It’s no surprise that tennis star Venus Williams is “very serious about success.”
Williams, the most decorated tennis player in Olympic history, offers a guide to success with her new book, “Strive: 8 Steps to Find Your Awesome.” The wellness tome consists of tenets the elder Williams sister has gleaned over the course of her impressive 30-year career. They are: observe, appreciate, balance, enrich, soothe, believe, inspire and the titular strive.
“Not in the sense that I have to win every match but in the sense that I know that I gave myself my best shot to be my best,” she tells The Times about the meaning of success.
The former No. 1 tennis player — in singles and also doubles with sister Serena Williams — is one of the most accomplished athletes in the world and opened doors for Black sportswomen like Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka, her opponent at Wimbledon in 2017. Williams has continued to play through injuries and while struggling with the autoimmune disease Sjögren’s syndrome, competing earlier this year in the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments.
In her “off time,” she’s the founder of plant-based protein company Happy Viking, and has parlayed her associate’s degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (she also has a bachelor of science in business administration from Indiana University East) into the commercial and residential design firm V Starr and the interior design platform Palazzo.
It’s probably no surprise then that the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, businesswoman and author (“Strive” is her second book; her debut, “Come to Win,” was published in 2010) often struggles with striking a balance in her own life, whether in her numerous professional endeavors or her diet.
“Because life is so exciting, there’s so many different things to get involved in, but after a while it becomes super unbalanced,” says Williams, who recently teamed up with the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh to launch “Widening the Lens,” a six-episode podcast about photography and the environment. “It’s definitely something I struggle with because there’s so many things that I’d like to do but I don’t have time, so I have to cram it, and after a while, it’s not great.”
That, and having a sweet tooth — a shared affliction with this writer. “My condolences,” Williams laughs, although she’s been eating healthfully for the last four months. However, she’s giving herself a break in the lead-up to “Strive’s” release Tuesday.
This friendly, informal tone is peppered throughout “Strive.” Reading the book feels like peeking into your sister’s diary — you know, if your sister were one-half of one of the most celebrated sibling duos in the history of tennis.
“We advise each other in a way that you would talk to your buddy. My older sister [Williams’ mother, Oracene Price, had three daughters prior to marrying Richard Williams] would say, ‘I made this mistake so you don’t have to’ and we would laugh [about it] but at the same time she was giving us this great lesson.”
Readers need not be intimidated by Williams’ accomplishments.
“It doesn’t matter how many championships you win or if you’ve never played [a game] before, we all have this experience of highs, lows, wins, disappointments. We can all relate to that,” she says.
“I’m very easygoing, even though I work really hard and I’m very intense too,” Williams adds, chuckling again. “I love seeing people succeed. I love seeing people healthy. It’s all about being happy, because a happy person is not only successful but well. The definition of being well is being happy. If you’re unhappy, then you’re not well. It’s all tied together.”
If even one person finds help in her words, Williams says that would be the ultimate achievement.
“‘I read your book, it really helped me, I was able to use this. I told my friend about that. This worked for me.’ That, to me, would be the best success,” she said.
