"If Serena Williams started losing, she would give up the acting bit and fashion design": When Martina Navratilova spoke on Williams' tennis approach
Martina Navratilova had once spoken about how Serena Williams handled tennis despite her off-the-court commitments like endorsements.
Williams established herself as one of the world's best players in the early 2000s and won three of the four Grand Slams in 2002. She successfully defended her Wimbledon title in 2003 by beating her sister Venus Williams in the final.
At the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, Martina Navratilova was asked about the American's approach towards tennis that saw her play at an elite level while also being successful in her off-court endeavors, namely her acting in commercials and her fashion company.
The Czech-American responded by saying that it showed how talented Serena Williams was. She also said that Williams would give up her acting and fashion designing if she lost in tennis.
"Well, obviously, she can get away with it. You know, how long she can do that, I don't know. But it just shows how talented she is. I mean, she is one of a kind, with her body. That's her biggest asset, is getting to balls that nobody - most people wouldn't even think about running down," Navratilova said.
"She not only gets to them, but she does something with the ball. I think she's committed enough. I think if she started losing, then she would probably give up the acting bit and the fashion design, whatever," she added.
Navratilova expressed her admiration towards Serena Williams and Venus Williams stating that they approached tennis without making it the only thing in their lives.
"You can only do so much. I mean, it's great to have a hobby and other interests, and I'm glad that both the Williams sisters are very broad-minded about things, that tennis is not, you know, the only thing in their life. But it needs to be the main thing in their life," the former World No. 1 said.
"So you can do other things, but only up to a point. If they start taking away, 'Well, I can't practice today because I got to go design this house,' whatever, that's gonna get in the way eventually. You can only get away with that for so long. But so far, obviously, she can do it all. So more power to her," she added.
Serena Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles
Serena Williams enjoyed an extraordinary tennis career that saw her cement her status as one of the greatest players of all time.
The American won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, an Open Era record among women. Williams won seven titles each at the Australian Open and Wimbledon and her tally of six titles at the US Open is a joint-record in the Open Era. The American also won the French Open thrice.
Serena Williams also won the Olympic singles gold in 2012 by defeating Maria Sharapova in the final. She also enjoyed a highly successful doubles career with 16 Grand Slams to her name, including 14 women's doubles titles along with her sister Venus Williams and two mixed doubles titles.