Venus williams quotes

Just always believe in yourself. "Champions adjust." It's a line I learned from Billie Jean King, and sometimes your dream adjusts. Be willing to adjust with it and see where your opportunities ... sometimes a door closes but a window opens, so just follow your dreams and continue. You never know where it's going to take you.

My dresses are designed to win, so going through it, I think about, what do I want to represent? So, definitely, Vera Wang has been an inspiration for me.

I think I've been fortunate to be at the top of the game and in the media for years, and a lot of times, people want to be your friend when you're on the top. You know, there have been times when I've been injured and I never got a phone call. So that's the way it is.

My goal is always the same: to keep the other player from ever scoring a point. That doesn't always happen, but that's what I try for.

Definitely sport matures you, if you let it. It definitely makes you grow up because you have to work so hard that if you can't, then you probably aren't going to have the mental capacity to handle it all. That probably played a role in growing up a little faster than maybe other people.

I try to update as much as possible. You don't want to be in the past.

I knew my destiny was to be in the winner's circle. There were times along the way where I didn't make it there. But I felt my destiny was definitely to win big titles, win lots of titles.

Every Olympics is something special. If you're fortunate enough to play for your country - there's just so much energy. It's truly amazing.

Interior design is a business of trust.

I'm always on the court with my dad.

I LOVE RIHANNA. I LOVE THAT SHE IS HERSELF WITH NO APOLOGIES. HER SENSE OF STYLE AND SELF IS UNIQUE. I LOVE HOW SHE TRANSFORMS HERSELF WITH EACH ALBUM, EACH CAMPAIGN. ALWAYS EVOLVING. A TRUE ICON.

Id like to imagine that in order to beat me a person would have to play almost perfect tennis.

When you get into that habit of winning, it gets - I don't know if you call it contagious - but it gets to be a habit. She's developed an unbelievable habit.

You know, growing up my - you know, I came from Compton, Calif., and, you know, it was a place where a lot of people did come out when a lot of people stayed. So I've been able to see the top and the bottom of life, and I think that balances you if you allow it to and if you remember where you came from.

Some people say I have attitude - maybe I do... but I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does - that makes you a winner right there.

Sport teaches you so much, and you can translate that to other parts of life. But it's definitely a lot of dedication, not just for, you know, myself or the children, but the parents, the family finances, the money that you could be putting toward retirement you're using to buy tennis shoes and restring rackets and tennis lessons. So if you don't make it, then you may never retire. It's definitely a lot of risk.

Anything which draws attention to me because I am so attractive.

If you're not a competitor, you've just got to go home.

We're all conditioned that we shouldn't like our brothers and sisters, that we should be angry and fight. But that's abnormal. A lot of people think that the way Serena and I are with one another is weird. It's not.

There have been many frustrating games. I don't there's going to be another one that isn't frustrating. That happens, but that's sport. Otherwise why would there be so much glory in victory.

Sjogren's is something you live with your whole life. The good news for me is now I know what's happening after spending years not knowing... I feel like I can get better and move on.

The most fun part about working out is being done - getting through the workout, let's be honest. But that feeling afterward? Yeah, that's worth it.

For years I felt that I didn't have enough stamina and then, four years ago, I felt like I was not getting enough air but I was diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. The medicine for asthma never worked.

I feel amazing right now. I just feel like dancing.

I can walk around fine, but I don't have a desk job.

Workout. Lead a balanced life and try to have fun. It's what you make it.

It is very important not to think about losing.

I just try to stay positive and focused on the tennis, not let anything get to me, like crazy questions. But I'm tough, let me tell you, tough as nails.

It's a great feeling to have accomplished what I have, but I want to do more.

It's easy to stand back, but to move forward and take a chance, that takes a little more guts, a little more courage.

I am someone who likes to stay positive.

I don't come to tournaments to make friends, to go to parties, to hold conversations. I come to be the best, and I'm not mean and cruel and dirty.

So what if you fail? At least you'll know what not to do when you try again.

My first job is big sister and I take that very seriously.

If I don't wear something I feel confident in, I don't play as well.

The naysayers, they don't mean a thing.

Losses have propelled me to even bigger places, so I understand the importance of losing. You can never get complacent because a loss is always around the corner. It's in any game that you're in - a business game or whatever - you can't get complacent.

Life is challenging but I'm always up for a challenge.

There were a lot of people shouting out. I know it's not proper tennis etiquette, but this is the first time I've ever played here that the crowd has been behind me like that. Today I felt American, you know, for the first time at the U.S. Open. So I've waited my whole career to have this moment and here it is. ... It was great. It was awesome. It was like winning gold.

The outfit is inspired by Alice in Wonderland. It's kind of about a surprise, because when Alice goes down the rabbit hole, she finds all these things that are so surprising. This outfit is about having a surprise in a tennis dress, and showing some skin and then just having a print. Prints don't happen that often in tennis. So it's called the Wonderland dress.

I've learned about employee relations; I've learned about following your instinct. One of the biggest mistakes you can follow is not following your instincts, you know? A lot of times your instincts will tell you what to do if you have a good one. Now, if your instincts are terrible, then you ask for advice. But if you have good instincts, you definitely have to follow them, or else you regret them.

