Venus Williams

I never count calories. Counting calories is stressful and intimidating, so I avoid it! I know that if I'm eating something that's a treat, I don't need to count it because I mostly eat healthy and am conscious of what I'm putting in my body.

When you're a big sister, it's a great job. I don't know how little sisters feel about their job, but when you're a big sister, you're supposed to take care of everything. And you feel good about it. I do.

I don’t focus on what I’m up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.

The message I like to convey to women and girls across the globe is that there is no glass ceiling.

I think nowadays it's so easy as an athlete to become a statistic whether or not you lose everything or having trouble or whatever it may be.

Losing is no fun no matter who you lose to.

All those lessons that I've learned on the court, I have applied them to my life outside of the court in business, my company, called V Starr interiors, an interior design company, and EleVen, which I wear on court.

When I play my match, I can't think about anything else except what I'm doing on my side of the net.

In the sports arena I would say there is nothing like training and preparation. You have to train your mind as much as your body.

I think women athletes who have been successful need to help other sports, those sports that are just emerging. That's what I've been thinking about and looking forward to.

I know it's not the most important thing for me to win the most Grand Slams and be remembered in this world. I certainly don't have to win little tournaments here, there and everywhere, I don't have to win at all. Although I do want to.

Sjogren's is something you live with your whole life. The good news for me is now I know what's happening after spending years not knowing... I feel like I can get better and move on.

Chiropractic gives me the flexibility I need to keep in the game.

Everything is tennis for me, it's my career and it's entertainment, but it's also a business.

Of course, I want to be number one. But being happy and healthy is the most important thing.

I try to get in some extra carbohydrates and protein the night before and during my pre-match meal. I also eat about 200 calories right after to help rebuild my muscles.

When you're on top, you're on top.

I'm not a trend person. I don't want to look to my right and see somebody in the same thing.

Losses have propelled me to even bigger places, so I understand the importance of losing. You can never get complacent because a loss is always around the corner. It's in any game that you're in - a business game or whatever - you can't get complacent.

I guess some kids around me had to grow up quickly, had all those problems. But I wasn't one of those kids, or around those kids, not at all.

Grand Slam losses are hard. I treat myself after losses though, I usually go to McDonald's and I have a hamburger and you know, something. Because you know, you just need to be nice to yourself sometimes after the loss.

I want to get better. Every time you lose, you learn from it, and after every win, you look to building on the tempo.

My goal is always the same: to keep the other player from ever scoring a point. That doesn't always happen, but that's what I try for.

I always thought of it like, 'What can my body do for me?' and not, 'How do I look?'

In life, there is no such thing as impossible; it’s always possible.

You have to believe in yourself when no one else does - that makes you a winner right there.

I've been very focused on my career outside of tennis.

I always show up to the office sweaty! I'll come in between workouts in a tennis skirt drenched in sweat. The only time that I actually look presentable is at meetings.

Tennis is mostly mental. You win or lose the match before you even go out there.

Tennis is definitely a star for women in sports.

Everyone makes their own comments. Thats how rumors get started.

I don't carry a purse when I fly because I have my Hello Kitty carry-on. I'm the biggest adult supporter.

Everyone makes their own comments. That's how rumors get started.

I dont focus on what Im up against. I focus on my goals and I try to ignore the rest.

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.

I'm always in search for perfection. If it's not perfect, I'm back to the drawing board.

Athletes, like everyone else, at times take supplements but just have to consult your doctors and work on that. It's a process, but it's achievable... It's my job to be healthy.

I think I've been fortunate to be at the top of the game and in the media for years, and a lot of times, people want to be your friend when you're on the top. You know, there have been times when I've been injured and I never got a phone call. So that's the way it is.

The first time you win, nobody picks you; the last time you win, nobody picks you. You've just got to pick yourself.

I have been playing tennis for a very long time. Tennis is my life. I see my life in other places, and there are other challenges for me.

I don't even know what my favourite food is anymore, as they are all such bad foods!

I say accessorize, accessorize, accessorize. If you don't accessorize, someone else will.

I'm a collaborator. I know I don't know everything. I don't want to know everything.

I knew my destiny was to be in the winner's circle. There were times along the way where I didn't make it there. But I felt my destiny was definitely to win big titles, win lots of titles.

One who is persistent will excel.

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.

I contribute my best in my sport and I also have a ton of respect for myself and my family.

