“It Was Time to Stop”: Venus Williams Reveals the Reason Behind Withdrawing From US Open 2021

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams has been an inspirational entity, for more than two decades now. Not just an exceptional athlete, she has also been one of the vocal advocates of mental health and well-being. Notably, the 41-year-old recently initiated a “Wellness With Me” program for people to learn and grow. In the program, she even revealed why she withdrew from the US Open 2021.

Recently, Venus took to her Instagram to answer questions regarding mental health. During this 14-minute session, she covered many aspects of the mental side, such as discipline, confidence, motivation, acceptance, etc. What’s more interesting is that she overcame injuries and health issues to keep playing tennis at the highest level, making her the powerhouse of mental strength.

Besides, the four-time Olympic gold medalist conducts weekly sessions to answer her fans’ questions. While some are related to tennis, others are about dealing with life.

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Venus Williams on mental health and wellness

Notably, Venus covered several questions about improving the mindset and facing challenges and adversities. Considering her comeback even after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s, an autoimmune disease, she is the perfect example of fierce mentality.

In this Instagram session, Venus encouraged people to focus on the positive, maintain discipline, be fearless and confident, own up to failures, and go for it every single time. She also gave her US Open 2021 withdrawal example for an answer.

“There’s always a time when you want to give up on things,” Venus said. “For example, I had to withdraw from the US Open this year, and I’d just realized I wasn’t able to play, wasn’t able to prepare, and so as much as I wanted to play, I realized it was time to stop because I wasn’t ready.” She concluded the same with, “keep going, but also know when to stop.”

Surely, her experience would come to the aid of those in doubt and seeking for help. What’s great is she will continue doing these sessions every Tuesday at 5:00 pm.

Watch this story: A Day With Young Serena Williams and Venus Williams

When will Venus play next on the tennis tour?

Sadly, the tennis legend has had a hard time during the 2021 season. However, Venus is still passionately training and hoping to make a comeback soon.

Most likely, Venus will return next year for the Australian Open 2022. Until then, she will continue to guide her tennis followers, one inspirational session at a time. 

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