Power player

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In an exclusive report, Andrew White asks former world number one Venus Williams how she has managed to balance her business responsibilities with a top-level tennis career, and explores the remarkable financial resurgence of the women's tour, now the leading female sport in the world.

I think all athletes should look at what they're doing as a business," smiles Venus Williams, current Wimbledon champion; former world number one; Olympic gold medallist; CEO and entrepreneur.

"It's especially important in the more high-profile sports," she adds quickly. "We only get to do what we do for a little while compared to how long we expect to live, so you do have to take it as a business, and that means taking your opportunities while you're there.

Since her explosion onto the professional women's tennis tour 11 years ago, Venus has proved as talented at taking her opportunities off the court as she is on it. Sitting proudly alongside 36 career singles titles, including four Wimbledon and two US Open titles, is a business career that will ensure Venus stays busy long after she hangs up her tennis shoes.

"I enjoy my life off the court and I enjoy exploring my options and horizons," she explains. "I think I'm ambitious and driven also, so it has a lot to do with my personality - I stay busy but I like being busy. I like reaching my goals and achieving my targets, on the court and off of it.

Venus' business masterplan was devised a decade ago, when it became swiftly apparent that Venus and younger sister Serena were sporting icons in the making. Today, each sister has a clothing line and Venus is the CEO of interior design firm V Starr Interiors located in Jupiter, Florida.

Among other projects, Venus' company has designed the Olympic athletes' apartments as part of the US bid package for New York City to host the 2012 Olympic Games, and a host of residences and businesses in the Palm Beach, Florida area.

The clothing line, EleVen, came first. Back in 1998, Venus launched herself into an associate degree in Fashion Design from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Texas, as part of a masterplan she hoped would pave the way for a fledgling business empire. While tennis took Venus around the world, her studies took her closer to her goal of launching her own fashion range.

"I've always wanted to have a degree and our parents have always taught us that education comes first," she explains. "Obviously I was on tour being a professional so that kind of interrupts at times, and it's hard work, but I think once you get to college if you need to be sat down [to study] you don't really make the cut.

Williams finally completed her degree in December 2007, just months after teaming with retailer Steve & Barry's to launch EleVen. While she admits that the original plan had been to launch her first collection after graduation, her new qualifications have given her greater confidence to act on her instincts.

"I definitely understand fashion, I'm fully educated, and my style is expressed in my line and it just gets better as spring and summer and fall come through this year," she enthuses.

"You have to trust who you work with, you have to feel like you can get along with them, and you have to realise that it's going to be a long-term relationship," Venus continues. "In my situation I trust who I work with, and we work well together like a family.

Although Venus will not be in town this week for the 2008 Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships - she is defending the Cellular South Cup she won in Memphis last year, after her appearance in the Qatar Total Open last week - the other nine of the world's top 10 women will be on court fighting for the US$1.5m prize money.

That the tour is able to offer such incentives to its players is down to a revolution that has transformed the face of women's tennis over the last few years - and made the tour one of the most attractive prizes in sport for advertisers keen to align themselves with the beautiful athletes of centre court.

"I think that tennis is generally seen as a premium sport because of the demographics that the sport attracts," Larry Scott, CEO of the WTA Tour, tells Arabian Business. "It's very much a business-to-business type of entertaining environment, and attracts a high quality of viewer from an advertiser's standpoint.

When Scott was appointed CEO of the tour in 2003, the WTA was running at a loss, and was projected to end the year in negative reserves. The stark financial situation meant that while women's tennis appeared in rude health on the court, the business side of the operation was close to collapse.

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