Venus Williams, tennis goddess
Venus: “The competition is so much greater. It’s a beautiful change.”
Venus Williams is one of the most prominent tennis players of this era, having achieved essentially everything there is in her sport, but she keeps on going!
She turned pro at the end of October 1994 and has won four gold medals and a silver medal in the Olympics. She also has 49 singles titles and 22 doubles crowns, including 21 majors.
She first reached number one in the world on Feb. 25, 2002, becoming the first African American in the open era.
She had a banner 2017, reaching the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, barging back into the top five rankings, and topping the money list with almost $5.5 million.
After an exceptional year, she is already looking forward to an even better 12 months.
The Philippine STAR caught up with her in Singapore for the year ending WTA finals.
PHILIPPINE STAR: You said you enjoyed this tournament since you were part of it in 1999, so you always look forward to coming over?
VENUS WILLIAMS: Yeah, it’s just very great. The gala last night was an amazing affair. Everything is huge. It’s a beautiful presentation.
Do you think tennis overall has changed?
Just the depth in the game. The competition is so much greater. It’s a beautiful change, in fact.
Do you think this is the most open and competitive that the women’s game has been so far?
I suppose. I don’t really know. I’m pretty focused on my results, and that’s about it. So, you can make the decision on that part.
Serena said in Melbourne this year that she doesn’t like it when people refer to your achievements as a comeback, because to her you have never left. Your thoughts?
I honestly don’t know what people are calling my performance. I don’t read the press or look at the TV. So, at the end of the day, I’m trying to hit some forehands and some backhands and do it as best as I can.
You have had a great track record this season of being able to play well in the biggest tournaments, do you think that will help you here in the last event of the year?
When you get here, that’s what you expect. So I don’t necessarily see it as a top player. I see it as an opponent that I need to win against. I don’t really think about it too deeply. The focus is always inward.
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