Venus Ebony Starr Williams (born June 17, 1980) is an American professional tennis player who is generally regarded as one of the all-time greats of women's tennis and who, along with younger sister Serena Williams, is credited with ushering in a new era of power and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour.

Ranked World No. 11 in singles as of January 28, 2017, Williams has been ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on three occasions, for a total of 11 weeks. She first became the World No. 1 on February 25, 2002, the first African American woman to do so in the Open Era.

Her seven Grand Slam singles titles ties her twelfth on the all-time list, more than any other active female player except sister Serena. She has also won fourteen Grand Slam doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles. Her five Wimbledon singles titles ties her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. Williams is one of four women to have won five or more Wimbledon singles titles in the Open Era. From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2001 US Open, Williams won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments held. She is one of only six women in the Open Era to win 200 or more main draw Grand Slam singles matches. As of the 2017 Australian Open, Williams extends her record as the all-time leader, male or female, in Grand Slams played, with 73. Furthermore, Williams' run to the 2017 Australian Open Women's Singles final set the record for longest span between singles slam finals in the open era at 20 years, the beginning of which was marked by her appearance in the singles final at the 1997 US Open.

Williams has won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in women's doubles, along with a silver medal in mixed doubles. She and Serena have won more Olympic gold medals than any other tennis player, male or female. Venus also holds the record for the most Olympic medals won by a male or female player shared with Kathleen McKane Godfree and the only player to have won a medal at four separate Olympic Games. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Williams became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at the same Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody in 1924.

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