Serena Williams explained to Simone Biles how she protects her mental health during the Nov. 17 episode of the Facebook Watch show, Red Table Talk. As Will Smith took over hosting duties for Jada Pinkett Smith to discuss his role in King Richard as Richard Williams, the father of Serena and her sister Venus Williams, Will invited several celebrities including the 24-year-old gymnastic champion to pay tribute to the legendary sister duo.
Simone made her surprise appearance and asked the Olympic gold medal-winning sisters the one piece of “life advice” they could share as to how they “keep going especially when you need a mental health break.”
Serena responded, “That’s a good question, Simone, and with gymnastics that huge moment is once every four years. Our huge moment is four times, every year. So for us if we needed a break — I remember one time in 2006 I just took the whole year off. For me when it comes to like Grand Slams, sometimes I push maybe too far. I just always keep going.”
Venus added, “Athletes live very unbalanced lives and for me just to have a moment alone. It can be, I don’t know, watching something silly. Just for like an hour, half hour, and that kind of balances me out. It’s a silly, simple thing, but then it helps me get ready for the next day. I think just asking yourself, ‘How do I want to remember this moment? How do I want to handle this moment. When I look back in 10 years, how will I feel about this?’ I think life is about failures. You fail and it’s OK.”
Simone also gushed over the tennis champions and explained “the huge impact” they made on her life. “The impact that Venus and Serena have made not only in sports, but in life, have made a huge impact on my entire career. They’ve paved the way for Black athletes, as well as Black women. I can’t thank them enough and I’m really grateful that I have them to look up to,” she said.