| A decade playing pro tennis took its toll on Venus | | | | scheduled to reclaim her spot on the courts for the |
| Williams' money maker in late March.The American | | | | Family Circle Cup April 10-16. She is also expected to |
| tennis ace may have earned a spring break vacation | | | | participate in World Team Tennis for the Philadelphia |
| when she had to bow out of the Nasdaq Open due to | | | | Freedoms in July.Williams recorded the fastest serve in |
| an elbow sprain in her right arm. She has withdrawn | | | | WTA history with 127 mph blast in 1998 and in 2000, |
| from the WTA and ATP Masters Series tournament | | | | was named Sports Woman of the Year by Sports |
| in which she was the winner of the event in 1998, 1999 | | | | Illustrated. By 2002, Williams was declared the first |
| and 2001.Williams, a Palm Beach Gardens, Florida | | | | African American woman to reach the number one |
| resident, played one match this year, losing the | | | | ranking on the WTA Tour. |
| Australian Open to Tsvetana Pironkova. She lost last | | | | A multi-talented African American female, Venus |
| year's Miami semi-finals to Maria Sharapova.Her | | | | formed her interior design business, V Starr Interiors, in |
| recovery time will have to be expedient, as she is | | | | November of 2003. |