Venus Williams is a tennis professional AND entrepreneur. And the 38-year-old from Florida has a wonderful double role.
In 1996 it was finally time for Venus Williams. As a 16-year-old, she played Steffi Graf for the first time – in Los Angeles, the American lost in the round of 16 with 4:6, 4:6 against the German.
That was almost a quarter of a century ago. In the professional sport, in which the years are counted according to Boris Becker in “dog years”, this is a felt eternity.
But Venus Williams is still on the road. It’s part of the inventory, so to speak. The past season, however, did not go according to the wishes of the older Williams sister. As number five she started in 2018, as number 38 she goes into her 25th season.
But Williams has long since established a second foothold that also helps her on the court. Years ago she founded the activewear brand “EleVen by Venus” and designs the models herself.
This work helps her to “appreciate my success in tennis. Because no matter what kind of business you start with, you always start at the bottom. In tennis I’m at the top – and hopefully I can stay there for some time,” the five-time Wimbledon winner told the portal “Sport360”.
Venus Williams also noticed on the tennis court that hard work pays off. “I worked as a kid 30 years ago and I just love everything I tried.”
Of course, she also knows that her lifestyle is quite unusual. “That’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Not everyone will be able to play tennis professionally and run a business. I think it’s definitely an exception. But I would simply say that you can do anything you concentrate on,” explained the former number one of the world.
However, the role as business founder had also changed. “Being an entrepreneur means managing risks and experimenting in a sustainable way. So the new definition of entrepreneur is completely different than it used to be.”
Venus Williams, who was involved in a fatal car accident in 2017, starts her season at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi (27-29 December). Your opponent at the exhibition has not yet been determined.