Venus reflects on maiden Wimbledon: 'I felt like it was my time'

Twenty years ago, Venus Williams captured the first of her five singles titles on the hallowed lawns of the All-England Club, and she says her maiden Grand Slam triumph was a thing of fate.

The seven-time major winner held a fan Q&A on her Instagram account on Tuesday, taking questions related to the grass-court Grand Slam on what is traditionally quarterfinal day at the tournament, as well as other fan queries. 

Read more: Serena salutes Venus' first Slam: 'My big sister, Wimbledon champion'

Having missed the first four months of 2000 with tendinitis in both wrists, Williams arrived at Wimbledon having played just three tournaments on the season, but lost just one set over seven matches to win her first major title.

"I remember going into that tournament and I said to myself, 'I'm winning this tournament. It's my turn, no one else... and that's the only time that I've ever gone into a tournament like that," she said.

"I felt like I paid my dues, that I'd had my tough losses, I felt like I learned my lessons, and that it was my turn. I knew I was going to win... and it happened."

After losing in the first round in her Wimbledon debut in 1997, the elder Williams sister was eliminated in the quarterfinals in 1998 and 1999 before she lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish for the first time. 

In the quarterfinals, she scored her first-ever win against Martina Hingis to advance to the semifinals, and beat her sister, Serena, and Lindsay Davenport in the tournament's final two rounds. 

"[In the final] I knew what I had to do and I had a game plan," Williams added.

"I think I was nervous in the first two or three games, but I knew what I had to do and I was ready to go."

The run to her first Wimbledon title kicked off a staggering 35-match winning streak for the American, who won six consecutive tournaments beginning at SW19. She went on to capture her second Grand Slam title later in the summer at the US Open, and won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics.

"The Wimbledon title meant everything for me growing up," she said.

"My dad said, 'Pick a tournament that you want to win more than any other tournament,' and I chose Wimbledon.

"Serena picked Wimbledon too, but he told her to pick another one, because he wanted her to have her own identity, so she picked the US Open. You have to have goals, so that was the start of it all."

Since that fateful triumph two decades ago, Williams went on to win the women's singles titles at Wimbledon in 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008 - and she also revisited two of those championship runs. 

Read more: Venus, Davenport contest classic clash in enthralling 2005 final

"Some of my favorite trophies are my Wimbledon trophy from 2005, because everyone said I couldn't do it. They said I was 'washed up,' and I'd just turned 25," she said. 

"In 2007, I remember playing [Marion] Bartoli in the final. I went into that match having so much more experience, and I knew it, and I was in control of the situation. She was extremely talented and great on grass, but it was her first time anywhere near that deep in a Grand Slam, so I definitely had that advantage.

"I didn't even go for a lot, I just played smart. You always have a certain nervousness going into a final, so I just played within myself. I was serving big though, real big, and that helps. But we don't have to worry about her, since she went on to win Wimbledon! She did great... and we stay in touch, actually."

When asked by a fan to pick a favorite amongst her litany of Wimbledon victories, however, the all-time great concluded that her lasting memories have little to do with tangible hardware.  

"Winning the first time was great... but they were all the best moments. It's hard to pick one," she said. "It's just that moment, when you get to that last point, and it's just you and you're the one, there's no other feeling like it in life.

"The best part of it all is waking up the next morning, and you remember that you won a major event. You're like, 'I'm a champ, yes!' - I have to say that's the best feeling, is waking up the next day as the champion."