Venus Williams is inspired to stay in shape by her tennis court outfits.

The 29-year-old sportswoman claims her form-fitting clothes force her to keep an eye on her figure, although she does enjoy treating herself on occasions.

She said: "I wear a lot of tight dresses so I'm like, 'I need to do my sit-ups.' I really like candy. Sometimes you lose track of what and how much you've eaten, and then you're like, 'Oh God, what have I done?' "

She has also recently taken to the swimming pool to increase her physical fitness and bike riding - although she is doing better at breast stroke than on the road.

She told People magazine: "I started swimming. I love being in the water - and I was never was a good swimmer - but in the last week, I've learned to swim. I actually had a bike accident that I was really fortunate to come out of.

"I stopped suddenly, because I thought the curb was ending, but then I stopped too soon. Thankfully I had my helmet on."

Venus launched fashion line EleVen in 2007 with US outlet Steve and Barry's, saying she wanted to create something for active women.

She said: "The vision has been to create a collection that will allow women to enjoy an active lifestyle while remaining fashionable at the same time. I'm thrilled with everything we've created to launch EleVen"