A spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame is already reserved for Venus Williams, as well as all the accolades and respect of the tennis community for the groundbreaking champion on and off the court.
After all, Williams' career numbers are staggering:
- Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, winning Wimbledon five times and the US Open twice in 2000 and 2001
- Nine-time Grand Slam runner-up, beginning at the 1997 US Open and her last at the 2017 Wimbledon
- Playing in her 21st US Open, tying Martina Navratilova for the record (At 39 years old, she is the oldest player in the draw)
- World No. 1 in singles for 11 weeks in 2002 and world No. 1 in doubles for eight weeks in 2010
"There’s not a lot that I haven’t done or come close to doing, which is exciting," Williams said moments after losing to No. 5 seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round under the Louis Armstrong Stadium roof on a wet Wednesday.
Yet, with everything that she has accomplished on the court—and with a growing off-court business empire, including owning an interior design company V Starr Interiors, setting up her own clothing line EleVen and serving as chief brand officer of self-care line Asutra—Williams is still eager to keep playing.
"I did a lot of things right today. A lot of great things to build on,” said Williams, the current world No. 52. “I served well and played well. There’s a lot for me to build on from there.”
Her next planned stop: the Asia swing of the WTA Tour this fall.
"I missed Asia the last couple of years, so I’d love to head on over and play some more matches," Williams said.
"I love the challenge of playing tennis. It’s beautiful." - Venus Williams
"I’m excited to get to my next matches and sad it had to end early here," Williams said of her earliest loss at the Open since 2013. "I love the challenge of playing tennis. It’s beautiful."
Williams has been a role model and ambassador for the game throughout her career, a role that she continues to embrace.
“I love seeing young people play and seeing a lot of people come through in America from all walks of life,” Williams said. “I’m a huge proponent of American tennis. I am extremely excited to be a part of building it."
“Tennis, I love it," she added. "It’s been just such a catalyst for me in every single way.”
