Venus Williams Visits D.C., Promotes New Book

By Alexa Gitler - Talk Radio News Service

Tennis superstar Venus Williams was at the National Press Club Wednesday promoting her new book Come To Win that was recently released in June. Williams, who is in Washington to play Martina Hingis Wednesday for her team, the Washington Kastles, said tennis helped shape the person she is today.

“Sports prepare you for a life full of successful moment sand some moments of failure,” Williams said. “It has taught me to set goals and write them down so you can see them with your own eyes, which is something my father taught me from the beginning.”

Williams, recognized as the first African-American woman to win a major tennis championship, is also a key advocate for womens equality in sports. Despite years of protest, in 2005 the French Open and Wimbledon still refused to pay women’s and men’s players equally through all rounds.

Williams said she met with officials from both tournaments that year and argued that female athletes should be paid as much as males. Under enormous pressure, Wimbledon announced in 2007 that it would award equal prize money to all competitors in all rounds. Coincidentally, Venus became the first woman to benefit from Wimbledon’s big change in 2007 when she was awarded the same amount as Roger Federer. 

“I hope that my legacy will not only be remembered for the championships I won, but remembered for equal pay and large steps that women’s rights took that day,” said Williams.