(VIDEOS) Venus Williams explains how she injured herself trying to match Serena Williams during her career

Venus Williams has enjoyed a legendary career on the WTA Tour and still has more left in the tank.

The 44-year-old American star won seven Grand Slam singles titles during her career, including five Wimbledon crowns.

Williams held the number one ranking for 11 weeks in 2002 as she climbed to the top of the women’s game.

READ: Serena Williams hits back at Super Bowl backlash

She perhaps would’ve won even more in her career had she not dealt with competition from her younger sister, Serena Williams.

The 43-year-old won 23 Major titles, ending her career in 2022 as arguably the greatest player in the history of the WTA Tour.

Battling it out for more than 20 years, the Williams sisters developed a legendary rivalry that helped take women’s tennis to another level.

During the rivalry, Venus Williams did whatever it took to get ahead of her sister, sometimes to her own detriment.

Speaking on her YouTube channel, Williams explained how a lack of flexibility troubled her throughout her professional career.

“Some people like Serena [Williams], she’s so much looser than me, and she could do middle splits and all this stuff,” she said.

“There’s a point where I was really trying to work on getting a lot looser but I actually ended up hurting myself in that process.

“The reason is once you start actually stretching a lot more to get more flexibility, it actually strengthens you.”

Williams then explained what she came to ‘accept’ over time in her career.

“I’m not the most flexible person, I tried, I tried, I realized it’s not me,” she said.

“I’d be on tour watching other tennis players, and I’m like, why are they so flexible, then I realized it’s just not me.

“So I accepted that I’m not the most flexible person, and that’s ok.”

Williams explained her stretching routines to her fans, something that she’ll need to keep on top of as she returns to the sport next month.

The 44-year-old was handed a Wild Card to the Indian Wells tournament in California, where she will make her first professional appearance since losing in the 2024 Miami Open first round.

Venus and Serena Williams faced off 31 times in total, as they clashed on tennis’ biggest stages.

Serena led the head-to-head 19-12, although their record in Major finals was far more lopsided, as the younger of the two sisters dominated at the Grand Slam level.

Venus heartbreakingly lost seven Major finals to her sister, including five in a row between 2002 and 2003.

They faced off for a Grand Slam title one final time at the Australian Open in 2017, as fans witnessed another chapter of their legendary rivalry.

In straight sets, Serena secured her 23rd and final Major title, taking her sister down on the big occasion once again.

Their last Major final meeting came in 2017, but the last time fans saw Venus and Serena Williams face off was in Lexington five years ago.

Serena was the top seed at the event, as she took on her sister in the second-round, after Venus beat former two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka in her opening match.

It was Venus who struck first, taking the first set 6-3, before her younger sister battled back in the second and third.

Eventually, Serena pulled through, winning 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, to advance to the quarter-finals in Lexington.

It was there that she lost to fellow American Shelby Rogers as her campaign came to an abrupt end.

The sisters never played again on the WTA Tour, as a legendary rivalry saw its final chapter written in Lexington, Kentucky, five years ago.