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She has missed out on a place in what would have been an extraordinary Wimbledon final against her sister Serena Williams, but Venus Williams’ legion of fans can rest assured she will not be lying awake at night tortured by missed opportunities and ruing what might have been.
She is, after all, through to the semi-finals of the ladies’ doubles. And if anyone has perspective with a capital P, it is the elder Williams sibling. She fights tenaciously for each and every point on court, but as soon as she steps off it, she seems to find an immediate and admirable sanguinity. She doesn't do regrets.
"You just step up to do the best you can. I ran up against a better player," she shrugged in reference to her defeat at the hands of Angelique Kerber.
Her longevity is remarkable, and long may it continue. Venus has long been acknowledged as a Renaissance woman. Seven times a Grand Slam champion and seven times a runner-up, she has four Olympic gold medals, her V Starr Interiors design company, her EleVen Clothing fashion line, a declared interest in art, Asian antiques, dancing, writing poetry, sewing, studying new subjects and – according to her WTA Player Profile – “getting the mail and receiving packages, being at home and playing the guitar.”
Venus has such obvious relish for life, her post-match comments this fortnight prompted a member of the Wimbledon.com team to say, “I wish I was a Williams sister. They always seem so happy.”
You just step up to do the best you can. I ran up against a better player
This is particularly true of Venus, understandably tired though she was after two matches in a day. Through all the well-documented ups and downs of her life, she has acquired a sagacity that surely qualifies her to add “life coach” or “philosopher” to her biography.
The way she has found the will and the way to climb back into the top 10 while living with the debilitating symptoms of the auto-immune disease Sjogren's Syndrome, and enjoying the battle, is truly inspiring. Retirement, she claims, would be “the easy way out – and I don’t have time for easy.”
"In life there is no such thing as impossible. It's always possible. That's what you feel as an athlete. Pretty much our job is to make the impossible happen every day. It's like magic, you know. I like that."
Take her answer earlier this week on whether she considers herself an optimist or pessimist. “I'm always an optimist about everything. People around the world love Wimbledon. The players love Wimbledon. It's a wonderful place. So you feel positive about being here. There are so many positives. To focus on one thing that's not as positive is not our focus. The focus is to, you know, make everything perfect.”
Having no time for scrutiny of head-to-head records or assessment of form, she is an advocate of living in the moment. “Every game is different, so I don't necessarily compare them. Different day, different year, different conditions. I got to go out there and go for broke again.”
She says it is hard to single out one nugget of wisdom acquired through her six years of travails. One would be: “It's easy to be afraid. You have to let fear go. Another lesson is - you have to believe in yourself... There's no way around it. No matter how things are stacked against you, you just have to believe in yourself every time.”
In life there is no such thing as impossible. It's always possible. That's what you feel as an athlete.
And what fuels her self-belief? “It is always a plus when you know you have the game. So you just have to keep working until things fall into place. It's never a given. Everyone plays well.”
Athletes are taught to control the controllables, but the most difficult aspect of coping with her illness is not being in control. “When you're an athlete, you're used to being in control, being able to work for anything. Not being able to do that is a challenge,” says Venus. “But this has been my life. What can I say? I wouldn't wish it any other way. It's been my life. It's been a beautiful life. It's been a great experience. It's been everything.”
That past tense should not be misinterpreted. Fifteen years ago, Venus said she would never expect to be playing tennis at 35 years old. “Well, you have to understand that 21 year olds are foolish. I didn't think I was going to be here at 36. Now, if I'm here at 46, I will say that 36 year olds are foolish. I don't think I'll be here, but we'll see..."
