Venus Williams Isn’t Above Wearing a Sports Bra to Dinner
The tennis star on her extensive workout routine, the pickleball craze and Williams-family bonding.
Venus Williams doesn’t have any game-day rituals or superstitions. “I don’t believe in that,” said the tennis champion and entrepreneur, 43. “I believe it’s all the hard work you put in.”
For Williams, who’s won seven Grand Slam singles titles and four Olympic gold medals, training is an all-day affair that includes two hours of court time, two hours in the gym and two hours of physical therapy. After sustaining an injury at Wimbledon in July, Williams said she took several weeks off.
“I felt so out of shape even though I wasn’t—in some ways guilty, too. But it was a much-needed mental break,” she said. “And it’s so fun to see how strong you get quickly. Now I’m just preparing for next year.”
Williams lives in Florida, where, in addition to her tennis career, she oversees a portfolio of businesses that includes her EleVen by Venus Williams lifestyle and activewear line and her interior-design company, V Starr. Here, she discusses her family’s favorite inside joke, wearing tennis clothes out to dinner and her stance on pickleball.
What time do you get up on Mondays, and what’s the first thing you do after waking up?
I’m up by 9. The first thing I do when I wake up is definitely press snooze. I build in time to press snooze at least twice. I have a standing 10 a.m. call with my team at Topspin, the venture company I’m a partner with.
How do you like your coffee and breakfast?
I do not drink coffee, but I do drink coffee-flavored protein powder [from my company] Happy Viking. I’m not a breakfast person, so even when I go on the court, I go out with my Happy Viking and a bunch of fruit and that keeps me fueled. After that, I eat a big lunch.
How does your dog factor into your mornings?
Harry insists on his food immediately, so I’ve trained him to lay down and sleep until I’m ready. That allows me to get up and wash my face and get dressed, so he’s not barking.
What’s your beauty routine like?
I put on sunscreen for the court. I’m a beauty junkie, it’s my hobby. I. Love. Beauty. If I’m not playing, I’ll do a more extensive beauty routine like an ultrasonic face scrubber. Or I’ll put on a mask or [use] my gold derma roller.
Is there anything unusual or unexpected about your workout routine?
I don’t think people realize how extensive it is to be an athlete. The science behind it continues to grow. In the last few years, there’s been a lot of innovation on working on your feet—weird things like lifting your big toes and keeping the other ones down and then switching. I spend 10 minutes just on feet exercises.
You recently designed a jewelry collection with Reinstein Ross. Did any of your own pieces serve as inspiration?
I have this match ring that I was always wearing on the court. I’ve always been wearing jewelry on the court, ever since I was a teenager. This particular ring was my match ring. It’s a big, flat, circular pavé sparkly ring. We wanted to start there with that inspiration.
You also have V Starr—how would you describe your own interior aesthetic?
Quite eclectic. My favorite color interiors are black. I think black is such a powerful color and definitely underused. It makes a whole room very special.
Tennis clothes have been having a fashion moment for a while. Do you wear them off-court?
The other day, I was in New York and I had to go to the gym. I was in one of our EleVen tennis skirts and I had on a sports bra, and I wanted to eat dinner. So I just went upstairs, put on a Lacoste blazer and went to dinner in the hotel in the sports bra and the skirt. It looked great, and with my tennis shoes.
What do you think of the pickleball craze?
I love it. I love people moving their bodies. I’m passionate about wellness. You’ve got to move and if people can find a new, fun, easy way to move and they want to do it all the time, thumbs-up.
Your successful advocacy for pay equality at Wimbledon is one of my favorite sports stories. What’s it like to look back on that and all the ways you’ve been a pioneer?
It was something I wasn’t expecting to be a part of. I just wanted to go in and win, play Wimbledon, as a childhood dream. And then you go there and it’s not equal. So I found myself in a situation where you have to speak up and it’s definitely been one of the highlights of my career, being part of something much bigger than me.
You’ve written about the connection between mental and physical health. What are some of the things you do to take care of your mind?
Be true to who I am and what I want, honest with myself, honest with people around me, work hard, live life with no regrets. Don’t take things too seriously and realize that hard moments are moments. You get through them.
Do you have any hobbies or habits your fans might not know about?
Oh my gosh, karaoke. I always do a new song.
Besides tennis, what does the Williams family do when you’re all together?
My whole family was in town this weekend. We spend time now with the new niece. We laugh, we cook, we watch movies. We have so much fun when we’re together.
Our new thing is, “Oh, you didn’t do your research.” So even in a movie, if it goes wrong in her relationship with the guy, [we say,] “She didn’t do her research.” We always have a new dumb joke. Who knows what the next one will be?
What are you reading and watching?
I’ve been rereading “The Fountainhead.” I watch a lot of the same things over and over. I started watching the “Beckham” documentary.
If you could eliminate one time-waster from your day, what would it be?
Conference calls. People talk too much. I’m a woman of few words. There’s this one guy we do calls with, it’s [supposed to be] 30 minutes usually, and he’s done in five or seven. Afterwards, we’re like, “We love him.”
What’s one piece of advice you’ve gotten that’s guided you?
Since you have to show up, why not compete? That was from my sister, Serena, when she was 17.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Write to Lane Florsheim at lane.florsheim@wsj.com
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Business NewsSportsVenus Williams Isn’t Above Wearing a Sports Bra to Dinner
First Published:20 Nov 2023, 07:03 PM IST
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