Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams has said that she has no plans of retiring anytime soon and in fact, wants to keep on playing at least until the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Venus, who lost to eventual champion Garbine Muguruza in the 2017 Wimbledon final failed to win a title this year, despite tasting a lot of success on the WTA Tour. She made a series of deep runs in multiple events – losing to Serena in the finals of the Australian Open and to Sloane Stephens in the semis of the US Open, but somehow couldn’t cross the last hurdle. However, she still succeeded in rising to No. 5 in the WTA rankings.
Buoyed by her recent form, the American is now planning to compete at the 2020 Olympics in the Japanese capital.
“I have no plans of stopping anytime soon. It seems somehow that 2020 Tokyo is on the horizon. Isn’t that wild? I’m trying to stick around for that.”
The former five-time Wimbledon champion is extremely busy with work off-court as well. The 37-year-old has set up her own company called EleVen and has also ventured into interior designing with her firm V-Starr while studying design at a university to get a degree in the same subject.
“Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out how to get the best out of it without going crazy. That’s how your grades drop. I finally learned what school was about. It’s about getting the best out of it and using your time wisely. I may be realized that too late. I always brought that tennis mentality to it, like, perfection, perfection, perfection.”
The former World No. 1 also disclosed the gift she gave to Serena’s daughter Alexis Olympia.
“Serena wanted us to buy books for the baby shower, for the baby, and I got a foreclosure book! I was like, this is very appropriate. I also got Who Moved My Cheese? And I got some baby books, too. But it was like: The tradition must continue!”
