Being a normal kid and watching a Saturday night cartoon or eating cereal is always a far-fetched dream for any athlete during their initial training days. The rigorous training regimen followed by legends in their formative years leaves barely any time to have a normal childhood. It was the same case with one of the most successful tennis players of this century, Venus Williams. She once recalled an incident from her early days on the WTA Tour, when she used all her money to experience the things she had missed in her childhood.
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The eldest Williams sister started playing at the age of 5 and turned pro at the age of 14. She, along with her sister Serena Williams, was trained by their father, Richard Williams.
Venus Williams recalls a funny ‘cereal’ incident
Back in 2008, when the Williams sisters were thriving on the Tour, during an interview, Venus was asked about having a normal childhood. And does she ever feel like she missed something because of her rigorous training? The tennis star said that she didn’t miss as much as others, but she never had tasted cereals because of her strict diet.
She said, “I used to eat all the fun breakfast cereal, because we never ate those, my mom was like a real health nut. So when I got my own money, I started buying all the fun cereals. So it’s kind of funny, some of the things that you do, and kind of because you didn’t do it before, but really, just tiny things like that.”
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Further, the seven-time Grand Slam champion opened up about how her mother was very strict and always wanted her to stick to the schedule. The seven-time Grand Slam champion revealed in a 2002 interview that she was upset with her mother at the time because her rigid schedule made her envious of other children. She remembered how most kids got juice and other fun things in their lunch boxes. The Williams sisters, on the other hand, always had puffed wheat while others typically received fruit loops or captain crunch cereal.
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The American tennis player used to argue with her mother about the same issue. However, it was because her mother didn’t want her athlete daughters consuming processed sugar.
What are your thoughts on Venus and Serena’s rigid diet?