With 36 singles titles and nine doubles titles to her name, the elder Williams sister has earned the right to be called the greatest.
'Not many players would be able to successfully manage a great tennis career alongside two off-court businesses.'
Venus Williams may still be playing - unlike most of the women who have been etched into tennis history - but the American has proved time and time again that she is a true champion.
Alongside younger sister Serena, she is one the most spectacular tennis players of all time. Venus became the first African American woman ranked number one in the world. She spent 11 weeks at the top spot before relinquishing it to younger sister Serena. Since ranking inside the world's top 20 in 1997, Venus has only once finished the year ranked lower.
The last 13 years have seen her claim an incredible 36 singles titles and nine doubles titles. More outstanding is the fact that she has won six Grand Slam titles. These include four at Wimbledon, making her only the fourth woman in history to achieve that feat.
Her other successes came at the US Open and, even though the French and Australian titles still elude her, she has reached the final of both, where she lost out to - you've guessed it - her little sister Serena.
Besides being a dominant force in singles, she continues to be an outstanding doubles player, winning nine titles alongside Serena. During that time the sister act completed a Career Slam together - also referred to as the Sister Slam. But in 1998 she also paired with Justin Gimelstob to triumph at the Australian Open and Roland Garros in mixed doubles.
Perhaps one of her biggest achievements came in 2000 during the Sydney Olympics. She stormed her way through the singles draw only losing sets to Monica Seles and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario before claiming the gold medal.
She also teamed up with Serena to win gold in the doubles, losing a single set in the second round to Anastasia Myskina and Elena Likhovtseva. With this feat Williams became only the second woman in history to claim both gold medals.
Like Serena, she embraces the ability to compete on every surface. In the past, lingering injuries have haunted her but she has shown over and over again that it doesn’t matter how much time she spends away from the tour - whenever she graces the court she can never be counted out.
Not only is she an extraordinary success on the court, but also her personal endeavors set her apart. She continues to run her interior design company, V.Starr Interiors, as well as designing her own fashion line, EleVen. Not many players would be able to successfully manage a great tennis career alongside two off-court businesses.
A lot of people across the globe will argue that Venus isn’t one of the greatest players of all time. But how can you possibly argue with her Grand Slam record, her Olympic medals and number one ranking? Even her career match record of 482- 114 is staggering.
In my view, Venus Williams is a tennis great - no matter how much scrutiny she receives.
Is Venus Williams the greatest female tennis player of all time? Comment below, or write your own piece on who you think is the best.