Venus Williams WTA
United States

Venus Williams

United States

Quick Answer

Venus Williams is a 46-year-old WTA tennis player from United States. Venus plays right-handed.

📋

Quick Facts

Age 46 years
Born June 17, 1980
Plays Right-Handed
Country USA United States
Tour WTA
🏆

Career Achievements

Statistic Value
🎾

Biography & Playing Style

Early Life & Background

Born in the United States, Venus Williams showcases the remarkable journey of a young girl from Compton, California, who began playing tennis at the tender age of four. Growing up in a family that encouraged her ambitions, she quickly developed her skills on the court, training rigorously alongside her sister, Serena Williams. This early start laid the foundation for a legendary career that would redefine women's tennis.

Playing Style

Venus Williams is renowned for her powerful playing style, characterized by an aggressive serve and formidable groundstrokes. Standing tall at 185 cm, she uses her height to her advantage, delivering serves that often leave opponents scrambling. Her right-handed play combines speed and precision, making her a challenging competitor on all surfaces. With a knack for performing under pressure, she has consistently demonstrated her ability to dominate matches and secure victories.

Career Highlights

Throughout her illustrious career, Venus has amassed an impressive total of 40 career titles, including 7 Grand Slam titles. Her Grand Slam victories highlight her exceptional talent and resilience, showcasing her ability to compete at the highest level. With a stellar career win-loss record of 666-238, Venus has solidified her status as one of the most successful female players in the history of tennis. She has not only claimed numerous tournament titles but has also made a significant impact in doubles, often partnering with her sister Serena, thus enhancing their legacy as one of the greatest sibling duos in sports.

Legacy & Impact

Venus Williams holds a prominent place in tennis history, not only for her achievements on the court but also for her pioneering spirit and influence off the court. As one of the first African American women to achieve such success in the sport, she has inspired countless athletes and advocates for gender equality in sports. Her contributions extend beyond competition, as she actively works to promote women's rights and equal pay in tennis, leaving an indelible mark on the sport for future generations.

Quick Facts

  • Full Name: Venus Williams
  • Country: United States
  • Age: 45
  • Height: 185 cm
  • Career Titles: 40
  • Grand Slam Titles: 7
  • Career Win-Loss Record: 666-238

Venus Williams remains a titan in the world of tennis, embodying the spirit of determination and excellence. Her journey continues to inspire fans worldwide, proving that with hard work and passion, greatness is achievable.

Last updated: September 2026

🎾

Equipment & Gear

What Racket Does Venus Williams Use?

Venus Williams is 46 and still turning up at Grand Slams, which means her racket bag has now travelled through four decades of tennis. So what is inside it? The answer comes with a lovely family twist: after experimenting with a different frame, Venus went back to the racket her sister Serena had been using, and ended up with Serena's specifications.

The Short Answer

Venus Williams plays with a Wilson Blade 104, customised to her specifications. It is the same long-body, 104 sq in Blade model that Serena made famous, and Venus has said she is now using a frame built to the same specs as her sister's.

A Short Racket History

  • Early career: Yonex. According to equipment histories, both Williams sisters started their professional careers with Yonex frames before switching to Wilson in the late 1990s.
  • Wilson years. Venus has been a Wilson player ever since, through its changing ranges over more than two decades.
  • Blade 104 era. When Wilson launched the Blade 104 in the early 2010s, both Serena and Venus were presented as players of the new frame. It became Venus's main racket for most of the following decade.
  • The Pro Staff experiment. In the early 2020s Venus tried a Wilson Pro Staff with a head of around 98 sq in, looking for more control. In an interview around the end of 2022 she explained that it felt good in practice but became hard to manage in tournaments, and that she did not have the time to learn a new racket properly.
  • Back to the Blade, Serena's way. She switched back to the Blade 104 and, in her words, ended up "inheriting" Serena's racket: the same model built to Serena's specifications, with the kind of fine-tuning pros ask for, such as extra weight in the head or handle and small changes to the string pattern.

Racket Specifications

Wilson and Venus's team have not published her exact specifications, so any precise weight or balance figure you see online is an estimate. What we do know about the model:

  • Head size: 104 sq in, larger than most tour rackets, which gives a bigger sweet spot and more forgiveness on off-centre hits.
  • Length: the Blade 104 has been sold in an extended length (just over 27 inches), which adds leverage and reach on serve.
  • Pro customisation: her frames are adjusted to her preferences, as described above. The details are private.

Her string choice and tension have not been reliably confirmed, so we will not guess them here.

How the Racket Fits Her Game

Venus's game has always been about first-strike power: one of the biggest serves in the history of the women's game, flat groundstrokes that take time away from opponents, and a willingness to finish at the net. At 1.85 m (6'1"), she also has an enormous reach.

A larger head and slightly longer frame suit that game. They add power and stability on the serve and on returns, and a bigger sweet spot helps on the run. Her experiment with a smaller, more control-oriented Pro Staff shows the trade-off every player faces: more precision on paper, but less margin when timing is off. For a player managing Sjögren's syndrome and competing only occasionally, the more forgiving frame clearly made sense.

Still Playing in 2026

That racket is still getting use at the highest level. Venus returned to the tour in July 2025 after 16 months away and won a match at the Washington Open, beating Peyton Stearns. In January 2026 she became the oldest woman ever to play in the Australian Open main draw, and she led 4-0 in the third set against Olga Danilovic before losing a close match. She also played Indian Wells on a wild card, and at the 2026 US Open she teamed up with Serena, back from retirement for doubles, in a first-round match that went to a deciding tie-break before they lost to Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan.

Her Career in Brief

  • 7 Grand Slam singles titles: 5 Wimbledon, 2 US Open
  • 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles with Serena, plus 2 mixed doubles titles
  • 4 Olympic gold medals (2000 singles and doubles, 2008 and 2012 doubles) and a 2016 mixed doubles silver
  • 49 WTA singles titles
  • World No. 1 in singles, first reached in February 2002

If You Want Something Similar

The easiest way to play a Venus-style setup is simply to look at the current Wilson Blade 104, which is still in the Blade range. A few things to know:

  • Who it suits: players with long, fluid swings who want a larger sweet spot and some help with power, without giving up the Blade's feel.
  • The extra length helps on serve but can feel slower on quick exchanges at the net; try it before you commit.
  • Alternatives: the Wilson Blade 100 gives a similar feel in a standard-length, 100 sq in frame, and the Wilson Clash 100 offers a softer, more flexible feel for players who want comfort.

The Bottom Line

Venus's racket story is really a sister story. After three decades of trying things, she ended up with a Blade 104 built just like Serena's, and in 2026 the two of them walked out together on a US Open court with it. Some equipment choices are about specs; some are about family.

💰

Net Worth & Earnings

Venus Williams Net Worth in 2026

Venus Williams has been earning money from tennis since the 1990s, and in 2026 she is still doing it: a wild card at the Australian Open at 45, Indian Wells in March, and a US Open doubles match with Serena in September. Along the way she has helped win equal prize money for women at Wimbledon, built businesses, and signed what was then the richest endorsement deal ever given to a female athlete. Here is what is known about her fortune, and what is only estimated.

The Short Answer

Online estimates of Venus Williams' net worth commonly land somewhere between $90 million and $100 million or more. These figures are not published by Venus or her companies. They are built from her prize money, her reported endorsement deals and guesses about the value of her businesses and investments, so treat any precise number with caution.

Career Prize Money

Venus has earned more than $42 million in official WTA prize money, fourth on the women's all-time list. She led the tour in season prize money in 2001 and again in 2017, 16 years apart, which says a lot about the length of her career.

The results behind that money:

  • 7 Grand Slam singles titles: Wimbledon in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008, and the US Open in 2000 and 2001
  • 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles with Serena, plus 2 mixed doubles titles
  • 4 Olympic gold medals: singles and doubles in 2000, doubles in 2008 and 2012, plus mixed doubles silver in 2016
  • 49 WTA singles titles
  • World No. 1, first reached on 25 February 2002

There is also a wider story here. Venus campaigned publicly for equal prize money at Wimbledon, and in 2007 the tournament finally paid men and women the same. She then won the title that year. To see how player pay works today, read our guide to how much tennis players earn.

Endorsements

Venus's endorsement income has been at least as important as her prize money. The most famous deal came in December 2000, when she signed with Reebok for a reported $40 million over five years, at the time the richest endorsement contract ever for a female athlete. She was only 20.

She has worked with many other brands over the years, and she has had a long relationship with Wilson, whose rackets she plays. Most of her contract values have not been published, so the Reebok figure is the only really well-documented number.

The Businesses

This is where Venus stands out from most tennis players. She has spent more than two decades building companies of her own:

  • V Starr. She founded the interior design firm in 2002, and it has worked on residential and commercial projects.
  • EleVen by Venus Williams. Her activewear line, founded in 2007, was her signature on-court clothing for years. In February 2024 she announced that EleVen was pausing operations to "refine" its strategy, calling it "not a farewell but a see you soon".
  • Happy Viking. A plant-based nutrition company she launched in the 2020s.
  • Miami Dolphins. In 2009 Venus and Serena bought a minority stake in the NFL team, becoming the first African American women to hold an ownership share in an NFL franchise. The size of their stake has not been disclosed, but NFL valuations have risen sharply since then.

We do not know how profitable each of these ventures has been, which is one reason net worth estimates vary so widely.

Still Competing in 2026

Venus has never formally retired. After 16 months away, she returned in July 2025 and won a match at the Washington Open. In January 2026 she became the oldest woman ever to play in the Australian Open main draw, losing a tight three-setter to Olga Danilovic after leading 4-0 in the final set. She played Indian Wells on a wild card, and at the 2026 US Open she partnered Serena, who came out of retirement to play doubles, losing a first-round thriller in a deciding tie-break. Every appearance adds a little to her prize money, although at this stage she is clearly playing for the love of it.

She married Italian actor and model Andrea Preti in 2025, with a ceremony in Italy in September and a second wedding in Palm Beach in December.

How She Compares

Serena Williams earned more than twice as much prize money and is usually estimated to be far wealthier, partly thanks to her venture capital firm. But Venus sits comfortably among the richest women the sport has produced, and her pioneering role in both equal pay and athlete-owned business is part of what makes her story unusual.

Key Financial Facts

  • Estimated net worth: commonly reported around $90-100 million or more; no official figure exists
  • Official WTA career prize money: more than $42 million (4th all-time among women)
  • Landmark deal: Reebok, reported $40 million over five years (2000)
  • Businesses: V Starr (interior design), EleVen (activewear, paused in 2024), Happy Viking (nutrition)
  • Investments: minority stake in the Miami Dolphins since 2009, with Serena
  • Still active: Australian Open 2026 (oldest woman in the main draw), US Open 2026 doubles with Serena

The Bottom Line

Venus Williams' fortune is built on three pillars: a legendary playing career, one of the richest endorsement deals of her era, and more than 20 years as a business owner. Whatever the exact number, few athletes in any sport have turned a playing career into such a varied portfolio, and at 46 she is still adding chapters.

Inside Venus Williams's World

Latest news, records, gear, and stories featuring Venus.

Lifestyle Serena Williams Is Back on a Tennis Court at 44 — and It Looks Like Pure Joy. Live data WTA Rankings How math works WTA Ranking Points System overview How Rankings Work Income reality How Much Players Earn All-time stats Tennis Records Grand Slams + Masters Tournament Guides Scoring, sets, tiebreak Tennis Rules Streaming & TV How to Watch Tennis