Venus Williams Reveals Her Fears About Retiring From Tennis: 'I've Definitely Given Everything to This Sport'

Venus Williams is reflecting on the possibility of retiring from her legendary tennis career.

During a recent live interview, the Grand Slam champion, 44, opened up about how she thinks she will feel when she finally hangs up her racket after getting her start in the competitive sport in the 1990s.

"I always thought that I would be just crying when I had to retire, because it’s all you know and you spend your whole life programming your mind to do that every single day," she said. "It’s the first thing you think about when you wake up, the first thing when you go to bed. You dream about it."

Despite dealing with the end of something she loves so much, Williams knows she'll leave it all on the court. "Now I realize that I won't cry because I've definitely given everything to this sport," the athlete added. "I think more than anything, I'll be grateful. I think that will be the feeling. Every now and then I'll want to threaten to come back."

Although the superstar hasn't yet made the official announcement, the end of her sister Serena Williams' career in 2022 has people slightly confused. "As that moment gets closer, Serena ruined it for me," Venus laughed. "Because as soon as she retired, everybody thought I retired."

"Sometimes they even think we’re twins," the elder sibling, who was born 15 months before Serena, 34, said. “If you guys did think so, we are two separate people, born on different days."

Venus has accrued many accolades throughout her time as an athlete. However, she's also been met with adversity as a Black female competitor. "I didn’t see myself as different. I saw myself as a great player," she explained in a 2021 interview. "I thought I was better, that I could win."

"As you grow up and mature, you realize you don’t have to be in any situation you find disrespectful. You can let people know what you find disrespectful," Venus added. "It doesn’t have to be yelling or screaming. I’m not a combative person. I’m never going to let any situation change that, because I want to look back and know that I stayed true to who I am. So come. Come for me if you want to, but you won’t come again."

"I admire everyone who stands up for what is right, which isn’t easy. It takes strength, courage, and vulnerability," Venus noted. "I love to see this next generation of players be willing and open to do that regardless of the cost to them."