Product Description
On Althea Gibson, America's first African American tennis champion:

"I am grateful to Althea Gibson for having the strength and courage to break through the racial barriers in tennis. She knocked down walls that gave us more freedom to concentrate on the game. . . . Althea's accomplishments set the stage for my success, but she also made a difference for people of all backgrounds in all areas. Through beneficiaries like me, Serena, and many others to come, her legacy will live on."
-Venus Williams

"She just meant so much to me. I've always felt connected to her and thankful and grateful for what she's done for people of color and me."
-Billie Jean King

"Althea built many bridges over her seventy-six years on this earth to ease our crossing. . . . She fought the good fight, she finished her course, she kept her faith, and she can rest-game, set, and match."
-David Dinkins
former mayor of New York City

"It was the quiet dignity with which Althea carried herself during the turbulent days of the 1950s that was truly remarkable. . . . When she began playing, less than five percent of tennis newcomers were minorities. Today, some thirty percent are minorities, two-thirds of whom are African American. This is her legacy."
-Alan Schwartz
President, U.S. Tennis Association ... Read more

Product Description
Venus.

Customer Reviews (30)

Would love a sequel
J. Wertheim writes a great online tennis column for SI.I read it everyday and I'm appreciative of his knowledge and love of the sport.Behind the scenes are many players struggling, not just the stars.It was also sad to hear how many vulnerable young girls are exploited by their coaches.Parents should keep a watchful eye on their girls and not expect them to support the family.That is of course the downside of the tour.The good side is that it give many with talent a chance to do what they love and make a living.Currently the tour pays much more and lower ranked players have more of a chance to make a living.Serena and Venus no longer dominate, but they can win big matches while only playing part time. The overall level of the game has risen and the competition is even fiercer.Please write a sequel.

Not A Venus Williams Bio
I overlooked this gem for years, thinking it was just about Venus Williams. Not so. It's a great, candid look at some of the players on the WTA tour, circa 2000, most of whom are now retired, such as Monica Seles, Jennifer Capriati and the soon-to-be Lindsey Davenport. Since the book came out, Martina Hingis retired, then came back to top 10 results, though not like when she was burning up Grand Slams as a teenager. The author is a bit too worshipful of the Williams sisters, though he accurately paints Richard Williams as nuts. If you follow tennis, you'll want to read this, though the definitive insider look at the WTA tour is still to be written.

If it's compelling, they will come ...
This book, though dated now, chronicles the re-emergence of women's tennis as one of the world's most popular, most intriguing and most marketable sports.

For the better part of the 1990s, all we heard from tennis aficionados was how the sport was dead in the USA, how the dominance of Steffi Graf & Monica Seles failed to raise the sport's profile a la Martina & Chris and how the women's game pailed miserably in comparison to what was a bustling men's game (you still had Sampras, Agassi, Becker, Moya, Bruguera, Courier, Chang, Washington, Stich, Henman and Rafter doing wonders for the sport's popularity).

BUT, along comes a new, different and exciting generation of young pony-tailed, bleached-blond and beaded wonders who were as eye-catching in appearance as their game's were revolutionary, aggressive and athletic.

This book attempts to capture the essence of what Martina Hingis, the Williams sisters and Anna Kournikova brought to a table that already included notable top players like Lindsay Davenport and Mary Pierce.

You'll get a refreshing behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the women's locker room.

You've got the smug, borderline arrogant Hingis, the world No. 1 that everyone respects but nobody really likes off court.

You've got the Hingis-foil Williams sisters who couldn't be more different: African-American, large, strong and coming up from the hood to wreck havoc on the lily white, privileged tennis establishment.

Then you've got the sex-kitten, Lolita type in Anna Kournikova -- a celebral player with good hands to match that gets more credit for the skimpy outfits and goldie locks, girly girly appeal that sent pre-pubescent kids & dirty old men into a frenzy a like.

All four players were immensely talented and all contributed to the rivalries that gave rise to the pro women's tennis circuit heading into the new millennium.

This book specifically will look at the 2000 women's tennis season, so it'll focus on Venus Williams' ascent to becoming the best player in the world with wins at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Olympics.

However, this book easily could've been used on a broader scale to examine women's tennis: 1997-2001.

That's what I'd consider the golden age of the sport's re-emergence in popularity.Hingis, the Williamses, Kournikova, Capriati, Davenport and Pierce were at their best and you literally didn't know who'd win a tournament when all were present.

In hindsight, this era is definitely in stark contrast to the present: none of the top players are healthy at the same time & you can't get all of them into the same tournament to save your life.

This book will make you miss the 1997-2001 era ... the Henins, Clijsters, Sharapovas and other Russian "Ovas" lack personality if you ask me.

