New York, Aug 26: That Venus Williams lost her first Grand Slam match in two years – and what she says will be her last match of 2025 – didn’t really matter.
Certainly not to the thousands of supportive spectators in the Arthur Ashe Stadium seats who roared for her best shots and, in a way, for everything her career means to them, before sending her off the court with a standing ovation after a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 defeat against 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova at the US Open.
The result also sure seemed beside the point to Williams herself, at 45 the oldest singles player at Flushing Meadows since 1981. She smiled and laughed and joked through her postmatch news conference – until, that is, a reporter asked something that made her think back to all of the injury and illness issues she dealt with for years.
“Oh, what did I prove to myself?” Williams began, repeating part of the question. “I think for me, getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy. When you play unhealthy, it’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel. You get stuck in your mind too. So it was nice to be freer.”
This was just the fourth singles match of a comeback that began in July after 16 months off the tennis tour.
Being back in the arena meant so much to her – and to those watching.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a crowd that much on my side,” said Williams, who appreciated the backing and yells of “Let’s go, Venus!” that came from the stands even as she dropped 11 of the night’s first 13 points. (AP)