I guess it's a little bit sentimental, but at the time I was really very focused in on really my performance. Afterward, it was really just a breath of fresh air, just like, 'Oh, yes, I'm back now. I'm doing good.'

I'm only seeing tennis balls these days. And maybe the occasional fashion sketch.

I always like to win. But I'm the big sister. I want to make sure she has everything, even if I don't have anything. It's hard. I love her too much. That's what counts.

I remember watching the Olympics at home as a kid. It was one my Dad's dreams to win an Olympic medal.

Whatever it is, people have issues and that affects you deeply. So you have to get to the bottom of it and not let that affect your life decisions and really understand why you're making the decisions you make so that way you can understand how to not do that, so I always encourage people to ask why and then to really understand you, because that's the only way to be your most successful and your most happy.

Tennis is mostly mental. Of course, you must have a lot of physical skill, but you can't play tennis well and not be a good thinker. You win or lose the match before you even go out there.

I don't carry a purse when I fly because I have my Hello Kitty carry-on. I'm the biggest adult supporter.

My parents always told us, you know, you have to get your education. You're not supposed to become a statistic.

I don't focus on what I'm up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.

The thing that's most important in getting you in the best mindest is just being prepared - having a great practice, and knowing that no matter what knowing you're going to go in with confidence. You need to have that confidence to power through.

I think I can change the game.

I don't have time to be negative.

I think if you have the opportunity to bully your opponent then you have to take that chance.

Rain is good for me. I feel like I achieve clarity actually when it rains. The longer I have to sit and wait, the clearer my game becomes to me.

As far as everyone else's opinion, I mean, if I would have thought that everyone was right, I probably wouldn't have left Compton, so I don't get too caught up on what the next person thinks.

I think every single point will be important, .. I think more than anything, I'll just have to be able to compete better. When you're playing Serena Williams, you have to compete better than her. I got a lot of tricks from Serena just watching her. She inspired me so many times. I also got motivated by her in the early part of my career, and even now. I just have to compete better, bottom line.

I truly believe that whoever feels the most confident is usually the one to win.

I will always be the older sister. That's never going to change.

It's amazing when tragedy strikes, how strong you find that you are, and I'd seen other people go through horrible things. And I just thought, "Wow, I would be a complete mess," and then suddenly when it happens, you realize you had more strength than you knew and it helps you to get through.

I think there's more stressful periods than others when you're launching new things or going into a new business, or there are many things that can stress you out. Having to let people go, that's stressful. Never fun. But for the most part, I try to manage a schedule that's achievable and try not to make a schedule that's not. And a lot of times, sometimes it becomes a little unmanageable, but in spurts. So I think being able to make an achievable schedule, one that I know I can accomplish.

Most definitely always been a passion, and always been one of my goals in life as a young person, to have my own business. My dad gave us his entrepreneurial mindset, so that was also ingrained, as well as the tennis. So in a lot of ways it's a part of making my parents proud. I think we all want to make our parents proud, you know?

In the sports arena I would say there is nothing like training and preparation. You have to train your mind as much as your body.

My style is kind of eclectic and I don't like to do the same thing over and over again. I like to have fun and explore myself so you won't see the same design.

I most certainly believe that when you're an athlete, that really translates to all sports. You just understand it, your body understands it, and your mind understands it. And you just - it just clicks. I've found that happening when I play other sports. I've seen it, like when I've hit the ball with other professional athletes, and you can see they're just learning so quickly. It's just something that's in their blood. So I think it was in my parents' blood and they understood.

My ambition is to enjoy my life and to do exactly what I want to do. And I'll do that. I will be free.

Grand Slam losses are hard. I treat myself after losses though, I usually go to McDonald's and I have a hamburger and you know, something. Because you know, you just need to be nice to yourself sometimes after the loss.

A win's a win, unless it is not a win, and then it's not a win.

We don't talk about tennis. I figure she knows what she's doing. I mean, what am I going to tell her?

Serena and I, we don't have anything to prove ... we still set a very high standard.

Just believe in yourself. Even if you don't, pretend that you do and, at some point, you will.

Whoever is across the net, I want to win. Whoever that person is, that's the day I want to win.

I think business is the same as tennis. You have to have the love, that helps, or else it's just too much pressure to be able to keep up with.

I believe I live in a black and white. I think things are like either black or white. I don't really believe that much in the gray. I think that there's gray for a lot of people, but I don't live in the gray. I realize whatever action I have or take, it's going to have a consequence -- either good or bad. So I live my life in a way where I don't have bad consequences. I just notice there's a lot people around me just live in the gray. I don't know, for me, I'm just really straightforward.

A lot of times when you play... you get this adrenalin that blocks pain.

Everyone makes their own comments. That's how rumors get started.

You can never get complacent because a loss is always around the corner.

I say accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. If you don't accessorize, someone else will.

The thing about tennis is if you stay off for two weeks, or just for three days, you can lose your rhythm quickly. So it's just a question of constant diligence and vigilance.

