Archive of posts tagged Venus

Venus Williams had hilarious explanation for playing pro tennis at 45

Posted by on

Cincinnati

Venus Williams is keeping it light at the start of Cincinnati as the 45-year-old jokes she is still playing tennis because it does well for her body "figure."

As you probably know, the seven-time Grand Slam champion pleasantly surprised the tennis community when she accepted a late wildcard into the WTA 500 tournament in Washington. And the former world No. 1 made some noise in the United States capital, defeating Peyton Stearns in her first match in 16 months, for her first win since 2023. 

After a solid Washington round-of-16 outing, Williams also received a main draw wildcard into this week's WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. In her pre-tournament presser, the American tennis icon was asked to address playing pro tennis in her mid-forties and she didn't disappoint with her answer

“It’s obviously no secret that you get great legs and great arms from playing tennis. So, I figured I’d at least keep my figure if that’s the very least we do!" the 45-year-old joked.

Williams then got serious and explained what really allowed her to play at 45

Williams may not have played much over the last couple of years. However, she always remained active, from hitting balls on the practice to doing regular gym exercises.

"I never stopped hitting the ball, even when I was away—not as intensely as you would if you were replaying playing tournaments, but still going out there. When I was on the court, I was always working on my game. I didn’t just let it all fall apart. Even if it was just a half hour, I still wanted to get something out of it," the former world No. 1 explained.

Meanwhile, in the Cincinnati first round, Williams will take on world No. 51 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro – the two have no previous meetings.

Heading into the match, Bouzas Maneiro is playing some of the tennis of her life and she is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Montreal. 

Williams probably enters the match as the underdog but there is no doubt that will put up a big fight, just as she did in Washington.

Venus Williams shares how she would raise her kid if she ever became mother

Posted by on

actor

Venus Williams says if she were ever to become a parent, she would definitely raise them the way she and her sister Serena were raised.

In the game of tennis, the Williams sisters left a major mark and paved the path for future generations of Black players to have success in the game. However, their journey wasn't the easiest as they have been open over the years about how challenging it was to succeed or be accepted just because of the colors of their skin.

Since 2017, Serena has welcomed two kids. On the other side, Venus hasn't achieved her motherhood dreams. However, if the moments comes for that to happen, the 45-year-old knows how she will want her kids to be raised.

Venus Williams: I'd want my kid to be proud of out African American heritage

“I was thinking, gosh, if I have kids, I really have to raise them the way my parents raised us – just to be proud of who we were, to know our history as African Americans. So, me being there was not necessarily even special. It was like, I am who I am. Looking back, I'm glad I had that level of oblivion," the seven-time Grand Slam champion told Marie Claire UK.

Just last week, Williams revealed in an Instagram post that a year ago, she had surgery to remove fibroids and a large focal adenomyoma from her uterus. In her message, the former world No. 1 also said that she was misdiagnosed for years and that she was also told by the doctors that conceiving her own child was impossible. But after finding the right doctor, she solved her problem.

"I was told I was inoperable. I was told I could bleed to death on the table. I was told to get a surrogate and forget the hope to carry my own children. I was misdiagnosed. I went untreated for years and years and years," Williams wrote.

Recently, Williams also confirmed that she is in a happy relationship and engaged to Italian actor Andre Pretti.