Top 10 Quotes of 2021: Venus Williams explains how she handles the media at Roland Garros

6. "You'll never light a candle to me"

When Naomi Osaka made the tough decision to pull out of this year's Roland Garros due to an on-going battle with anxiety and depression in which media played a major role in—players were asked about their own experiences dealing with press. While the responses and reactions were overall interesting, Venus Williams' comments on the subject took the cake.

Following a first-round loss to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, Venus confidently sat before journalists in the press conference room at Roland Garros. She was asked how she has coped with speaking to media since stepping foot onto the WTA Tour in 1994.

So no matter what you say, or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me. Venus Williams

"For me personally, how I cope, how I deal with it, was that I know every single person asking me a question can’t play as well as I can and never will," she told press. “So no matter what you say, or what you write, you’ll never light a candle to me.

“That’s how I deal with it. But each person deals with it differently."

The seven-time major champion has always been gracious and carries herself with an unbothered mentality, and although she left the court with a loss that day she certainly dropped no games in the press room.

Before deciding to pull out of the event, Osaka was fined for not attending her post-match presser following her opening-round win at the major event. As she became the hot topic around the world, which was far from intended—she decided to withdrew as her boycott attention intensified and the spotlight casted upon her burned brighter than ever.

Osaka took a short break from the sport following the tournament and didn't return until Wimbledon. During that time she took to social media to explain her "bouts of depression" and recoup mentally while putting a strong emphasis on the importance of mental health in sports.

As for Venus, she only played Wimbledon and the WTA 250 event in Chicago since. The former No. 1 held a 3-9 record in 2021, but after that mic drop she still somehow remains undefeated.