Sometimes, when there's a video montage. I'm thinking, 'That's my life. Oh, my God, I did that.' Yeah, it's amazing.

It's thrilling and it's an honor to be part of something bigger than your own self.

I know I'm good at tennis. Other than that, everything else is a wild card. I'm a wild card.

All those lessons that I've learned on the court, I have applied them to my life outside of the court in business, my company, called V Starr interiors, an interior design company, and EleVen, which I wear on court.

I think everyone deals with things in their own way. Everybody's different. My family are all different. None of us are the same. We all deal with different things in different ways. I think it's about knowing yourself, what pushes your buttons, and figuring out how to work with yourself.

I have to say accounting almost killed me.

The principle of the design - the harmony, rhythm and balance are all the same with interior and fashion design.

If you give me a short shot I will attack you. I'm not a baseliner who rallies. I try to get the point over with.

Since I started playing at the Olympics in 2000, I have always wanted to do a dress based on Wonder Woman. It should be interesting to wear. And hopefully, it will get me a gold medal.

A lot of people say, "Oh, I get this high from working out." I've never felt that, maybe because I've worked out for so long it's just a norm for me to push super, super hard. I don't feel the euphoria. But at the end, when it's all done, I feel euphoric. I'm like, "Yes, the work is done." You just feel like a glowing feeling inside.

When you step out on the court, I don't think anybody thinks about age. Because if you're out on this tour it means you deserve to be here. You've got the skill. It must mean you know how to play.

Of course, I want to be number one. But being happy and healthy is the most important thing.

If I cared deeply about what people thought of me, I probably would have never made it out of Compton, California.

I think nowadays it's so easy as an athlete to become a statistic whether or not you lose everything or having trouble or whatever it may be.

Some people say I have attitude - maybe I do...but I think you have to.

Tennis is mostly mental. You win or lose the match before you even go out there.

I guess rumors are more exciting than the truth.

It's what I've trained for, from the first sketch to the fabric. Making dresses that are different from the usual style, and a lot of fun to wear.

When youre on top, youre on top.

Chiropractic gives me the flexibility I need to keep in the game.

It wasn't like I was self-motivated. My dad started me. It was his dream before it was mine.

We've been training and playing full-time since we were 18 and 19. So after tennis, we'll be excited to see what it's like to have more free time.

I wear a lot of tight dresses, so I'm like, 'I need to do my sit-ups!'

You learn so much from your parents. We grew up in a home where we were definitely taught to be confident. I definitely give me parents a lot of credit.

It's a nice bonus but, you know, I have to pay taxes too. (after winning the Grand Slam Cup.

Sometimes, you know, once you pay your taxes and once you pay your expenses, once you've lived this life, things add up quickly. And it's easy to become a statistic. And that's something I've always tried to avoid, and I've always said, hey - not that it won't be me, that, hey, it could be me.

I have been recently diagnosed with Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease which is an ongoing medical condition that affects my energy level and causes fatigue and joint pain.

Everybody's got their problems. The important thing is not to complain about it.

People ask me where I get my fighting qualities from, and I have to say Serena.

I have a lot of dreams, and most of them come true these days.

I've always found the rain very calming.

In my mind, I'm always the best. If I walk out on the court (and) I think the next person is better, I've already lost.

If I didn't play tennis I don't know where I'd be.

'Oh and Oh' is a tennis term... It's a nice way of saying you took your opponent to pieces.

My motto is: I'm alive, so that means I can do anything.

Nerves are normal. You can't be cured from them unless you're a machine.

If I go down, it's never easy. At least my opponent knows they have to go to the end of the earth to take me out no matter what the circumstances. I do try to compete. Even if it's not your best day, I just try to walk off the court knowing I gave 100,000 percent.

Most of us have grown up, you know, I think there are very few people who have grown up in a home that was, like, super normal. You know, we all have dispositions because maybe you didn't have a mom or you didn't have a dad, maybe your mom died early or maybe mom and dad argued or they got a divorce or who knows? You have issues that maybe you've started younger or maybe you have your own issues because you have them.

At the end of the day, you just have to focus on winning. No one can take a win away from you. That's what I focused on. Life is not fair, so I don't go out there expecting it to be. I don't think any of us should go out expecting life to be fair. I think that's expecting too much, and I remind myself of that sometimes. You can get on with your life after that.

To stay interested in tennis, I have to mix it up with other things.

I'm not a trend person. I don't want to look to my right and see somebody in the same thing.

Serena and I have done some great career planning, and we're playing really at the peak of our tennis right now. I think tennis has been a sport where people play this insane schedule from 14 years old, so of course at 26, it's over. We've really paced ourselves.

It's every Williams for themself.

Winning once is never anyone's dream. We all want to keep winning no matter what it is, or if we retire, we all still are striving toward something, probably most of us are.

My motto has always been that you can't say, 'Oh, it won't happen to me.' You have to say, 'That can happen to me.' So always be aware that things can happen.

When you lose, you're more motivated. When you win, you fail to see your mistakes and probably no one can tell you anything.