‘I love to be creative and try different hairstyles’, says tennis icon Venus Williams

Venus Williams loves expressing herself through her hair.

The 44-year-old tennis ace has sported a variety of different shades and styles over the years and she enjoys being able to be creative with her locks to show off her personality.

She told Us Weekly magazine: "I love that whole self-expression. Just being able to be creative and try different hairstyles and show off who you are, or even what kind of mood you’re in, or what kind of personality you have.”

One of her favourite looks was when she and her sister Serena Williams matched on court with their braided beads back in 1997.

She said: “It’s a style that young people who are African American wear, so it’s not necessarily a style you would always wear as an adult.

“You could still wear braids and beads, but probably in a more sophisticated way.”

Typically when she has a game, Venus favoured simple styles because her focus wasn't on her appearance.

She explained: "I was really looking for something easy because before the match … your mind is elsewhere."

The sportswoman recently went honey blonde as part of her partnership with Schwarzkopf Professional for their Up Your Game campaign and she was "thrilled" with the results, despite thinking she wouldn't be able to pull off the hue because of her "red undertones".

She said: “I just didn’t think I could do it.

“As soon as I saw it, I was thrilled. And I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, it looks just like Serena.’ "

Despite her love of experimenting with her hair, Venus has learned a lot through her new partnership.

She said: "I discovered all the possibilities that you could push boundaries with hair even further.

“I’m a person who doesn’t have boundaries, so I can’t believe I didn’t try that before."