Venus Williams

Before Venus Williams was born, her father, Richard, had written a seventy-eight-page plan for raising tennis champions. He taught Venus and her younger sister, Serena, on public courts in Compton, California, and the plan worked better than almost anyone could have imagined. Venus became world No. 1, won seven Grand Slam singles titles and, with Serena, won fourteen Grand Slam doubles titles.

She was born on June 17, 1980, in Lynwood, California. The hour of her birth has never been published, so her Ascendant cannot be read, but her planets describe her career strikingly well. Her Sun is in Gemini, and Venus, retrograde, shares the sign. The twins symbolize it, and astrologers link it with siblings, partnership and duality. It is hard to think of a more fitting signature for an athlete whose career was intertwined with her sister's, as doubles partner, rival and closest companion.

Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are all in Virgo, the sign of discipline, precision, analysis and health. Saturn and Mars in Virgo describe relentless, methodical training, and Venus Williams was known for her power and her extraordinary work ethic. Virgo also concerns the body and its health, and in 2011 she was diagnosed with Sjögren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain. She adapted her diet and training and continued to compete for years afterward.

Mercury in Cancer describes a mind attached to family and home, and the Williams family has always presented itself as a close unit, despite enormous public scrutiny. Their older half-sister Yetunde Price was killed in a shooting in 2003, a loss the sisters have spoken about.

Venus turned professional at fourteen, in 1994. She won Wimbledon five times and the U.S. Open twice, and she won four Olympic gold medals, one in singles and three in doubles with Serena.

Pluto in Libra, the sign of fairness and justice, describes a drive to transform unfair systems. In 2006 she wrote an essay in The Times of London arguing that Wimbledon should pay women the same as men, and in 2007 the tournament agreed. That year she won the title and became the first woman to receive equal prize money at Wimbledon.

Uranus in Scorpio and Neptune in Sagittarius, both retrograde, describe an independent, unconventional path. Venus has run her own businesses, including the clothing brand EleVen and an interior design firm.

She has kept playing well into her forties, and in 2025 she returned to the tour after a long absence and won a match at forty-five, more than three decades after her professional debut. The Gemini Sun tied her career to her sister; the Virgo planets kept her working long after most players had stopped.