But back to the book ...

The main criticism, and it's a small one, you don't necessarily get the "head to head" feeling of why the players disliked each other or for that matter any sense of unifying quality where a Martina, Serena, Venus and Anna can all take credit for raising the game's profile.

Cat fights, sex appeal and power games were what this generation brought to the table, but that's an inference.

The behind the scenes banter among the world's best players is what this book delivers.

Insightful, entertaining, brief
Martina, Monica, Venus, Serena, and Anna:five tennis players who dominated (and still dominate) the headlines in 2000.Martina trying to stay on top with unparalleled dexterity and grace; Monica with her personal tragedy and on-court power; Venus and Serena, two sisters with unmatched power trying to define their game styles as well as their separate identities; and Anna, the media's perennial it-girl.All of these players' on-court game styles and off-court intrigues collide in Wertheim's Venus Envy, an insightful recording of the events during the WTA in 2000.Events ranging from the Australian Open in January to Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open in August are all covered.Match analysis of championship and pertinent earlier round matches are melded with insight into who the top women tennis players are and the joys and struggles they face on and off the tour.While mainly focusing on the events of 2000, references are made to past tennis stories, like Monica's stabbing, and constant motifs in women's tennis, like funding and coaching.

Within a sphere of 250 pages Wertheim attempts to cover much and sometimes needlessly dwells upon and revisits certain issues (coaching and commercialization) far more than the equally important ideas upon which he briefly touches on (the Wimbledon quarterfinal match between Martina and Venus).Intertwining the stories behind a player's slip in the rankings and recent renaissance or the issue of the popularity of women's tennis versus that of men's, in a chapter pertaining to Wimbledon or Indian Wells leads to cohesion errors, as Wertheim tends to get carried away and digresses.Additionally, Wertheim tries to write an overtly pretentious and grandiose text by using legalese and French phrases that have been assimilated into the English language in an attempt to stray the farthest away from stereotypical sportscaster vernacular.It's a transparent attempt to write in a grander yet less effectual manner, which in the end just takes the meaning away from what he's trying to convey.

Overall, Venus Envy proves to be a solid, yet too succinct text that manages to allocate the necessary amount of time to each of the top tennis players.Overall, it's an entertaining, insightful, and engaging read.

An ok read
I'm not going to rehash what you can read in all the other reviews.I don't think this book is sensationalist.It seems quite fair.There is nothing explosive, just interesting insight.Wetheim does seem sympathetic to the women's tour vis a vis the men's tour but is otherwise quite objective.I agree that unfortunately it is dated.It is about the 2000 tour.There is a chapter on 2001, but we are almost at the end of the 2002 season. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History, 2nd ed., brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1120 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.The Early Civilizations in the Americas Reference Library provides a comprehensive overview of the history of the regions of the American continents in which two of the world's first civilizations developed: Mesoamerica (the name for the lands in which ancient civilizations arose in Central America and Mexico) and the Andes Mountains region of South America (in present-day Peru and parts of Bolivia, northern Argentina, and Ecuador). In both regions, the history of civilization goes back thousands of years. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on April 12, 1999. The length of the article is 1557 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Soberbia Williams: Venus y Serena, estrellas de la nueva era del tenis femenino.(TT: Proud Williams: Venus and Serena, stars of the new age in female tennis.)
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 12, 1999
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Page: 54

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
In just a few short years, young tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams have become two of the best-known sports figures in the world. This biography chronicles their exciting rise to fame and provides in-depth information about their lives, dreams, and amazing accomplishments. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Bad Book
I read Venus and Serena:The Grand Slam Williams Sisters.It talks about Venus and Serena playing against each other and their debut as pros.It also gives you some pointers on playing tennis.In the book, they include cool facts about them.I didn't like it when they gave the scores, because they didn't always say who's score was who's!

OK, but not worth the money
This book wasn't great; it was just okay.Personally, the book went just a little too quick for me in the sense that Venus and Serena's early life wasn't discussed in much detail; only their current tournaments and lifestyles were written about in more detail.Other than that one major criticism, though, there were a few good elements to the book.It was very informative, and it would be worthwhile to read if you are doing a biography on Venus and /or Serena Williams.Nonetheless, all in all, I rate this book a three because there are definitely better books on the Williams sisters out there.Save your time and your money, unless you want a dozen or so quick facts about the Williams. ... Read more

Product Description
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Two star tennis players speak candidly about their personal experiences with money, romance, pressure, and self-worth while offering solid advice for getting an advantage in the game of life. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Jet, published by Thomson Gale on September 3, 2007. The length of the article is 1259 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Venus: takes care of business on and off court.(COVER STORY)( Venus Williams)(Biography)
Author: Melody K. Hoffman
Publication: Jet (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 3, 2007
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 112Issue: 9Page: 54(4)

