Venus Williams' Net Worth Will Blow Your Mind
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It pays to be one of the greats.
Venus Williams' net worth reflects decades of hard work on and off the court.
Venus rose up in the tennis ranks alongside her sister and fellow tennis champion, Serena Williams, and since then they've both changed the face of tennis for a multitude of reasons. As a young Black woman, they each managed to consistently out-earn and outplay their competition to become two of the most famous tennis players of all time—and honestly, their biggest competition is really each other.
Venus has not only broken glass ceilings, she has broken many records in the tennis world. Which leads many people to question, what is Venus Williams’ net worth? Surely an athlete as decorated and well-known as her would be raking in the big bucks, right?
Here is everything you need to know about Venus Williams’ net worth.
How did Venus Williams become famous?
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is one of the most decorated athletes of all time. Not just a standout among female athletes, she stands shoulder-to-shoulder with her male colleagues. Turning pro at the young age of 14, in 1994, Venus and her younger sister Serena began turning heads in the tennis community early on.
Venus’ first major final was at the 1997 US Open. 2000 would turn out to be a fantastic year for the athlete as she claimed Wimbledon and US Open titles in addition to earning an Olympic singles gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In 2001, Venus also earned Wimbledon and US Open titles as well.
Venus became the first Black woman to reach No. 1 in the singles world in the Open Era of tennis in February of 2002, as well as the second Black woman to earn this accolade after Althea Gibson. Venus has seven Grand Slam singles titles, five Wimbledon singles titles, and two US Open singles titles.
She has won 14 major women’s doubles titles alongside her sister Serena — in fact, the duo is undefeated in Grand Slam doubles finals. In addition, she and her sister earned three Olympic gold medals for women’s doubles in 2000, 2008 and 2012.
Related: Tennis Champ Venus Williams on Getting Her Game On! for CBS and What New Fear She Discovered!
What is Venus Williams' net worth in 2023?
As of right now, Venus Williams’ net worth in 2023 is estimated at an astounding $95 million!
Who is richer, Serena or Venus Williams?
Venus will forever be closely tied to her sister Serena. The sisters are two of the greatest tennis players to have ever graced the courts and they dominated as a women’s doubles duo. So, who has more money to show for it, Serena or Venus?
Serena Williams is actually the highest-earning female tennis player with an estimated net worth of $250 million. That is over $100 million more than her sister Venus’ worth.
What does Venus Williams’ husband do for a living?
Venus Williams is not married and has never been married. Her most recent relationship was with Nicholas “Nicky” Hammond, a successful financier and heir to the Annenberg family fortune. They dated from 2017 to 2019, even attending Venus’ sister Serena’s wedding to Alexis Ohanian together.
Venus also datedHank Kuehne, a pro golfer, for three years, from 2007 to 2010. She was also linked to Cuban model Elio Pis in 2012 after the two collaborated on her EleVen fashion line.
As for Venus’ feelings about marriage? In a 2021 interview with Cosmopolitan the subject came up, “As she goes into another year, she says she is very much in love with the freedom her life allows her and doesn’t feel influenced by the societal pressures that often tell women we need to settle down and start a family. ‘I have a lot of friends who don’t believe me when I say that I like my life and I don’t want to change it for any reason. I’m not desperate and they don’t believe me,’ she says, with a slight chuckle, about being single. ‘They say things like, ‘You’re going to miss your window.’ I’m like, ‘Please, relax. You might feel this way, but I don’t. I promise you I don’t.’”
So, it appears Venus doesn’t feel any pressure to settle down any time soon.
Related: Venus Williams on Work-Life Balance: 'There's No Such Thing as Real Balance'
What is Venus Williams’ illness?
Many were surprised to find out that Venus actually suffers from an autoimmune disease called Sjögren's syndrome. Sjögren's syndrome affects 4 million people in the United States. Venus began feeling the effects of the disease as far back as 2004, which included symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath. But, she was not diagnosed for another seven years.
Venus unfortunately had her ability to play tennis greatly affected by Sjögren’s, especially before her diagnosis.
Sjögren's syndrome is a rheumatic disease with its main symptoms being dry eyes and dry mouth. Sjogren's sufferers may also experience joint pains, muscle aches and inflammation of major organs. Sjögren’s syndrome has no cure but can be treated with medication and lifestyle changes.
Venus told Prevention that she wants other who suffer the disease to hear the following straight from her: "Don’t be discouraged, because what [you 're] going through is similar to other people. Talk to those people who understand you or have a similar condition, reach out, and build a [support] team. Don’t isolate yourself. Don’t give up."
Related: This Is Venus Williams' Biggest Obstacle
How much does Venus Williams make a year?
Many professional athletes make the majority of their money off of the court, with paid appearances and endorsement deals. Venus fits this profile as she has earned some high-profile and lucrative endorsements in her career.
Including her income from professional tennis and endorsements, Venus tends to earn around $7 million a year, give or take. For instance, in 2019 she earned around $5.9 million, $5 million of which came from her endorsements, making her the 10th highest-paid female athlete in the world.
How much does Venus Williams make per match?
It is not quite clear how much Venus Williams makes per match as each tournament and match has its own prize money associated with them. The prize amount varies for each tournament.
For the majority of the history of tennis, female players were paid less than their male counterparts. Back in 2007, when Venus earned her fourth Wimbledon tournament win, she became the first female tennis player to receive prize money equal to that of the male winner. Nowadays, for all major tennis events, equal prize money is awarded to men and women.
As of spring 2021, Venus had played a total of 1073 singles matches throughout her career up to that point. Looking at the money she had earned to that point in her tennis career, it can be estimated she had an average earning of around $88,500 for each game.
How much did Nike give Venus Williams?
In a moment depicted in King Richard, the Academy Award-winning biopic about Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena, a Nike executive offers Venus a $3 million endorsement contract the night before her first competitive match in three years. This true-to-life moment resulted in a turning point for the tennis star.
Did Venus Williams turn down the Nike deal?
Just as seen in the movie, Venus Williams did turn down the Nike deal. She believed after her talent was displayed on the court once again, she would be able to land an even more lucrative offer—which ended up happening.
Who sponsors Venus Williams?
Venus Williams has worked with several sponsors in her time, including Alcon, American Express, Asutra, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Clif Bar & Co, GhostBed, PlantX Life, Stitch Fix, Venus Concept and Zeel. She has also had endorsement deals with Wilson, Tide, Kraft, Electronic Arts, Ralph Lauren, Reebok and Lacoste.
In addition, the tennis star has her own apparel line, EleVen, and was an Executive Producer on the 2021 biopic about her father, King Richard, for which Will Smith earned an Academy Award.
How much was Venus' first endorsement deal?
In 1995, a then 15-year-old Venus was ranked third in the world and signed her first endorsement deal with Reebok. The eight-figure $12 million deal was the first of its kind for a female tennis player, nevermind a Black female tennis player.
Five years later, in 2000, Venus would sign another endorsement deal with Reebok for a reported $40 million for five years, which was at the time the richest endorsement deal ever awarded to a female athlete.
