SI

Venus Williams Posts Wholesome Throwback Pictures to Celebrate 30 Years Since Pro Debut

The tennis legend has accomplished a lot in the sport since then.

Madison Williams

Venus Williams walks onto the court before her U.S. Open match.
Venus Williams walks onto the court before her U.S. Open match. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Time really does fly.

Venus Williams posted photos on social media Thursday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her professional tennis debut, which happened back on Oct. 31, 1994 when she was 14 years old.

Williams's first professional tournament was the Silicon Valley Classic in Oakland, Calif. She started out her tennis career strong by beating former NCAA singles champion Shaun Stafford in two sets.

The pictures Williams posted are of her competing in the match and signing autographs after. That 14-year-old girl had no idea what would come of her tennis career then.

Since Williams's debut, she's won seven major titles, four Olympic gold medals and 14 doubles major titles, in addition to being ranked as the world No. 1. She has won 49 WTA singles titles and 22 WTA doubles titles.

And, Williams's professional career isn't even over yet. Even though the 44-year-old hasn't competed since the Miami Open in March, Williams has yet to officially retire from tennis. Her younger sister Serena Williams stepped away from the sport after the 2022 U.S. Open.

More of the Latest Sports News

feed

Published
Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

Home/Tennis