Article Type: Biography

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Notable Sports Figures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 2580 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Takes a close look at the people in sports who have captured attention because of success on the playing field, or controversy off the playing field. This work features biographies on more than 600 people from around the world and throughout history who have had an impact not only on their sport, but also on the society and culture of their times. It also includes not only the record-breakers that dominated and changed their sport, but also the controversial figures that made headlines even apart from athletic events. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Jet, published by Thomson Gale on July 25, 2005. The length of the article is 580 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Venus Williams returns to top 10 ranking after winning third Wimbledon title.(SPORTS)(Interview)
Publication: Jet (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 25, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 108Issue: 4Page: 56(2)

Article Type: Interview

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Worth the Money
I just purchased the DVD and It was worth the money. The only thing was they didn't have any interviews with their mother.
The story of Richard In Shreveport Louisana being held down
and having something nailed in his leg sent Chills down my spine
I am originally from Louisiana myself. The footage with the girls on the carasel was too cute Venus helping Serena even then
to be safe was cute. Man they have a heavy workout routine to prepare for tournaments. Richard is really the man to manage to come from where he did to make it to the place he is now.
So all in all this was a pretty good story I loved the footage with each grand slam they won. I was really nice to see them at home just relaxing in between their workouts.Go out and bye the tape it's worth it once again. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on May 14, 1998. The length of the article is 1230 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Serena, pero firme por el trono. (Martina Hingis y Venus Williams se disputan 1er lugar del tenis mundial femenino)(TT: Serene, but firm for the throne) (TA: Martina Hingis and Venus Williams battle for 1st place in women's tennis)
Author: Tay Polo Miranda
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 14, 1998
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: v5Issue: n273Page: pSD11(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Profiles the life and achievements of the Sacramento Monarchs guard, who won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics as a member of the United States women's basketball team. ... Read more

Product Description
With a power serve of 129 miles per hour and countless titles to her name (including number one in the world), Venus Williams is an amazing force in the world of tennis. She stands 6'1" and possesses great reach, or "wingspan," and a rare mental tenacity that has put many, many trophies on her mantelpiece. It was thanks to Williams' tireless campaigning that the bizarre sexist tradition of awarding a smaller prize money to female tennis players was corrected, at least at Wimbledon and the French Open. (Amusingly, Williams herself became the first beneficiary of this amendment when she won Wimbledon in June, 2007.) Williams' ascent to fame has been meteoric from the first. At her Grand Slam debut at the 1997 French Open, she reached the final, and although she did not win that match, her world ranking shot up from 66 to 25 in one day. By 1999, she was number three, and by 2000 she had won a gold medal for the U.S. at the Olympics--the first of two, thus far. This sense of un-stoppability has always characterized Venus Williams, and makes her gripping to watch. Now the British fashion photographer Koto Bolofo has caught some of her magic on camera, in ways that have never been seen before. Granted unrivalled access to the athlete, during both her public tournaments and many private moments, Bolofo offers here a monumental portrait of one of today's greatest athletes. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Almost there
Photographer Koto Bolofo's collection of photography on tennis star and professional athlete Venus Williams is a big, beautiful book. I took time to study each image but overall I was left wanting -- for more photos of Venus! She is featured in artful poses AND there are images of courts, fans, tennis balls... I believe there are more sides to this amazing young woman that should have been included. However, it is still worth adding to a photography collection whether you are a fan/supporter of Venus or not.

Absolutely Beautiful!
Venus looks glamourous, and Bolofo captures her elegance and beauty perfectly. The best hard cover purchase that I have made in a very long time.

Beautiful coffee table book.
Beautiful photography in a great package.A great conversation starter, just leave the book open on your coffee table, bookshelf or the like when guests come over.

Right On Time
This transaction was very smooth and I so appreciate having this item in my collection.

