On an unforgettable evening in New York, Venus Williams offered yet another demonstration of her perpetual greatness as she battled into the night with Karolína Muchová, making the 11th seed’s life difficult across an intense two hours before falling 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the first round of the US Open.
As Williams took the familiar walk through the bowels of Arthur Ashe Stadium and on to the court, the 45-year-old’s latest appearance at her home grand slam tournament occurred on a notable date. On 25 August 1997, exactly 28 years ago, this stadium opened for the first time. Later that day, a 17-year-old Williams was one of the first players to compete on the court as she made her long-awaited US Open debut there, the start of her monumental run to the final.
So much has changed in the three decades Williams has spent playing professional tennis, yet at 45 years old her passion for the sport is undimmed. Here she was again, just as determined to give her all. She found herself in a difficult match up against the 11th seed Muchová, a semi-finalist last year. Things have not been easy for Muchová recently and she is still trying to find her form after a left wrist injury that sidelined her for months but she is one of the most talented players in the sport.
Despite a full crowd inside the biggest tennis stadium in the world, the opening games played out to an awkward silence due to Williams’ unforced errors. She looked more than a step slow to every ball and her timing was off. Down 0-2, 0-40, things looked grim.
Then, suddenly, Williams came to life. She found destructive first serves and eviscerated the ball off both wings, pinning Muchová far behind the baseline and putting her under relentless pressure. She kept on moving forward, always looking for opportunities to snatch a trademark drive volley out of the air. Every successful point was punctuated by a roar from the New York crowd, which did not always support her during her prime years.
Muchová fires a forehand back to Williams. Photograph: Robert Prange/Getty Images
Even though her second serve betrayed her towards the end of the first set, Williams entered the second emboldened by how her game measured up against one of the best players in the world, and she performed at a brilliant level. With age, certain parts of her game have naturally deteriorated, but the fundamentals endure: big serving, relentless, attacking shotmaking and her determination to close down the net. Muchová eventually recovered in the final set, forcing Williams into defensive positions more frequently as she closed out the win.
Afterwards, Williams expressed pride at her performance and she felt her inability to maintain her strong level due to her lack of recent match practise. “I love playing,” she said. “The level of my game has come up so much since [last month]. I tried as hard as I could to throw off any rust, but at the end of the day, there’s only so much that can really be accomplished in three or four matches. There were just some shots I missed – those kind of shots are about feel and less about training, and those are the kinds of things that I just couldn’t stave off today.”
When Williams first announced her return, many people were sceptical about whether the 45-year-old could be competitive with elite tennis players. After such a positive performance, the majority of Williams’s press conference focused on whether she would actually be willing to compete more frequently. Williams does not intend to play after the US Open or outside the United States but she has not ruled out competing next year. “Are there any tournaments in the States? Can someone move a tournament here? I don’t know that I’m willing to travel that far at this stage in my career to go play,” she said.
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Williams recently revealed that she has struggled with fibroids for many years, tumours that develop in and around the uterus causing significant pain and heavy bleeding, which has had a significant impact on her playing career. Her health problems made this particular match-up even more symbolic. “When I think about the match I played against [Muchová] in 2020, I was so uncomfortable,” said Williams. “I wasn’t well. I was in so much pain. Today it’s night and day how much better I felt, so I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to play in feeling better, and at that rate, have a real chance.”
Last year, Williams underwent an open myomectomy surgery to remove the fibroids, a major surgery that was the source of significant concern for her beforehand. Part of her motivation for continuing to compete at her advanced age was simply being able to experience playing the sport she loves without being in pain.
“What did I prove to myself? 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,” said Williams, her eyes welling up with tears. “So … it was nice to be freer.”
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