Did Venus Williams retire from tennis?

Venus Williams has not yet announced her retirement from professional tennis.

Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American tennis player who was born on June 17, 1980. Williams, a former No. 1 in both singles and doubles, has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, including two at the US Open and five at Wimbledon. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes to ever play the game.

Venus Williams was coached by her parents, Oracene Price and Richard Williams, along with her younger sister, Serena. Her first major final came at the 1997 US Open after she turned professional in 1994. Williams won the Wimbledon and US Open titles in 2000 and 2001, and she also won the Olympic singles gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

On February 25, 2002, she became the second African American woman ever, after Althea Gibson, to hold the No. 1 singles ranking, making history as the first African American woman to do so during the Open era.

Serena and Venus Williams have an undefeated record in Grand Slam doubles finals. In addition to her seven major singles titles, Williams has also won 14 major doubles titles. On June 7, 2010, she and Serena won the non-calendar-year Grand Slam at the French Open, and she rose to the top of the doubles rankings for the first time.

In addition to Venus' gold in singles in 2000 and her silver in mixed doubles in 2016, the pair also captured three Olympic gold medals in women's doubles in 2000, 2008, and 2012. Williams also took home two major mixed doubles titles, both in 1998.

Venus Williams' retirement rumors: Fact or fiction?

Venus Williams has not formally declared her tennis retirement as of yet. Though there are rumors that she may soon retire, given that she is 43 years old and age plays a big part in an athlete's life.

At any Grand Slam tournament since 2018, Venus has failed to reach past the third round. Moreover, she has been hampered by injuries and has had to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open. But she is still as committed and determined as she was before.

When she competed at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, only her second major in the previous eight, she had just emerged from a protracted period of anonymity. Thus, concerns about her retirement were raised.

Venus, however, is pursuing more history and might continue to play well into her fifties. She said, "It’s never been done before, so if there was one to try it, it would be me."

How many WTA titles does Venus Williams have?

A new era of strength and athleticism on the women's professional tennis tour is credited to the Williams sisters. Williams holds the most singles titles among active players, with 49 WTA Tour titles.

Her combined total of 73 WTA titles, which includes 22 WTA doubles titles and two mixed doubles titles, is also the highest among active players.

She is also the only active player to have advanced to all four major singles finals. Williams led the season prize money two times (in 2001 and 2017), and as of July 2023, she was second only to Serena in terms of total career prize money winnings with over $42 million.