"Sometimes you have to do it the hard way" - Venus Williams shares lessons she learned after ripping her skirt during latest practice session
Venus Williams recently kicked off the 30th year of her professional career. However, there are still some things the American legend is learning about the game, and she shared a lesson from her recent practice session.
Venus Williams, who turned professional way back in 1994, began her 2024 season at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. She received a maid draw wildcard and faced Japanese qualifier Nao Hibino in the first round on March 7.
The match was interrupted in its early stages due to rain and began the next day. The 43-year-old showed incredible resilience to survive and come out on top of the first set, which featured six breaks of serves. However, her energy and accuracy dipped in the second set, which allowed Hibino to force a deciding set.
A long break from tennis showed its effect on the seven-time Grand Slam champion as she ran out of steam and got bageled in the third set. Hibino ousted Williams 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 in just over 2 hours.
After her exit from Indian Wells, Venus Williams has continued working towards her return to the tour and is regularly hitting the practice courts. After one of her recent hitting sessions, Williams pondered upon new lessons learned in an Instagram Story.
The former World No. 1 said she lost her cool and ripped her skirt in anger. However, she came out stronger and realized the importance of resilience that tennis has taught her over the years. She went on to call sports "the greatest teacher."
"I ripped my skirt at practice today bc I got incredible upset, but I came out stronger. Sometimes you have to do it the hard way. Sometimes I forget how much resilience sports gives you," Williams wrote while sharing an image of herself in her ripped skirt on her Instagram stories.
"The practice courts are a intense place! It's funny now but I was not laughing at the time. I keep learning so much from this sport, about life and about myself. Sport is the greatest teacher!" she added.
Venus Williams shares glimpses from recent practice session attended by her father, Richard Williams
Venus Williams took to Instagram on March 13 to share a few images from her practice session, which was attended by her 82-year-old father, Richard Williams. Richard was an integral part of Venus and Serena Williams' tennis journey. He served as the sisters' coach during their early days in tennis and guided them throughout their careers.
Richard Williams has been out of public attention for a while. However, he turned up to one of Venus Williams' practice sessions in Florida. Richard watched Venus during a rally and could be heard giving the former World No. 1 some tips.
In her Instagram Story, Williams stated that Richard does not often come to practice sessions now, but when he does, it is "epic."
"Dad is still going strong. He doesn't always to the practices (I can't always get him to come!) but when he does it's epic. That was the end of a two minute rally," Williams wrote.
"The beginning of that rally. You can see pops is all over every detail," she continued.
Williams is currently 487th in the WTA rankings.