One imagines it’s not that easy for Venus Williams to single out a favorite memory from her many triumphant trips to Wimbledon. Perhaps the first time she lifted the women’s singles trophy in 2000, becoming the first Black woman to do so since Althea Gibson almost half a century earlier? Or claiming her sixth doubles title in 2016, having become one half of one of the most dominant pairs in tennis history with her sister Serena?
In the end, she plumps for the 2007 tournament: “I’ve spent much of my career advocating for fairness in prize money among men and women, and after winning the women’s singles championship that year, I became the first female to receive equal prize money to men at the tournament,” says Williams—who reveals she also fondly remembers the time she met the late Queen Elizabeth II at Wimbledon. “Being part of that historic moment is something I’m incredibly proud of, and every time I’m back here, I’m reminded of how meaningful it was.”
This year’s tournament marks the beginning of yet another chapter in Venus’s extraordinary Wimbledon story: she and Serena are due to compete in the women’s doubles together after receiving a wild card entry. (Their first match is scheduled for July 2, against Camila Osorio of Colombia and Solana Sierra of Argentina.)
“Serena and I have so much history at Wimbledon, both together and separately, and to compete together after a decade is such a full-circle moment that we’ll both cherish,” she says. “I feel grateful and in awe that this moment is here and so happy to share this with the world!”
Life looks rather different for Venus since the last time she and her sister triumphed together at the All England Club. She married Andrea Preti at the end of last year, after they met at a Gucci show during Milan Fashion Week, walking down the aisle in Palm Beach wearing a lace gown by Georges Hobeika (“the happiest, most beautiful, sweetest day,” she told Vogue at the time), and her Italian husband will be cheering her on from the stands. The 43-year-old’s Grand Slam prep has changed over the years too—though any opponents who suspect Williams may have eased off the gas are sorely mistaken. “I go hard and train harder!” she declares. “I can’t stop myself from spending extra time on the court to get things right. My body can handle it, but the biggest thing I’ve changed is I don’t do any running off the court anymore: just elliptical, bike, and light plyometrics to reduce impact on my knees.”
