Serena & Venus Williams News, Pictures, Photos, Video, Bio, Wallpapers

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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.