Venus Williams Captures Title, Two Firsts

July 10, 2007 — -- Venus Williams, the one-time tennis phenom who was once ranked No. 1 in the world, returned to her championship form this weekend when she won Wimbledon.

Now some are calling her the comeback kid. Currently ranked 31st in the world, Williams is the lowest-ranked player ever to win Wimbledon.

She also banked another first: For the first time in the tournament's history, the men's and women's purse at the tournament were equal — $1.4 million for each.

Former tennis star Billie Jean King watched Williams clinch the title, and Williams thanked King after the victory.

In 1975 King won $14,000 when she captured the Wimbledon title — just two-thirds of the men's purse.

"It was so important for me to acknowledge her hard work, and she created the whole women's tour," Williams said today on "Good Morning America." "I wouldn't be out there working if it wasn't for her."

How to Spend $1.4 Million?

When Williams first won Wimbledon in 2000, she bought herself a guitar. This time she said she wasn't too sure what she would do with the prize money.

"This year I don't have anything, necessarily," she said. "I need to get my mom something maybe. She really helped me this year."

During the tournament, the 27-year-old four-time champion clocked serves at 124 mph. Williams used her strength, long legs and arms to make the court seem smaller than it really is.

This year, the tournament experienced a lot of rain. Some believe the disruptions made players more tense, but Williams said she loved it because it gave her time to achieve a mental clarity about her game.

"I was so focused on getting the title and getting every match," she said.

In the final, her opponent, France's Marion Bartoli, was eventually overwhelmed by the more experienced and fiercely determined Williams.

"Obviously, I have a big summer coming up — the U.S. Open series and then the U.S. Open — and I think this win helps my confidence even more," Williams said.

"When you look back in history," said ABC Sports commentator Christine Brennan, "you know years from now there will, of course, be Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Martina Navratilova [and] Billie Jean King. Venus Williams' name belongs there as well."

Williams said the win was a family effort. She praised her father, Richard Williams, and her younger sister, fellow tennis star Serena Williams, whom she said is the best athlete of the past decade.

"I'm actually at this moment very happy in my tennis, and I'm very happy off the court," she said. "That's a great combination."

Williams said her sister congratulated her after the match.

"She was so excited," Williams said. "She came to the locker room, of course, and even just before the match she was giving me all kind of pointers.We always say to each other, 'You can't do it for you, do it for me.'"