Simone Biles hails Venus and Serena Williams for "paving the way for black athletes", wishes she were friends with the sisters

Hollywood actor Will Smith recently hosted 'Red Table Talk', a talk show where he spoke to Venus and Serena Williams ahead of the release of their father's biopic, King Richard.

During the show, several eminent names from within and beyond the sporting fraternity spoke about the Williams sisters and their contribution to sports. Star gymnast Simone Biles also weighed in on the Williams sisters' greatness, admitting that they have had a major influence on her career.

Biles further stated that she's thankful to them for paving the way for black athletes and women.

"The impact Venus and Serena Williams have made, not only in sports but in life, has made a huge impact on my entire career," Simone Biles began. "They've paved the way for black athletes as well as black women. I can't thank them enough."

Venus and Serena Williams at the 2017 Australian Open

The four-time Olympic gold medalist further revealed that although she is a "big fan" of the tennis greats, she wishes she could be their friend. She also recalled being "amazed" by their height when she met the iconic duo in the past.

"I'm really grateful that I have them to look up to. I wish we were friends, but I'm pretty much just a big fan of them. I do remember meeting both Venus and Serena at separate times, and I was just amazed at how tall they were," Biles added.

"I become my best every time I lose"- Serena Williams

Serena Williams at the 2021 Australian Open

Simone Biles also asked Venus and Serena Williams how they manage to keep going, especially when they feel the need to take a break to protect their mental health. Serena Williams explained that she tries to learn from her losses, which helps her become the best version of herself.

"I become my best player every time I lose," Serena Williams said. "I learn from what happened in that loss. I generally try to really make leaps and bounds from that loss. I think sometimes people are too afraid to lose if they start winning or they're afraid to fail. But like, I don't even like the word, it's not failure. It's just like, you slipped, and then you'll get back up."

Venus Williams revealed that she often asks herself if what she's going through at the moment would be worth remembering 10 years down the line. She said that approach helps her deal with failures better. Venus also feels that failing at something is "perfectly fine" as long as one tries their best.

"I think just asking yourself a question like, how do I want to remember this moment?," Venus Williams said. "If I look back in ten years, how will I feel about this? Also life is about failures right? I think just that acceptance that failure is fine, because even when you look back in those ten years, even if you fail, if you just gave it your all with what you had that day, that's still perfectly fine."