Intriguing and Beautiful!
I got this book with only a hint of what was to come. I enjoyed this thoroughly. The images are really outstanding and if you've got an inkling of tennis history and what Wimbledon means to Venus Williams then I think you'll love the Wimbledon section. Koto had an interesting take on Venus and on the surrounding things he shot and I think they fit in quite nicely. I only had one regret and that was that he had only followed her in 2005 and nothing further. I'd love to see another collaboration between these two, maybe even incorporating her sister Serena, or her whole family while Venus is at Grand slams. This was awesome work and you will really see Venus in a different more feminine role. Thanks so much for making such a great book for Venus Williams fans. ... Read more

Product Description
Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Justine Henin, Pam Shriver, Lindsay Davenport, Steffi Graf, Gigi Fernández, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Zina Garrison, Elena Dementieva, Mary Joe Fernández, Jennifer Capriati, Helen Wills, Suzanne Lenglen, Sun Tiantian, Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman, Kitty Mckane, Li Ting, Dorothea Douglass Chambers, Charlotte Cooper, Marguerite Broquedis, Edith Hannam, Winifred Mcnair, Dorothea Köring, Gwendoline Eastlake-Smith. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Pamela "Pam" Shriver épouse Shapiro puis Lazenby (née le 4 juillet 1962 à Baltimore dans le Maryland) est une joueuse américaine de tennis, professionnelle de mars 1979 à 1997. Pendant les années 1980, Pam Shriver compte sans discontinuer parmi les dix meilleures joueuses du monde. Elle remporte vingt titres WTA en simple et atteint la 3 place du classement mondial. En 1978, à seize ans, elle atteint sa seule finale en Grand Chelem, à l'US Open, battue par Chris Evert. Elle parvient aussi en finale des Masters de tennis féminin en 1988 face à Gabriela Sabatini, après avoir battu Chris Evert et surtout la numéro un mondiale Steffi Graf, qui a tout gagné cette année-là (grand chelem et jeux olympiques). Avec Gabriela Sabatini, elle est la seule joueuse à avoir battu Graf en 1988. C'est en double qu'elle accumule des performances d'exception, décrochant 111 titres WTA. Avec Martina Navrátilová, elle forme la meilleure équipe de tous les temps : Aux Jeux olympiques de Séoul en 1988, elle remporte la médaille d'or avec Zina Garrison. Pam Shriver se retire du tennis en 1997 et travaille comme commentatrice sportive pour les chaînes BBC, ABC, CBS et ESPN. Depuis 2002, elle est membre du International Tennis Hall of Fame. La même année, elle se marie en secondes...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Lleyton Hewitt, Patrick Rafter, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Elena Dementieva, Ai Sugiyama, Roger Federer, Marat Safin, Gustavo Kuerten, Todd Woodbridge, Li Na, Leander Paes, Goran Ivanišević, Fabrice Santoro, Jelena Dokić, Cara Black, Daniel Nestor, Tamarine Tanasugarn, Wayne Ferreira, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Ivan Ljubičić, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Tim Henman, Michael Chang, Max Mirnyi, Nenad Zimonjić, Elena Likhovtseva, Gastón Gaudio, Tommy Haas, Marcelo Ríos, Katarina Srebotnik, Anastasia Myskina, Mark Woodforde, Arnaud Clément, Conchita Martínez, Alicia Molik, Kevin Ullyett, Nicolas Kiefer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Dominik Hrbatý, Natasha Zvereva, Mark Philippoussis, Paola Suárez, Mario Ančić, Todd Martin, Amélie Mauresmo, Àlex Corretja, Rainer Schüttler, Wayne Black, Monica Seles, Sébastien Lareau, Barbara Schett, Albert Costa, Greg Rusedski, Andrei Pavel, Thomas Johansson, Magnus Norman, Mariano Puerta, Rossana de los Ríos, Jiří Novák, Julie Halard-Decugis, Juan Ignacio Chela, Anke Huber, Amanda Coetzer, Mariano Zabaleta, Tathiana Garbin, Iva Majoli, Li Ting, Eleni Daniilidou, Nathalie Dechy, Paradorn Srichaphan, Nicole Pratt, Liezel Huber, Nuno Marques, Vince Spadea, Nicolas Escudé, Silvia Farina Elia, Iroda Tulyaganova, Lee Hyung-taik, Jeff Tarango, Sabine Appelmans, Janet Lee, Magüi Serna, Dominique Monami, Anne Kremer, Vladimir Voltchkov, Selima Sfar, Henrieta Nagyová, Karim Alami, Karol Kučera, Mirka Federer, Shinobu Asagoe, David Prinosil, Andrew Ilie, Christian Ruud, Sargis Sargsian, Rita Kuti-Kis, Bernardo Mota, Andreas Vinciguerra, Silvija Talaja, Gianluca Pozzi, Park Sung-hee, Mikael Tillström, Franco Squillari, Vanessa Menga, Arnaud Di Pasquale, Ctislav Doseděl, Fabiola Zuluaga, Kristie Boogert, Katalin Marosi, Attila Sávolt, Sylvia Plischke, Jana Kandarr, Petra Mandula, Diego Camacho, Els Callens, Karina Habšudová, Rita Grande, Jimy Szymanski, Miriam Oremans, María Vento-Kabchi, Juan An...http://booksllc.net/?id=20682666 ... Read more