Venus Williams Opens Up: Legacy, Fashion, and Passing the Torch at Roland Garros

The gravel paths of Roland Garros hold countless memories, but for Venus Williams, they carry something far deeper — a tapestry of triumph, heartbreak, and the kind of history only legends can claim. Now 44, Venus is stepping into a new role: storyteller. Through her new series “Roland with Venus” on TNT Sports, she isn’t just revisiting her own battles on the clay; she’s pulling fans behind the curtain of tennis culture, fashion, and the rising stars who may one day define the sport she helped shape.

The Paris Stage That Changed Everything

When Venus speaks of Paris, her tone softens. She remembers the grind of clay, the red dust clinging to shoes, and the emotional weight of chasing trophies under the French sun. “Roland Garros was where I felt tested the most,” she admits. “It wasn’t just about winning matches — it was about proving you could survive clay, survive the elements, survive yourself.”

It was also where she shared her most vulnerable and powerful moments with her sister Serena. The two dominated the early 2000s, rewriting tennis history, but behind the trophies were whispered conversations in locker rooms, shared nerves before finals, and the quiet bond of siblings shouldering global expectation. “Serena and I carried each other through it all,” Venus says. “Sometimes she lifted me, sometimes I lifted her — but we always walked together.”

Fashion, Confidence, and Breaking Rules

For Venus, tennis was never just about forehands and serves. It was about presentation. “Clothing gave me power,” she reflects. “When I walked onto the court in something bold, I felt bold. And when you feel bold, you play bold.”

Her line, EleVen, redefined tennis fashion — a pushback against sterile whites and predictable outfits. Looking back, she sees fashion as more than vanity; it was rebellion, it was expression, it was a declaration that women athletes didn’t have to hide behind uniformity. “People didn’t always get it. But I wasn’t dressing for them. I was dressing for me.”

Passing the Torch to America’s New Guard

Though Venus still picks up her racquet, she’s also watching closely as the next generation surges forward. She lights up when talking about Coco Gauff, who lifted her first Grand Slam at the US Open, and young Americans like Alycia Parks and Hailey Baptiste.

“They’re fearless,” Venus says. “They don’t see limits. That’s what excites me — not just that they’re winning, but that they’re carrying the sport into new spaces. Tennis in America isn’t fading. It’s evolving.”

But she is also quick to remind them: greatness isn’t just about talent. It’s about endurance. “The spotlight is heavy,” she cautions. “But if they can carry it, they’ll change everything.”

The Legacy Still Being Written

Venus doesn’t pretend her career was flawless. Injuries, defeats, the weight of comparison to Serena — all of it shaped her. Yet when asked how she wants to be remembered, she doesn’t talk about seven Grand Slam titles or weeks ranked world No. 1.

“I want to be remembered for showing up,” she says. “Even when people counted me out. Even when I wasn’t at my best. I kept walking out there. That’s what champions do.”

For fans, that perseverance is the heart of her story. And now, through her new show, she’s sharing not only her own truth but the evolution of a sport that owes so much to her fight.

A Queen of Two Worlds: The Past and the Future

As Roland Garros prepares for another season of drama, Venus Williams is no longer just the warrior on the court. She is the narrator of the game’s past and its future, standing tall in both history and the present.

She smiles when asked if she misses being the one out there, chasing titles under the Paris sun. “Of course I miss it,” she laughs. “But there’s a time for everything. Now, it’s my time to tell the stories — and to cheer for the ones writing the next chapter.”

And if her words carry the same weight as her forehand once did, the next chapter of women’s tennis has already been blessed by its queen.