Venus Williams on sharing career with sister: "People told Serena she wouldn’t be great"
WTAThursday, 17 February 2022 at 02:30
With King Richard going up for multiple awards, Venus Williams spoke to Harper's Bazaar as part of a dual interview.
Williams spoke about growing up with Serena with the presumption that the latter would be the weaker player.
“Usually in one family there’s one good player and then the other one is not that great,” Venus said to Harper's Bazaar. “And I think people told Serena she wouldn’t be great.
“The fearlessness with which she approached the game was something I’ve always really admired. She doesn’t accept second. She explicitly told me herself that she plays for first place.”
Future after tennis
She admitted also that retirement is an interesting proposition due to the amount of time her and Serena have worked.
“Serena and I say we’re going to become bodybuilders after tennis,” she joked. “It might be extreme. It might not happen exactly like that, but you never know.
“From such a young age, all we’ve done is work. So I think for Serena and I to explore that freedom is surreal. We’ve never been free.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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