Venus Williams is fresh from his 25th look on Us open When I jump on the phone with her for a call. “It was honest just so much joy, and I really liked the moment and being able to go back to doing something I loved for the first time in so long,” she says about being able to compete after a 16-month break due to health struggle. “I was so grateful, and especially after my health journey. So I just loved to have all the love and support from all fans.”
In July Williams opened to “today” about her struggle with uterine fibroids. She endured years of debilitating pain until she finally found a doctor who recommended a uterusmyomectomy, who removed Williams fibroids without significantly removing her uterus and improving her quality of life.
“As women we have been told for so long,” Oh, some women have more pain, some women have more bleeding. It’s part of being a woman. “So that’s why I’m talking up.” Women lack work, women are in pain, women have problems starting families. That is very serious. ”
Williams also acknowledged how difficult it can be to find answers when you experience chronic pain. Her advice? “Educate yourself, but also at the end of the day it is difficult to educate yourself. You do not know that something is wrong,” she says, pointing out the challenges that women often face at the medical clinic when they try to be taken seriously for their pain. “And if someone tells you no, keep up. Educate yourself until you find a doctor who will listen to you. Not every doctor is equipped for everything, and sometimes they don’t want to admit it, but that doesn’t mean it’s your final stop or your final answer.”
“It’s about doing what I want, what I love and I guess I’ve earned that luxury.”
In addition advocates for their own health at the doctor’s officeWilliams also take intentional measures to prioritize her mental and physical health – she must, as one of the greatest tennis players of all time and Someone living with Sjögren’s syndrome. “Unfortunately, I am gluten -free, and it is very good for me to live with a chronic illness, but it is not fun to have to pass everything … I want to eat and everyone else can. So that part is difficult,” she says, adding that she also follows a herbal diet. “I’m trying to lie down early, and it’s not fun either because I’m a night roast. I should have been a DJ,” she laughs.
Hydration is also the key to helping her stay energetic and part of her game prep strategy, which is why she recently collaborated with Liquid IV “I am so excited (to collaborate with Liquid IV) because Hydration is the name of my game,” she says and continues with her routine. She starts hydrating 24 hours before she even plays a match. “In the morning I have 16 ounces of water before I do my first exercise. And after that I continue to drink certain amounts of hydration and water. So I really feel that it is the story that I live in my life.”
When I ask her what her goal is for her next tournament, she says it’s about doing what she loves. “Right now I have no goals. When I walk on the track I want to play my best, but I have no ranking goals or anything right now,” she says. “It’s about doing what I want, what I love and I guess I’ve earned that luxury.”
And she is busy out of court. For starters, she hosts a podcast with her sister, Serena, called “Stockton Street“Setting on September 17. She also recently announced Williams Family Excellence ProgramAn initiative that she leads with Serena to support young people under resources. “This is a real dream, because I see how much tennis has given back to me and how many doors will open through the sport,” she says. “And you can continue your education and you can learn so much about yourself. So this dream is definitely incredible because we have to give it back to other young people. And I literally can’t imagine my life without the sport.”
Whether it is a partnership or plays tennis, Williams focuses on a simple fact in life: joy. She says she has set up her life in a way that allows her to do what gives her joy at least 90 percent of the time. As she says: “We often do things that make us gravel, but (the things that make you happy) can be all in life, and these things really help me to have a good time.”
Mercey Livingston is a writer and editor with eight plus years of experience covering fitness, health and nutrition for media and brands including well+good, form and women’s health. She was the fitness editor at Peloton and held editorial roles at Equinox, Shape and Well+Good. Mercey is a NASM certified personal trainer and women’s fitness specialist. She is also a certified holistic health trainer through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, with further certification in hormone health. She has a BA in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi.
