Venus Williams has not retired. She was in her sister’s section when Serena Williams played her final match at the US Open, when Serena used that moment to highlight the fact that “there’s no Serena without Venus.” While Venus is still playing, she’s also got tons of other businesses and side-projects. She covers the latest issue of Glamour UK to talk about those businesses, her legacy as a tennis player and equal pay advocate. This is honestly one of the best interviews I’ve ever read with Venus? She’s such an amazing woman and role model.

A Black woman in the sport: “At the time, I didn’t know that I was different and now I realise how very different I was. But difference is what makes the world beautiful – and I think people really can see that now, in terms of what Serena and I have accomplished in the sport, and how it’s elevated tennis, sport or even the world. So different is the only way to go.”

Wearing beads in her hair as a girl: “People didn’t necessarily know my culture. So, when people saw we were wearing braids and beads, they may have thought it was unique. But people from my own culture would’ve realised, ‘Oh, wow, this is something that young girls do.’ So, I feel like I’m still educating people about my culture, one at a time; like, this is normal to African-Americans, or people of African descent or with ethnic hair. We often do wear braids and beads, which have very deep meanings from their origins. It’s important for people to know about the cultures of the world.”

She loves makeup: “My favourite on-court beauty look, definitely for years – I wore a bunch of eyeliner. Now I’ve moved on to lashes, but I figured it was my suit when I walked on the court and called it the eyeliner club. Serena and I seemed to be the only ones in it, but we were in it to win it. It’s really fun when you walk out knowing you look great, you feel great.”

The codependent sisters: “Yeah, Serena and I are very co-dependent. We do the same thing that the other one does. It just goes on and on, it’s an endless cycle – even when we were around eight years old and going like, ‘I want to do it, too!’ But it’s more of a motivation and when I see her doing great, it’s my success. It’s also motivating for me and lets me know I also can do that, and that’s how you have to look at other people’s success. I love seeing people do great… I don’t like to see anyone fail. I like to see my opponents lose against me, but other than that I like to ride that energy that other people bring with success. Serena has taught me so much and there’s so much you can learn just from being around greatness and that’s what she is – the greatest ever.”

Pay gaps and misogynoir. “When I was growing up, I just wanted to play tennis and go win tournaments – and then when I got there, it was not equal and you’re like, hold the presses. What’s going on? So, being a part of achieving equal prize money for women at the major tennis tournaments was fantastic and now of course it’s my dream that women will not have to face that anywhere. No young girl will have to come in and realise that her male counterpart is being paid more and hopefully these gaps will continue to close. But in order to close those gaps, we have to do work and we also have to create awareness. Because most people don’t wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say, ‘Gosh, so and so’s getting paid less than so and so.’ So, it’s important to change these mentalities at every single level, whether it’s the employee or management and leadership.”

Beauty standards: “The standard of beauty right now is more inclusive, so that’s wonderful, but at the same time there’s tons of pressure. I think the standard of beauty 20, 30 years ago was ‘be as thin as possible’ and now the standard of beauty has shifted more to ‘be as curvy as possible’, and there’s pressure to augment yourself to fit into the standard somehow and that’s not realistic. You just got to know you and be comfortable with you – and if that means also augmenting, that’s fine too, as long as you accept yourself.”

She loves clapbacks: “I love a clapback, it’s so fun. I don’t even see it as offensive, I just see it as let’s just shut this down. My mom, Oracene, did not allow microaggressions in the home. I have a very short fuse for it. So, yeah, no, I’m not the one! But I see other people dealing with it. I have no part of it. No drama for me, I can’t. I’m too busy for drama. Some people like drama and that’s their choice. With my friends, I give them maybe one piece of advice and then people know. You don’t have to beg anyone. I’m not in a begging business, I’m a real chill girl, so your choice.”

Single ladies: “I’ve had a single life for a long time and I think it’s really easy to get stuck in a single life and sometimes – at least for me – harder to get out of a single life. So, that’s probably something I’m working on now and it makes you think about yourself and what you want and how to behave. It’s definitely a lot of self-thought that goes into it. And I guess for other people they are running to a relationship, which has never been my thing. So, we’re all different. This is how I work and function, and I’m OK with it. When life changes, you’ve got to know when to change. You can’t hold on to either a relationship or the singleness. You have to be able to move at the time – and even if you don’t want to or aren’t ready, you’ve just got to go with it.”

[From Glamour UK]

“No drama for me, I can’t. I’m too busy for drama. Some people like drama and that’s their choice” – I love her but please, she loves drama. So does Serena. They try to play like they’re too old for drama but they love it. I’ve always thought that Venus admires Serena because Serena is louder, more passionate, more dramatic. Venus felt like because she was the first one through the door, she had to be quieter and more low-key. What else? Venus’s romantic life is so crazy, people can’t keep up with who she’s dating at any given time. There were strong rumors that she was hittin’ it with a young American player but I think she was just having a fun fling and she broke his heart. Anyway, I adore Venus!

Cover courtesy of Glamour UK.