events. However, with Rajeev Ram, she won a silver medal in mixed doubles, becoming the only female player (besides Kathleen McKane Godfree) to win a medal in all three events and sharing the record for most Olympic medals in tennis.
2017: 2017 Season Highlights
In 2017, Venus Williams reached the Australian Open final, her first Grand Slam final since Wimbledon 2009. She lost to her sister Serena. She also had a strong run at the Indian Wells Open, marking her first win there since 2001. She reached the semifinals of the Miami Open.
2017: Wimbledon Performance
In 2017, Venus Williams reached the Wimbledon final, marking her 13th quarterfinal and 9th final at the event. She lost to Garbiñe Muguruza. She returned to the top 10 rankings.
2018: 2018 Season Start and Australian Open
In 2018, Venus Williams started the season at the Sydney International, losing to Angelique Kerber. At the Australian Open, as a defending finalist, she lost in the first round to Belinda Bencic.
2018: 2018 US Open and Season End
In 2018, Venus Williams was handed her most-lopsided loss against Serena in five years at the US Open. She withdrew from several tournaments due to physical readiness and a knee injury, finishing the season ranked No. 40.
August 2020: Ranking Drop in August 2020
Following the Western & Southern Open tournament, Venus Williams dropped to No. 67 in the WTA 31 August 2020 rankings.
2020: Withdrawals from Brisbane and Adelaide
In 2020, Venus Williams was scheduled to start her season at the Brisbane International but withdrew before the tournament. She also had to withdraw from the Adelaide International.
2023: Return to Action and Injury Impact
Despite an injury-plagued season in 2023, Venus Williams aimed to return to action in March, but her injuries forced her to miss tournaments. She lost in the first round of both tournaments to Nao Hibino and Diana Shnaider respectively.
2023: Injury and Withdrawal from Australian Open
In 2023, Venus Williams received a main draw wildcard to the Australian Open but was forced to withdraw after sustaining an injury in her second round match against Zhu Lin in Auckland. The injury caused Williams to miss the rest of the hard court swing and the clay season.
2023: Rosmalen and Birmingham Classic
In 2023, Venus Williams received a wildcard at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships where she lost in the first round. Venus then competed in the 2023 Birmingham Classic and won her first match as a 43-year-old, defeating Camilla Giorgi in over three hours in an epic three-set thriller. It was her first victory over a top 50 player in almost four years. Williams received a wildcard to the 2023 Wimbledon main draw but lost in straight sets to Elina Svitolina in the first round, suffering a serious knee injury.
