"My biggest mistake was hoping Martina Hingis would somehow give me the win" - Venus Williams on the 'worst loss of her career' at US Open 1999

Seven-time Major winner Venus Williams recently posted a video on her YouTube handle where she gave her fans some pep talk to help them accomplish their goals.

During the video, the American named her 1999 US Open semifinal loss to World No. 1 Martina Hingis as possibly "the worst loss of her career".

Venus Williams was bidding to win her first Major title back then, having previously lost the 1997 US Open final to Hingis herself.

Although the then-teenage phenom played well, she didn't have her Swiss opponent's experience, as she lost the match 1-6, 6-4, 3-6.

The elder Williams sister disclosed that she was overwhelmed at the prospect of playing such a big match, due to which she didn't take enough initiative during the crucial moments of the match.

"My biggest mistake in this match was hoping that Martina would miss and that somehow, she would give me the win. And what's the right thing to do? You gotta go for it, you gotta take it. You gotta do the work, you gotta do the right things," Venus Williams remarked.

Venus Williams then added that Hingis deserved the victory, as she was "willing to go for it more than her". She also advised her fans to build themselves up and take more responsibility in order to grab such opportunities.

"When you do go for it and take it, if you're going for it the right way, you get it because you deserve it. So, unfortunately for me, she deserved it more, she was willing to go for it more than I was, and she took the win," she continued.

The American further admitted that she took that particular loss incredibly hard.

She did concede, however, that she learned her lesson from the loss while also expressing her happiness that Serena Williams eventually beat the Swiss in the final to win her maiden Grand Slam title.

"It left me devastated. I was disappointed in myself, I knew that I could do better. but the good news is that Serena went on to win the final in one of the most amazing matches played to date. Incredible, really incredible what she achieved. And that showed me a lot, and I learned a lot," she added.

Venus Williams did make drastic improvements after the 1999 US Open semifinal loss, as she went on to win four Major titles over the next two years, which included triumphing at Flushing Meadows twice in 2000 and 2001.

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"Thank god I had Serena to show me, because I was the person who needed more heart" - Venus Williams

Venus Williams beat Serena Williams to win her fourth Major title at the 2001 US Open

During the pep talk segment, Venus Williams inferred how Serena Williams' courage to win the 1999 US Open title inspired her greatly.

She also asserted that although such moments can feel daunting emotionally, it is important to be strong and work hard.

"Thank god I had Serena to show me, because I was the person who needed more heart. And after that I said to myself, "No matter what, I will do what it takes to win". Even if the moment feels scary, even if it feels like a risk, I would do what I practiced, what I trained for. I'm not gonna back away because it seems hard," Venus Williams said during the segment.

The seven-time Major winner went as far as to assert that although she considered the loss to be possibly her worst, it also turned out to be her "biggest teacher".

"It was a really tough, tough loss for me, but it also proved to be my biggest teacher! Because in a way, I had hit rock bottom, I had been to GS finals, and semifinals, I was top 10 in the world. But what I really wanted was that Grand Slam and more than 1 hopefully, right?"

Venus Williams has come a long way since then. Although the American struggled with her motivation and a wrist injury, she would end up rising to World No. 1 in early 2002 thanks to her big serve and world-class backhand.

She even beat her younger sister, Serena, in back-to-back finals at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2001.

Even though the American is ranked outside of the top 500 at the twilight phase of her career, she still remains a dangerous opponent, as evidenced by her Cincinnati defeat of World No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova.