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Sports
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Serena
& Venus Williams

Most
recently in the news for their matchup in the 2009 Wimbledon
final, Venus and Serena Williams are the celebrity tennis stars
groomed from an early age to win big.
Born
in Lynwood, California Venus Williams (b. June 17, 1980) and younger
sister, Serena Williams (b. September 26, 1981, in Saginaw, Michigan)
both grew up in the Los Angeles suburb of Compton, California
and were coached by their father from a very young age.
Both
girls were playing in tournaments before their teens, but their
father/manager abruptly pulled them from competition to finish
their schooling - a move that, at the time, both raised eyebrows
and earned praise for the decision.
Home schooled
by their mother, it was Venus who turned pro at 14 and three years
short years made it to the U.S. Open only to be defeated by Martina
Hingis in 1997. Meanwhile, sister Serena was already rising through
the ranks and in 1999 became the first sister to win a Grand Slam
event at the U.S.
Open. The following year, it was Venus' turn - as she defeated
Lindsey
Davenport to win the 2000 Wimbledon
championship - with both sisters easily taking the Wimbledon doubles
title that year. Since then, Venus and Serena Williams have been
two of the most watched players on the women's tennis circuit.
In 2005, Serena
was victorious at the Australian Open, overcoming a back injury
to again beat Lindsey Davenport (2-6, 6-3, 6-0) in the final.
In March,
2005, the battle of the Williams sisters at the Nasdaq 100 Open
went to Venus, who was later
victorious in a grueling match with Lindsey Davenport to finally
take the ladies' championship at Wimbledon
in 2005.
As the defending
champ in the Australian
Open in 2006, Serena was ousted in the third round by Daniela
Hantuchova. However, in 2007 Serena staged a dramatic comeback
in Melbourne by defeating Maria
Sharapova in the women's final.
Venus later
took her fourth women's title at Wimbledon against France's Marion
Bartoli in the July 2007 final, but a year later announced
an open-ended hiatus from the sport citing an undisclosed medical
condition. In 2008, however, the pair faced off at the women's
final at Wimbledon for the first time since 2003 with Venus overpowering
her sibling 7-5 6-4.
In 2008, Serena
beat sister Venus in a U.S.
Open matchup in the quarterfinals to achieve ultimate victory
in the women's final against Serbian
champ Jelena Jankovic. Serena is now the No. 1 seeded womens player
in the world.
Most
recenlty, the sisters squared off again at the 2009 Wimbledon
ladies final, with Serena clinching her third Wimbledon win and
11th Grand Slam crown with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 victory over sister
Venus.
Off the court,
Serena and Venus were the subjects of a reality TV show on the
ABC Family network entitled Venus and Serena : For Real,
which debuted in July 2005.
Williamssisters.org
- Profiles, rankings, the latest news and complete biographies,
picture galleries, message board and related links.
Serena
Williams Official Site
- Like it says, with an extensive photo gallery, regular blog
postings, news.
Venus
Williams Official Supporters Site
- Fan tributes and all the latest news, archive, photos &
video clips.
The
Oprah Winfrey Show - Venus and Serena Williams -
Audio transcript and video clips of the sisters' 2002 appearance.
also see->
Andre
Agassi | Roger
Federer | Lleyton
Hewitt
Anna
Kournikova | Rafael
Nadal | Andy
Roddick | Marat
Safin
Maria
Sharapova
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