Serena Williams, the younger of the two talented Williams sisters, has had a more successful tennis career than Venus Williams. The sisters often play doubles together and are the richest female athletes in the world.
Comparison chart
 | Serena Williams | Venus Williams |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Full Name | Serena Jameka Williams. | Venus Ebone Starr Williams. |
| Date of birth | September 26, 1981. | June 17, 1980. |
| Place of Birth | Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. | Lynwood, California. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in. | 6 ft 1 in. |
| Weight | 155 lbs. | 159.8 lbs. |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand). | Right-handed (two-handed backhand). |
| Turned Pro | 1995 | 1994 |
| Career Prize Money | $74,083,42 (highest among women athletes and 4th highest among tennis athletes of any gender). | $32,608,015 (second-highest among women tennis athletes). |
| Highest Ranking in Singles | No. 1 (July 8, 2002). | No. 1 (June 7, 2010). |
| Current Ranking in Singles | No. 1 (Jan 5, 2016). | No. 7 (Jan 5, 2016). |
| Career Record in Singles | 737–123 (85.7%). | 711-193 (78.65%). |
| Career Titles in Singles | 69 WTA. | 48 |
| Career Record in Doubles | 177-28 (86.8%) | 174–30 (85.29%) |
| Career Titles in Doubles | 22 | 21 WTA |
| Grand Slam Singles Titles | Won 21: Australian Open (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015); French Open (2002, 2013, 2015); US Open (1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014); Wimbledon (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015). | Won 7: US Open (2000, 2001); Wimbledon (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008). |
| Grand Slam Doubles Titles | Won 13: Australian Open (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010); French Open (1999, 2010); US Open (1999, 2009); Wimbledon (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012). | Won 13: Australian Open (2001, 2003, 2009, 2010); French Open (1999, 2010); US Open (1999, 2009); Wimbledon (2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012). |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles Titles | Won 2: US Open (1998); Wimbledon (1998). | Won 2: Australian Open (1998); French Open (1998) |
| Olympic Gold Medals | Won 4: 2000 (Sydney; Doubles), 2008 (Beijing; Doubles), 2012 (London; Singles and Doubles) | Won 4: 2000 (Sydney; Singles and Doubles), 2008 (Beijing; Doubles), 2012 (London; Doubles) |
| Off Court | Serena has her own line of designer clothing called Aneres — her first name spelled backward (a la Oprah Winfrey and Harpo productions). She has also had a lucrative career in advertisements. | Venus is a businesswoman and CEO of her interior design firm "V Starr Interiors" located in Jupiter, Florida. Most recently Venus Williams has teamed up with retailer Steve & Barry's to launch her own fashion line EleVen. |
Early Life
Serena Williams was born on September 26, 1981 in Saginaw, Michigan. She began playing tennis in California at age five and was home-schooled and coached by her parents. Her family moved from Compton to West Palm Beach when she was nine so she could attend Rick Macci’s tennis academy. He provided additional coaching. Serena Williams began playing professionally in September 1995 at age 15.
Venus Williams was born June 17, 1980 in Lynwood, California. She started playing tennis at age four and moved with her family to West Palm Beach at age 10 to also attend Macci’s academy. She turned professional on October 31, 1994 at age 14.
Playing Style
Serena Williams is a baseline player. She takes immediate control of rallies using a powerful serve and return and forceful groundstrokes. Her serve can be up to 128mph.
Venus Williams is also a baseline player with an attacking all-court game. She is most comfortable playing on grass. She is a skillful volleyer with great court coverage. She has the record for the fastest serve by a woman, with 130mph at the Zurich Open.
Grand Slams
Serena Williams won 21 Grand Slam singles titles. She’s been in 13 Grand Slam doubles finals, winning them all. She always partners with her sister, Venus, for women's doubles tournaments. She has also been in 4 Grand Slam mixed double finals, winning 2 of them.
Venus Williams has been in 14 Grand Slam singles finals, winning 7 titles. She has won 13 Grand Slam finals with her sister and two mixed double finals.
Ranking
As of January 5, 2016, Serena Williams is the No. 1 ranked tennis player in the world, while Venus Williams is ranked No. 7.
On July 8, 2002, Serena Williams reached No. 1 among female tennis players. Since then, she has earned this ranking for numerous weeks on end, last achieving it on Dec 28, 2015; she has been ranked World No. 1 by the WTA on eleven separate occasions. She’s ranked as the 7th best female tennis player of all time, though her fans argue that given her consistent performance for well over a decade, she is probably the best of all time.
Venus Williams first ranked No. 1 on February 5, 2002, when she became the first African American woman to achieve this ranking during the Open Era. The WTA has ranked her World No. 1 on three separate occasions. She is tied for 12th place as the best female player of all time.
Olympics
Serena and Venus Williams have both won four Olympic gold medals: one each in singles and three together in doubles.
The Olympic Gold medal records for Serena and Venus are:
| Serena Williams | Venus Williams | |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 Sydney | Doubles | Singles & Doubles |
| 2008 Beijing | Doubles | Doubles |
| 2012 London | Singles & Doubles | Doubles |
Prize Money
Serena Williams has won over $74 million in prize money. Not only is she the richest female athlete, she is the only female player to have won over $35 million in prize money.
Venus Williams has won over $32 million in prize money over her career. While that is less than her sister, it is the second-highest by any female athlete.
Venus Williams' Fight for Equal Prize Money
Venus Williams was a leader in the fight for equal prize money for male and female players. She met with officials in the French Open and Wimbledon in 2005, but her demands were rejected. She wrote an essay for The Times immediately before Wimbledon 2006, criticizing them for this decision. Her arguments were endorsed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and members of the British Parliament, and she was asked by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to lead a campaign promoting gender equality in sport. Wimbledon announced in February 2007 that it would award equal prize money to all competitors in all rounds, and the French Open followed a day later.
Head-to-Head
Serena has a better record than Venus Williams in a head-to-head comparison for direct encounters against each other. Of the 27 matches the sisters have played against each other, Serena has won 16 and Venus has won 11 of them.
Since this chart was created, Serena and Venus Williams have played 4 more matches (one each in 2013 and 2014; two in 2015) of which Serena Williams won 3.
Controversies
In the 2009 US Open, Williams was given a warning after slamming her racquet on the court over a lost set. Later in the same match, Williams was given a foot fault, after which gestured with her racquet at the lineswoman and yelled at her, including profanities. She was penalized a point for unsportsmanlike behavior, and was given an on-site fine of $10,000. She was later fined $175,000 and placed on two year probation. In the 2011 US Open, Williams directed abuse at an umpire and was fined $2000.
Venus Williams has not been involved in any controversies.
Off-court
Serena Williams is an undergraduate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She has had special clothing lines with Puma and Nike, and has her own designer line called Aneres. She is a part owner of Miami Dolphins and helped fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya.
Venus Williams earned her associate degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale on December 13th 2007. She is pursuing a BA in business at Indiana University East and aims to earn an MBA. She is the chief executive officer of her interior design firm “V Starr Interiors” and has launched her own fashion line, EleVen. She is a part-owner of the Miami Dolphins.
Awards
The Williams sisters have won several awards in their career. Serena Williams' awards include TIME Magazine World’s 100 Most Influential People, WTA Player of the Year and the BET Award for Female Athlete of the Year. Venus Williams' awards include Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women in the World, WTA Player of the Year and BET’s Best Female Athlete of the Year.
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