Tennis star Venus Williams and boyfriend Nicky Hammond call it quits after dating for two years
Venus Williams and her boyfriend, Nicky Hammond, have broken up. According to Page Six, the couple have broken up after being together for two years, with sources telling the website the exes still remain friends.
Nicholas Hammond, a scion of the Annenberg family, which once included magazines such as TV Guide, is reportedly 12 years younger than Venus. The tennis star turned 39 on June 17. He was also her date to sister Serena Williams' New Orleans wedding to tech mogul Alexis Ohanian in November 2017. Hammond was a huge supporter of the tennis star and was often seen in the stands at her tournaments.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Hammond gave Venus a ring, but sources suggested that it was a "friendship" ring and nothing more. Some insider reports state that the relationship had run its course, but others claim that Nicky wasn't ready to settle down. The world has been speculating about Venus tying the knot ever since Serena got married and gave birth to her daughter, Alexia Olympia Ohanian.
Before Nicky, Venus was linked to Cuban model Elio Pis. People had reported that Pis had worked with Venus on EleVen, her athletic line of apparel. The duo had posed together for her website, showing off her ready-to-wear tennis apparel. The model has also been featured in French Vogue with Brooke Shields and has modeled for Russell Simmons' clothing line. They split in late 2016 or early 2017, but has not been confirmed. She had earlier dated pro golfer Hank Kuehne as well.
Meanwhile, on the game front, Venus lost in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 to French Open champ Ashleigh Barty on Friday, June 21, at the Birmingham Classic, a grass court tournament lead-up to Wimbledon. To her credit, she has been ranked World No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association on three occasions, for a total of 11 weeks. She first reached the No. 1 ranking on February 25, 2002, the first African American woman to do so. Venus also boasts of seven Grand Slam singles titles and 14 Grand Slam Women's doubles titles, all with Serena Williams.
Venus is currently ranked world No. 55 in the WTA singles rankings.