Tennis star Venus Williams is undoubtedly one of the most impressive athletes of her generation (or perhaps of a few generations). Born in California in 1980, she famously rose to professional tennis at a time when the sport was still primarily white. Showing talent early on and pushed by her competitive father, Williams turned pro in 1994 at the age of 14, though she didn’t really find success until a few years later. By the late-90s she was beginning to rack up deep runs in tennis’s biggest tournaments, en route to the 7 Grand Slam titles she owns today.