Venus Williams honored with her own one-of-a-kind Barbie doll as American legend gets roped in to encourage young girls in sports
Venus Williams was one of nine female athletes to feature in a new campaign by Mattel. The company launched a new line of its famed Barbie products and the dolls resemble nine athletes who have broken gender stereotypes and flourished in the world of sports.
To commemorate the brand's 65th anniversary, Barbie felicitated nine female athletes by making dolls in their image. The two main goals of this campaign are to underline the importance of women's sports and to encourage women to actively participate in sports.
Venus Williams was one of the nine women in Barbie's new lineup. The lineup was diverse in that it represented other sports such as soccer (Mary Fowler & Christine Sinclair), swimming (Federica Pellegrini), para-athletics (Susana Rodriguez), track and field (Ewa Swoboda), boxing (Estelle Mossely), and gymnastics (Rebeca Andrade and Alexa Moreno).
Venus Williams is a true tennis great as she has won 7 Grand Slams and an Olympic gold medal.
Venus Williams is a trailblazer in women's tennis
Venus Williams revolutionized women's tennis. In 2002, Williams became the first African-American woman to bag the top ranking on the WTA Tour. She went on to win 7 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 Slams in doubles.
Venus Williams also has an enviable record at the Olympics. She won the singles gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics by defeating Elena Dementieva in the final. Venus Williams also won three gold medals in doubles at the Olympics with her sister Serena Williams (in 2000, 2008, 2012).
Venus Williams formed a dominating partnership on the doubles court with Serena Williams. The Williams sisters secured 14 Grand Slam titles together and also achieved a Career Grand Slam.
Venus Williams also won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics with Rajeev Ram in mixed doubles.