Hear what #BreakTheBias means to sports icon and all-time tennis great Venus Williams

 March 05, 2022

Venus Williams is the 2022 guest speaker for Pfizer’s PWR Women’s History Month event and shares her point of view on what #BreakTheBias means to her.

PWR is Pfizer's global employee resource group that's focused on building an equitable future for women at Pfizer.

Thank you Pfizer for championing women, elevating the focus on women's health, and raising awareness about how we can all work to #BreakTheBias on International Women's Day and everyday.  

Venus Williams: "Breaking the bias has been my life"

"What does breaking the bias mean to me?" asks sports icon, Venus Williams.

"Breaking the bias has been my life. I'm an African-American woman from Compton, California, so I was never expected to hit the courts at Wimbledon. But I did. Why? Because breaking the bias is living your dream and not letting any stereotype or any perception stop you from doing that."

Venus explains that: "Breaking the stereotype is also helping others to live their dream as well, and to be a part of breaking down every stereotype. That's why mentoring and being a role model, for me, has been crucial because all those things help so many millions of girls and women to be stronger and to live their dreams. Also breaking stereotypes within ourselves no matter who we are, what color, whether we're the majority or the minority - we all have these stereotypes that we have to break down in order for us to move forward as equal, as one people, as one person. So that's so important to break down biases."

"And all of us have work to do and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Venus Williams is an all-time great

Venus Williams is an iconic athlete and former world No. 1 in both singles and doubles.

Venus is one of the all-time greats of tennis and ushered in a new era of power and athleticism for women on the professional tennis tour.

Venus is a pioneering champion

Venus was ranked world No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association for a total of 19 weeks. She became the first African American woman to do so in the Open Era, and the second all time since Althea Gibson. She became the world No. 1 in doubles for the first time on June 7, 2010, alongside her sister Serena, after the pair won their fourth consecutive Grand Slam doubles crown.

Venus seven Grand Slam singles titles are tied for 12th on the all-time list, and 8th on the Open Era list, more than any other active female player except her sister, Serena. Venus reached 16 Grand Slam finals, most recently at Wimbledon in 2017. Her five Wimbledon singles titles tie her with two other women for eighth place on the all-time list. She is No. 4 on the Open Era List, behind the nine titles of Martina Navratilova and the seven of Serena Williams and Steffi Graf.

From the 2000 Wimbledon Championships to the 2001 US Open, Venus won four of the six Grand Slam singles tournaments. At the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, Venus extended her record as the all-time leader, male or female, in Grand Slams played, with 90.

With her run to the 2017 Wimbledon singles final, she broke the record for longest time between first and most recent grand slam singles finals appearances. Venus was twice the season prize money leader in 2001 and 2017, and currently ranks second behind Serena in career prize money earned with over $41.8 million. Venus has also won 14 Grand Slam Women's doubles titles, all with Serena Williams; the pair is unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals. Venus also has two Mixed Doubles titles.

Venus has won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in women's doubles with her sister, along with a silver medal in mixed doubles, tying her with Kathleen McKane Godfree for the most Olympic medals won by a male or female tennis player in history. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Venus became only the second player to win Olympic gold medals in both singles and doubles at one Olympic Games, after Helen Wills Moody at the 1924 Summer Olympics (she was followed by her sister in 2012). After winning silver in mixed doubles with Rajeev Ram at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Venus became the first tennis player to win a medal at four Olympic Games, as well as the first player in the Open Era to win an Olympic medal in all three events (singles, doubles, mixed). Venus and Serena are also the only tennis players in history with four Olympic gold medals, as well as the only ones to win Olympic gold in the same event on three occasions. Venus along with her sister Serena are the only Open Era female tennis players to win Olympic Gold in both singles and doubles category.

Join with Venus Williams and work to #BreakTheBias

Join with Venus Williams and work to #BreakTheBias wherever you are, however you can.