Venus Williams announces new book, goes viral in same week

The past and future aligned this week for Venus Williams in a pair of social media moments.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion first announced on Wednesday that she’ll be authoring a new health and wellness book, titled Strivethat will have “all of the tips and tricks and sometimes a little tough love” that she’s learned as a professional athlete, and also in the nearly 15 years since being diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder.

“As an athlete, I know the perseverance and consistency it takes to accomplish your goals and get true results,” Williams said a press release. “With Strivemy goal is to share the tips and tricks that helped me in my own personal wellness and nutrition journey.

“These are the tools that kept me from burning out on a lifestyle that I wanted and believed in, a lifestyle that helped me feel confident, powerful and capable.”

The book, set to be released in September, is now available for preorder, and be Williams’ second written title.

Elsewhere online this week, a snapshot featuring the Williams of the past also went viral — thanks to an 8-year-old version of Coco Gauff. An X user, @Isaac_Williams2spotted a young Gauff courtside in Arthur Ashe Stadium watching Williams play Bethanie Mattek-Sands at the 2012 US Open.

Gauff soon discovered the photo and shared it to her own followers, writing, “if this isn’t proof that your dreams are closer than you think, then idk [I don’t know] what is.” She also wrote in an Instagram story that she had no idea she was even on TV in that moment.

Gauff’s posts about the moment have been viewed more than 2 million times, and the original screenshots, too, have accumulated nearly 2 million views.

It also marked the second time that a young Gauff’s visit to the 2012 US Open exploded online. After winning the US Open last summer, a clip of her dancing to Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit song “Call Me Maybe” on Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day also went viral, with the singer herself even posting it.

And Gauff sent a message to that younger version of herself after winning the title.

“I don’t even know if that little girl, she had the dream, but I don’t know if she fully believed it. As a kid, you have so many dreams. As you get older sometimes it can fiddle away,’” Gauff said in her championship press conference.

“Honestly, I felt like I lost a little bit of the dream as this journey has gone [on]. I would tell her, ‘Don’t lose the dream. Keep having fun.’ As you can see in the video, I loved being on Ashe, whether it was in the crowd or on the court.”