"I was losing my lunch over period pains" - Venus Williams gets emotional recalling painful maiden French Open memory

Venus Williams, one of the greatest players of all time, talked about a few painful memories from her first time playing the French Open in 1997.

During an interview with SELF, Williams spoke about how she was affected by uterine fibroids, a condition that involves growths made up of muscle and connective tissue, causing a lot of pain and other heavy side effects.

The then teenager made her Grand Slam main draw debut in the 1997 edition of the French Open, a few months before she would make a run to the US Open final that year.

As she winds down her professional career, Williams opened up about the condition that put her through a lot of pain back in the day at Roland Garros nearly three decades ago:

“I remember playing my first French open, at the time I was 16. Before the second round, I was waiting for my match, and I was just hugging the toilet bowl. I was losing my lunch over period pains.”

Williams reached the second round at the French Open that year, losing to Nathalie Tauziat in a thrilling three-set battle. Tauziat, though, lost to Monica Seles in the next round.

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Has Venus Williams won the French Open?

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Venus Williams hasn't won the French Open in 24 main draw appearances. Her best run came in 2002, when she reached the final, losing to her sister Serena Williams.

Despite her failure to conquer Paris, Venus Williams captured seven Grand Slam titles, winning her first at 2000 Wimbledon, beating defending champion Lindsay Davenport. She won five of her Grand Slam singles titles at the grasscourt Major, most recently in 2008.

Williams has also won the US Open twice (2000-01), with her last visit to a Grand Slam final coming at 2017 Wimbledon, losing to Garbine Muguruza.