Venus Williams called her brand EleVen, because eleven is one past perfect

When Venus Williams, seven times a Grand Slam singles champion, started her own tennis and lifestyle clothing line, she named it EleVen, with a capital V in the middle. Even the logo is a V drawn with two ones. Her explanation: if ten is perfect, eleven is what you get when you keep going anyway. “Going past the ten and going to eleven”, the result of maximum effort that takes you further than you thought you could go.

We would quarrel only with the first half. Ten is round and tidy and a little pleased with itself; the perfect number was eleven all along. Still, she arrived at the right answer, so we will let it pass.

It is a sports version of the old joke about amplifiers that go to eleven, but she means it sincerely.