Throughout her tennis career, Venus Williams has cemented her place in the history books as one of the greatest athletes of all time.
With seven singles Grand Slam titles, 14 women’s doubles Grand Slam wins, four Olympic gold medals and world number one titles under her belt, Williams is still going strong 26 years since turning pro at 14 years old.
In honour of her 40th birthday on Wednesday 17 June, The Independent has taken a look back at some of the most empowering statements the tennis star has made over the years.
From understanding how to use your setbacks to improve, to always believing in your abilities, here are 11 of Williams’ most motivational quotes.
1. On arriving with the right mindset
“If you’re not a competitor, you’ve just got to go home.”
2. On believing in yourself, no matter what anyone else thinks
“Some people say that I have an attitude – maybe I do. But I think that you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there.”
3. On using your setbacks to improve
“When you lose, you’re more motivated. When you win, you fail to see your mistakes and probably no one can tell you anything.”
4. On making the impossible happen
“I’ve learned that you can always achieve more than you thought you could. There are moments when I’ve walked off the court, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know how I won that match.’ It was actually impossible, but it happened, and then you realise that you can push yourself much further than you ever thought, and you can make the impossible happen.”
5. On always holding yourself in high regard
“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.”
6. On figuring out your priorities
“Of course, I want to be number one. But being happy and healthy is the most important thing.”
7. On knowing just how good you are at what you do
“I’d like to imagine that in order to beat me a person would have to play almost perfect tennis.”
8. On the power of sports
“Unfortunately the world is what it is right now. People don’t get along for whatever reason. As professional athletes, in a way we’re almost ambassadors for peace, because sports brings everyone together.”
9. On keeping your eye on the ball
“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.”
10. On paying no mind to other people’s opinions
“As far as everyone else’s opinions, 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.”
11. On overcoming obstacles
“Sometimes when you’re making more errors you want to pull back, but I just need to keep going forward.”
