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Venus Williams Shares Her Post-Match Ritual—and What Goes Through Her Mind When She Loses

venus williams playing tennis1

Venus Williams knows the highs and lows of life on the tennis court. But when it comes to her post-match ritual, it can vary—especially depending on if she wins or loses. 

PureWow had the chance to catch up with the tennis superstar while she was in New York City to promote her partnership with Clorox and its disinfecting wipes, a must-have during cold and flu season.

There, she explained exactly what goes down in the minutes after she wins—or loses—a game. 

“After the match, hopefully I’m high-five-ing my team,” she says. “But if I’ve lost, I probably scare everyone since I’m in such a terrible, terrible mood. Of course, I shake my opponent’s hand and acknowledge that they played a better match than me that day. But when I walk off, I’m not happy.”

Still, Williams has a cooldown routine that she follows to restore her body after competitive play. “Usually, I have a protein drink, then some carbs. I like to replace everything that I depleted, drink down some electrolytes and stretch. A lot of times I also get a massage and since we always travel with our speaker, we play music in the gym.”

Her playlist of choice? “The other day I was playing some St. Lucian reggae and another player was like, ‘I like this—what is this song?’ But we always mix it up.”

Still, the power of habit is important—with wiggle room for wins and losses...and reggae.

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Royal family expert, a cappella alum, mom

Rachel Bowie is Senior Director of Special Projects & Royals at PureWow, where she covers parenting, fashion, wellness and money in addition to overseeing initiatives within...