Tennis has been around for so long - women have been playing the majors since the 1800s. Other sports have not had professional leagues for women for as long.

The principle of the design the harmony rhythm and balance are all the same with interior and fashion design.

I think I can change the game.

My style is kind of eclectic and I don't like to do the same thing over and over again. I like to have fun and explore myself so you won't see the same design.

The day I'm not improving will be the day I hang up the racket.

Early in the morning, it's super tough for me to eat right away, but I still need energy for practice. I try to start out with a protein smoothie, a green juice, or some sort of fruit.

You have to believe in yourself when no one else does- that makes you a winner right there.

The first rounds of a tournament are always tricky because playing tennis takes a lot out of you.

Just believe in yourself. Even if you don't, pretend that you do and, at some point, you will.

You've got to live in the moment. When it's over, it's over.

One thing I've done is surround myself with people who are as good as me or better.

My family is the most important thing to me because they're always there for me when times are down.

Self-doubt is real. Everyone has it. Having confidence and losing confidence is real, too, and everyone has been in that position.

You have to let fear go. Another lesson is you just have to believe in yourself; you just have to. There's no way around it. No matter how things are stacked against you, you just have to every time.

Some people say I have attitude - maybe I do... but I think you have to. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does - that makes you a winner right there.

As an athlete and as a woman, I get my confidence from playing sports because it shifts your focus from what your body looks like to what your body can do for you. That's what we all should be doing. It shouldn't be about looking perfect.

I guess tennis is my main art, but fashion is definitely very close.

If I have to work hard or think hard or just copy somebody else that's doing it better - whatever it takes, I'm going to find that solution. That's the drive that keeps me going.

Retiring is the easy way out.

If you look at me, I'm very tall but I'm not huge or muscular. I tend to be slim and you know, I actually can lose weight quicker than I can gain it.

I try to invest smart. I'm not a baller. I'm not a blinger.

Interior design is a business of trust.

Sometimes women who are taller aren't comfortable with it, but I love being tall.

It's what I've trained for, from the first sketch to the fabric. Making dresses that are different from the usual style, and a lot of fun to wear.

I tend to be slim and you know, I actually can lose weight quicker than I can gain it.

I've always found the rain very calming.

Life's a challenge, but that's the best part.

My dresses are designed to win, so going through it, I think about, what do I want to represent? So, definitely, Vera Wang has been an inspiration for me.

You have to believe in yourself when no one else does, that makes you a winner right there.

If you're not a competitor, you've just got to go home.

Growing up, I'd just be at home, playing tennis, spending my allowance on an ice-cream truck.

My first job is big sister and I take that very seriously.

I'm always on the court with my dad.

For me, being part of the WTA tour is a privilege. Every day I wake up, it's a privilege to be able to go outside and do what I love. It's a privilege to be able to make my own hours, even though they're long, but I make them.

Oh and Oh is a tennis term . . . . Its a nice way of saying you took your opponent to pieces.

To stay interested in tennis, I have to mix it up with other things.

My motto has always been that you can't say, 'Oh, it won't happen to me.' You have to say, 'That can happen to me.' So always be aware that things can happen.

My mom didn't want us to go to the candy house, she didn't want us to go to the ice cream truck, she didn't want us to go to the... There was actually a donut truck, if that makes sense.

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

I don't come to tournaments to make friends, to go to parties, to hold conversations. I come to be the best, and I'm not mean and cruel and dirty.

I eat lots of vegetables and green juices.

India has a very good tradition in tennis.

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.

I don't think anyone wants to look in the mirror and say, 'I'm anti-woman.' They don't see themselves that way, and you can't treat them that way. But you have to tell the truth.

I don't snack a lot, because I didn't grow up snacking.

Life is challenging but I'm always up for a challenge.

I guess rumors are more exciting than the truth.

Right now, I'm at the top of the world in my game so my focus isn't on when I'm going to end. My focus is on playing the best tennis that I can, and there is no end to that.

It's such an honor to do this job because I love it. And I get to work outside, and what can beat that?

If I don't go to the gym for a week, I just get thinner and thinner.

I wear a lot of tight dresses, so I'm like, 'I need to do my sit-ups!'

When you lose, you're more motivated. When you win, you fail to see your mistakes and probably no one can tell you anything.

In life, there is no such thing as impossible; it's always possible.