At 46, Venus Williams continues competing at the highest level for one simple reason: pure passion for the sport. Despite winning a total of 73 tour-level trophies, she has remained grounded and even played with upcoming stars in doubles since her comeback. And as Wimbledon approaches, that humility is back in the spotlight after Iga Swiatek recalled how their very first meeting was both unforgettable and remarkably humble.

“I remember she was probably like the first person on WTA [tour],” Swiatek said in a recent interview at Wimbledon. “She literally held the door for me for like 10 seconds to walk, and I was like, wow, Venus Williams just held the door for me. I was quite surprised because she seems really calm and so experienced, and you can see that from how she acts and how she looks, and you can kind of feel the wisdom,” Iga added.

And the Polish ace is far from the only player to speak so highly of the seven-time Grand Slam champion. Many others have shared similar experiences about her humble personality over the years.

Take Alexandra Eala, as a recent example. The 21-year-old recently partnered with Venus Williams at the Bad Homburg Open doubles tournament.

For the 29th seed at SW19, the opportunity meant everything. She described sharing the court with the WTA icon as a dream come true.

“Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I’d have the privilege of competing alongside you on court, [Venus Williams],” Eala wrote in her IG stories. “Immensely grateful to learn from you.”

Those words reflected the respect Venus continues to earn from players across generations. Despite everything she has accomplished in her career on tour, Venus has always remained grounded. That quality has become one of the defining parts of her legacy.

Even after returning to competition at this stage of her career last year, fans continued to question her comeback. Still, former players and legends have often defended her because of her quiet personality.

Rennae Stubbs once explained, “Venus is very low key, though. She’s very different in a lot of ways to Serena.”

And as Wimbledon draws closer, the current world No. 3 also carries plenty of confidence into the Championships. She now has her sights firmly set on defending her SW19 title while taking inspiration from one of the sport’s most respected champions.

Iga Swiatek faces a tricky SW19 draw with a potential Serena Williams showdown

While the six-time Grand Slam winner has shared her admiration for Venus, Iga Swiatek now faces an even bigger challenge after the SW19 draw was revealed. The 25-year-old has landed one of the toughest projected routes in the tournament as she will begin her campaign against American Taylor Townsend.

If she advances, a likely 2nd-round clash awaits against former top seed Karolina Pliskova. A much-anticipated showdown could then arrive in the 3rd round. If both players progress, the Polish ace and Serena Williams would meet for the very first time in their careers.

Needless to say, it would be one of the biggest matches of the opening week at this year’s SW19. 

The challenges do not end there either for Iga. An R16 meeting against former Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini could come first. After that, the current world No. 8 Elina Svitolina is a possible QF opponent.

If Swiatek reaches just her second Wimbledon SF, she is projected to face No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina. Should the Pole reach back-to-back SW19 finals, top seed Aryna Sabalenka is the most likely opponent waiting on the other side of the net.

While Iga now prepares for another title challenge, Venus is getting ready for her doubles campaign. Meanwhile, tennis fans are eagerly hoping the dream clash between Iga and Serena becomes a reality.