“More Than a Tennis Player”: Venus Williams Wants People to Recognize Her as ‘Renaissance Woman’

Veteran American tennis star Venus Williams has said she would want people to acknowledge her off-court pursuits as much as they celebrate her exploits on the court over the years.

In an interview with American magazine ‘The Cut’, the seven-time Grand Slam champion said while people understand and are knowledgeable about her accomplishments in tennis, they don’t often see the entrepreneurial side of her.

Venus Williams also takes an interest in art, design, wellness, and self-care

The 40-year-old Venus added that while tennis remains her “first love”, she also takes an avid interest in art, design, wellness, and self-care. Some of her interests have also translated into successful commercial collaborations or ventures.

“I think people get mostly what I do in tennis, but people know you for one thing, and they may not always expect something else,” Venus said.

She wants people to understand that she is more than just a tennis player and appreciate her zeal and passion to find success in other fields and areas of interest as well.

“I’m definitely more than a tennis player. I’m grateful for tennis of course, it’s my first love but there’s a lot more to me than that,” the five-time Wimbledon champion said.

Venus Williams owns interior designing firm and co-owns NFL team Miami Dolphins with sister Serena

Venus said she wishes more people would recognize her efforts to emerge as a “renaissance woman”.

“I love art, I love design, I love wellness, I love self-care. So in a sense, I wish more people understood that it’s okay to remake and become a renaissance woman, and that’s what I’m doing,” the veteran tennis champion said.

The 40-year-old has an interior designing firm, ‘V Starr’, named after her.

Also an American football fanatic, she co-owns the NFL team Miami Dolphins along with her sister and 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, making the siblings the first African Americans to bankroll an NFL side.

Venus has also lent her name to a self-styled range of apparel in partnership with globally renowned footwear brand K-Swiss.

Read More: “Transformative for All Women Athletes”: Venus Williams Reveals How Serena Williams Helped Her Grow

The wearables come out under the name ‘EleVen by Venus’.