"If you're happy then you win, & you win because you're happy" - Serena Williams on the importance of balance in life
Serena Williams has managed to juggle a variety of roles over the past few years - a record-breaking tennis career, a successful family, and a burgeoning business empire. And the 39-year-old is showing no signs of stopping either; next month at the Australian Open she will launch her bid to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.
For those wondering how Serena Williams manages to do it all, the former World No. 1 recently shared some insights in an interview with Vogue. Williams swears by the motto of 'balance', and constantly strives to achieve equilibrium between the different aspects of her life.
The American also claimed it is important to have fun away from the court in order to keep yourself motivated in the tough times of your career.
"If you’re happy then you win, and then you win because you’re happy," Serena Williams said. "Imagine going out to work and being sad? You’re not going to play well. It's important that in order to play well, you have joys in life and to have things to look forward to. You might not win every tournament, but still you can have an opportunity to look forward to just relaxing and having balance. I think that this is super important."
"Life is really about balance," she added. "You have to balance spiritually, physically, and mentally."
"You have to have fun and let go" - Serena Williams
While Serena Williams is always focused and determined to win on the court, the 39-year-old has plenty of carefree moments away from it - as seen by her posts on social media. Fans have often seen her sharing fun videos with her daughter, both on the court and in her home.
Williams believes it is important for an athlete to keep the fun quotient high in their life, especially when they are not competing.
"You also have to have fun and let go," Williams said. "That’s one thing that I think is important to talk about. It’s about finding those little moments off the court."
Serena Williams will return to the court this Friday at an exhibition event in Adelaide, where she will play against Naomi Osaka. Williams is then scheduled to play one of the WTA events in Melbourne followed by the Australian Open, the latter of which is set to begin on 8 February.
Williams, whose seven singles titles at Melbourne are already an Open Era record, is currently ranked No. 11 in the world. She won her last Major at the 2017 Australian Open.