Venus Williams Play Quotations

Tennis is mostly mental. Of course, you must have a lot of physical skill, but you can't play tennis well and not be a good thinker. You win or lose the match before you even go out there.

If I didn't play tennis I don't know where I'd be.

A lot of times when you play... you get this adrenalin that blocks pain.

The thing is, it's not good anyway for eight-year-olds to be out there playing tennis tournaments so soon in their lives. But when I did get to play in a tournament, when I was nine, I was overjoyed.

If I don't wear something I feel confident in, I don't play as well.

The big push for me is the Olympics this year. If I'm healthy, I'm not worried about my ranking. I think I can hit the ball. It's just about my body cooperating. It's about being able to play matches in a row. Right now, I'm not sure how much I can do with that, but we'll see.

If Id lived prior to the 1980s, it would have been different, because I would have been playing to prove African Americans are equal. Now, I dont necessarily feel I have to play for black people, because obviously theyre doing everything in all sports. If I can go out there and play for myself and not feel I have to stand for something other than what I want to do, thats good.

Id like to imagine that in order to beat me a person would have to play almost perfect tennis.

When you step out on the court, I don't think anybody thinks about age. Because if you're out on this tour, it means you deserve to be here. You've got the skill. It must mean you know how to play.