MELBOURNE, Australia -- Venus Williams says she is finally over the disappointment of losing the past three Grand Slam finals and the No. 1 ranking to her little sister Serena.

The world No. 2 said her near-misses had initially left her deflated and sick of tennis, but she is over the pain.

"I do spend a lot of time feeling sorry for myself," Venus said. "But after I pat myself on the back, I get back up.

"I think last year for me was a tough year because I was mentally and physically tired.

"I was always going the extra mile to do my best but I really didn't want to go to practice all the time. I always felt tired, so it was a tough position to be in."

Venus, who beat Germany's Anca Barca 6-1, 6-4 on Friday to advance to the fourth round of the Australian Open, said she took a complete break from tennis at the end of the year to revitalize herself.

"If I'm not enjoying my tennis then I'll definitely take a step back and re-evaluate my life and things on the court," she said.

"(But) I'm enjoying it a lot, especially when I'm winning. When things get a little tight, I tend to be a little bitter about my performance, that's natural, but when I'm on a roll it definitely feels great."

Venus has not dropped a set on her way to the fourth round, where she plays Australia's Nicole Pratt, and said she was feeling good about her chances.

"I'm feeling better with every match," Venus, 22, said. "Serena probably feels confident that she could raise the level of her game when the time counts, and I also have that same confidence.

"I've done it in the past and I'm looking forward to doing it this tournament."

The rivalry between the two sisters is already part of tennis folklore.

Both have won four Grand Slam singles titles in their careers and both have been world No. 1.

They played each other in the final of last year's French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open championships and are tipped to meet in the Australian Open final.

As doubles partners, they have won all four Grand Slam titles plus the Olympics and while much has been written about the mental strengths and weaknesses of the two, Venus said mind games were not a part of their tactics.

"I think at times mentally you have to be stronger and be willing to go the extra mile. But either you're a better player or not," she said.

"The mind games don't come into play, I've never seen where they could be successful, so I haven't even tried them."