"I've had to overcome self-doubt, focus on myself and not allow myself to be intimidated" - Venus Williams on her struggles with self-confidence

Venus Williams was one of the most confident and dominant players on the women's tour at her peak. But according to the seven-time Grand Slam champion, there were plenty of occasions over the course of her near-three-decade-long career when she struggled with self-confidence.

The American spoke about the struggle of overcoming self-doubt and building confidence in her latest interview with Women's Health magazine. The 41-year-old said she felt low on confidence whenever she came back from an injury or when an opponent played really well against her. But she admitted that she soon realized that she needed to focus on her game and not be intimidated by an opponent.

"When you see that they're on their game and playing well, you're like, 'Oh, my gosh,'" the seven-time Slam champion said. "I've had to also overcome self-doubt. And that could have been recovering from an injury or playing a challenging opponent."

"[But Confidence is] focusing on myself and not allowing myself to be intimidated by another person," she continued. "Changing my attitude, choosing to be inspired, or choosing to push myself [also helps]."

Venus at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships.

Shifting her focus to her fitness regime and how she overcame "gymtimidation", feelings of anxiety around entering a gym, the former World No. 1 said she believed in setting small targets for herself at every step.

The American added that even the smallest of efforts contributed to better overall health.

"What are those goals that you can put in place? Every effort you put in adds up," she said. "If one day you only put in a minute, that adds up."

"I just really lost complete confidence in that body part" - Venus Williams on her recent injury

Williams suffered an injury duirng her second-round encounter at the 2021 Australian Open.

Williams has had her fair share of injury scares over the years. Recalling her latest setback, the 41-year-old said it made her rethink her entire fitness regimen as she could no longer work out with the same intensity.

The American said she lost complete confidence in the affected body part and had to take "baby steps" to get back to full fitness.

"I just really lost complete confidece in that body part," she said. "For me, it was like baby steps."

The 41-year-old will not be competing at the Australian Open this month.