Venus Williams recently admitted that she had never been a body-conscious person and explained why that has always been the case.
Venus, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, will turn 44 this year and intends to play on the pro tour for an umpteenth season in 2024. Some of the secrets to her longevity are her passion for the sport, dedication, and discipline.
But perhaps the most important factor has been her resilience; even though she has succumbed to so many injuries in the late phase of her career, she has always battled back to return to the rigors of competition.
In a recent interview on the Zoe Report, the American tennis legend touched on a number of mindset lessons that she has picked up in her long and illustrious playing career. Venus was quizzed on whether she had been conscious of her body at any point in life.
The 43-year-old asserted that thought had never crossed her mind because she had been invested in her tennis career from a young age. She turned pro in 1994 when she was only 14 and was more committed to how her body would aid her tennis journey rather than dwell on her physique.
“I was so focused on my game that I didn’t even know to feel conscious. I was so focused on what my body can do for me, and not what it looked like. And if you could keep your focus away from that, you focus more on how you’re performing, how you’re getting better the next day.”
“When you’re an athlete, all you think about and all you’re obsessed with is that incremental moment of improving. And your mindset shifts. I didn’t even know to think about those things because my focus was elsewhere, so it’s so powerful to have your focus somewhere else.”
Although Venus credits the power of focus in helping her from being body-conscious, she also acknowledged the supportive ecosystem she lived in. The former World No. 1 explains how she drew her confidence from her parents and sisters and believes it’s far from an overnight success but a gradual process.
“For sure. My parents, my sisters — my mom wasn’t raising anyone who wasn’t confident. That wasn’t her thing. She wanted us to be prepared for the world. It’s a beautiful place, but it has its challenges and you have to be ready.”
“But believing in yourself and building confidence doesn’t necessarily happen overnight. It’s something you have to work on, it’s intentional. The interesting part about sports is that all that work that you normally would do if you weren’t an athlete, that work gets done just because you’re chasing a ball, hitting a ball, or running.”
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