By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Thursday, October 6 2022
Venus Williams, 42 and resplendent as ever, is British Glamour magazine’s October cover girl, and the American icon gives a great interview in which she talks about multiple topics, including – naturally – here sister Serena and legacy.
Williams, who poses in Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Lacoste and Eleven by Venus for the accompanying photo shoot, points to her sister’s bright future as a venture capitalist.
“We’re telling some fantastic stories,” she says of the lives she and Serena lead away from the tennis court these days. “I think that we found a little bit of our niche, so we want to continue that, and other than that Serena’s doing venture capital. I go with her sometimes to conferences, though I’m not going to do venture capital.
"But I like watching her and everyone’s telling me how amazing she is. People I meet around the world tell me, ‘We invested in your sister’s fund.’ I’m like, ‘I know, I did too!’ So, it’s great to see her come into her own there. I think she's a natural.”
Serena’s company, Serena Ventures, invests in businesses created by underserved communities, people of color and women. It’s a true passion of the 23-time major champion, who is as driven for success off the court as she ever was on it.
Venus, quite the entrepreneur herself as the founder of EleVen by Venus and Vstarr interiors, and the executive producer on the film “King Richard,” talked about her big sister role and the fact that Serena’s success inspires her to do more.
“It’s more of a motivation and when I see her doing great, it’s my success,” she told Glamour. “It’s also motivating for me and lets me know I also can do that, and that’s how you have to look at other people’s success.
“I love seeing people do great… I don’t like to see anyone fail. I like to see my opponents lose against me, but other than that I like to ride that energy that other people bring with success. Serena has taught me so much and there’s so much you can learn just from being around greatness and that’s what she is – the greatest ever.”
As far as legacy goes, there’s lots for Venus to hang her hat on. She is a seven-time major champion that followed in the footsteps of Billie Jean King and played a major role in achieving equal prize money for women at the Grand Slams. She’s a certain Hall of Famer who has made a mark on the sport as an agent of change, a Wimbledon force and proof that athletes can play on well into their forties (as she is doing now).
But Williams isn’t worried about legacy. She just wants to tackle every day as it comes.
“It’s not something I think about,” she said when asked about her legacy. “I know that sounds crazy. Do people wake up and think about legacies? I’m in the ‘right now’. I’ve got a tournament coming I’m trying to play. It’s like, what am I going to achieve in this moment? I’ve always been forward-looking and I think a legacy isn’t as important as just enjoying your life. I have enjoyed mine and I think I could do even better at that. So, that’s kind of my next thing, just to live a little and if you could give back and encourage others, that’s the best legacy.”