"Venus Williams was so kind" - WNBA superstar Cameron Brink in awe of American icon for radiating empowerment
WNBA star Cameron Brink heaped praise on Venus Williams as the two were involved in the launch of a campaign to honor the 50th anniversary of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The initiative called "Give her Credit" aims to donate $500,000 to 50 people across the United States.
Brink lauded Williams, claiming that she took the time to "make people seen" while also calling her an "empowering person."
"She really takes the time to make people feel seen, that's what she did with me, and was just such an empowering person to be around. I've looked up to her for so long," Brink told PEOPLE magazine.
Venus Williams spoke about the rising popularity of the WNBA, where Brink plays for the Los Angeles Sparks. The 43-year-old called the league "lucrative".
"It's just long overdue. Not only is it the right thing to invest in women's sports, but it's lucrative. It makes money not only for the women playing, but those who invest,"
Venus Williams on learning from Serena Williams
Venus Williams and Serena Williams are among the greatest players in tennis history and have attained a lot of success in the game. The older Williams sister spoke to Virgin Radio UK and said that she learned a lot from the 23-time Grand Slam champion because she was the first in the family to win a singles Major.
“I had the honour of having great company in Serena and I learned so much from her too because she was younger and she was the first in the family to win a Grand Slam even though I was the first to be on tour," the 43-year-old said, as quoted by the Tennis Gazzette.
“I don’t think Serena knew at the time because she was 17 years old and what do you know at that age? But at that age just by her doing something positive and being amazing, she didn’t say a word and her actions spoke loud enough," she added.
Venus Williams and Serena Williams forged quite the rivalry during their heyday. The two locked horns on 31 occasions, with the latter having a 19-12 head-to-head lead. They faced one another in nine Grand Slam finals, seven of which were won by Serena Williams.
The two sisters also formed one of the greatest doubles teams of all time, winning 14 Majors together. They triumphed in each of the four Majors. The last tournament featuring Venus Williams and Serena Williams as a doubles team came at the 2022 US Open, where they bowed out in the first round after losing to Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka.
While Serena Williams has retired, Venus Williams is still playing, but she hasn't played since the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where she lost 6-2, 3-6, 0-6 to Nao Hibino in the first round.
The last time the 43-year-old won a match came at the 2023 Cincinnati Open.