By Chiara Piacentini
Staff Writer
Venus Williams suffered her biggest loss in her 29-year career in the U.S. Open by losing two straight sets (6-1, 6-1) in her match with Belgian Greet Minnen on Aug. 29. This was a major upset, especially since Minnen is an unseeded player (she entered the tournament ranked 97th in the world). Williams has now been knocked out of the Open in the first round for the third time in a row.
She admitted this “wasn’t the year [she] was expecting,” but made a graceful exit by complimenting Minnen on her performance. “I have to give credit to my opponent, there wasn’t a shot she couldn’t make,” she said. She also recognized the overwhelming support of the audience after the game by acknowledging their applause as she walked to the locker room. “I know the fans have been here for me forever, so that’s fantastic to still have that support more than ever.”
As for Minnen, she was honored to have played against Williams. “[I]t was incredible to play a legend like her. I have huge respect,” she said.
It is understandable that most fans would have been betting on Williams to dominate when you consider her impressive tennis record. She debuted in October of 1994 at just 14-years-old and made her first Grand Slam final in the 1997 U.S. Open. She has won Wimbledon five times as well as gold in the 2000 Olympic Games. She also secured victory in the 2000 U.S. Open and defeated her equally-accomplished sister, Serena Williams, in the same tournament the following year. She has a total of seven Grand Slam singles titles to her name along with another 14 Grand Slam doubles titles with Serena.
According to People, there is some speculation that her injuries could be to blame for the Aug. 29 loss, as a leg injury caused her to lose the first round in Wimbledon this past July. She also skipped the Women’s Tennis Association tour in Cleveland in August from a knee injury. Having taken note of these mishaps, Williams thanked her doctors for allowing her to get this far in the Open, calling it a “blessing.”
In terms of tennis strategy, Williams says there were shots—especially backhands—made where “her footwork wasn’t really there.” However, she has not been able to spend much time practicing this year due to her injuries. Despite minimal preparation, Williams believes this was not the root cause of her poor performance.
Given her most recent loss and her current status as the oldest professional tennis player at age 43, reporters have started to ask Williams if she plans to retire. After all, her sister retired in September of 2022 at age 41. But Williams deftly dodges the retirement questions by answering that “she still feels there is a lot left in the tank” and “I don’t know what I’ll do this fall. Definitely too soon to say” as reported by People and ESPN. While her answers are open to interpretation, her future continues to remain uncertain at the moment.
