One of the best players in Women's Tennis history, Venus Williams celebrates her 40th birthday on Wednesday (June 17, 2020). The former World No. 1 is a force to reckon with on the court and her records speak volumes of her capabilities. The eldest of the Williams sisters, Venus is a powerful baseliner and her agility around the net makes her an absolute nightmare for the opposition. The American star might be in the twilight of her career. However, she still desires to add some more feathers to her already illustrious hat. Below, we’ll look at some lesser-known facts about her. Serena Williams Proud of Husband Alexis Ohanian’s Decision to Vacate Reddit Board for Black Replacement.

Williams began his professional tennis career in October 1994 at the age of 14. Her ability to smash the ball with a rocket-fast speed bagged a lot of eyeballs early in her career. After years of hard work, Williams eventually went to clinch his maiden singles grand slam title in 2000 Wimbledon. In the same tournament, she joined forces with sister Serena to win the women’s doubles title as well. In fact, it will not be wrong to say that the Williams sisters have played the most significant role in the rise of Women’s tennis. Meanwhile, as the American star turns a year older, let’s have a look at some lesser-known facts about her.

1. Venus Williams was born to Richard Williams and Oracene Price on June 17, 1980, in California, USA.

2. Williams holds the record of the second-fastest serve (129 mph) in the history of Women's Tennis.

3. The veteran player has won seven singles, 14 doubles and two mixed doubles grand slam titles.

4. She is the first African-American woman to be ranked World No. 1 by the Women’s Tennis Association.

5. Venus and her sister Serena are only the two women to win four Olympic gold medals in tennis.

6. The american star holds the record of making most appearances (85) in grand slams singles draws.

7. She is also one of the two active WTA players to have reached the finals of all four grand slams, sister Serena Williams being the other one with the feat.

Placed at the 67th position in the latest WTA rankings, Venus still eyes to clinch the French Open and Australian Open titles. In a recent interaction, Venus admitted that she’s in the fag-end of her career. However, she’s no mood in hanging up her racquet anytime soon. "You always have to have dreams, so I keep having them," Williams told the Tennis Majors website. "I probably won't be playing as long as what I have already played. We'll see how I feel. I still love winning as much, but when it's over, it's over,” added the legendary player.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 17, 2020 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).