"For Serena Williams & me to explore that freedom is surreal, we’ve never been free" - When Venus Williams teased their 'extreme' career change plans
Venus Williams once disclosed how she and her sister Serena Williams wanted to be known for more than just their tennis success. Venus also spoke about how it felt to have been working non-stop since their childhood.
Between them, Venus and Serena Williams won 30 Grand Slam singles titles and eight Olympic gold medals over the course of their legendary tennis careers. However, the sisters teased the idea of pivoting to a new career, given that they weren't satisfied with just dominating tennis.
Speaking to Harper's Bazaar in 2022, Venus Williams jokingly shared that she and her sister Serena Williams planned to become bodybuilders in an "extreme" career change after their retirement from tennis. The seven-time Grand Slam champion also confessed that it was "surreal" for them to have the freedom to try other interests because their lives had been defined by tennis.
"Serena and I say we’re going to become bodybuilders after tennis. 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 me to explore that freedom is surreal. We’ve never been free," Venus Williams said.
Serena Williams echoed Venus' sentiments and emphasized that they always wanted to do more than just play tennis. The former World No. 1 also said that their dad Richard Williams had instilled in them the importance of planning for the future.
"My dad always told us to plan ahead. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. We never planned to just only play tennis and just only be tennis players. We planned to do more," she said.
The sisters have since followed through on their plans, with Venus launching her own clothing company, EleVen, and an interior design firm, V Starr. Meanwhile, Serena has founded her own venture capital firm, Serena Ventures, and a makeup brand called Wyn Beauty.
"Serena Williams doesn’t accept second, she explicitly told me that she plays for first place" - Venus Williams praised her 'fearless' sister
During the same interview, Venus Williams pointed out that it was extremely rare for one family to produce two great players in one sport. As such, the former World No. 1 revealed that Serena Williams was often told that she wouldn't achieve greatness.
Venus commended her sister for her "fearless" approach to the sport despite all the naysayers, divulging that Serena had always made it clear to her that she would never settle for second place.
"Usually in one family there’s one good player and then the other one is not that great. 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," she said.
Nevertheless, Serena Williams has credited Venus Williams as her "inspiration" and admitted that she wouldn't have won any Major titles without her sister leading the way.