Venus Williams is aiming to turn into the oldest girl to win a Grand Slam match since Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 2004
Initially of this yr, many puzzled when Venus Williams would announce her retirement.
Now she is about to grace her residence Grand Slam event for a record-extending twenty fifth time.
Williams is about to turn into the oldest US Open singles participant in 44 years after being given a wildcard for Flushing Meadows.
Earlier this season, Williams turned thought-about an inactive participant, having gone an entire yr with out competing.
Then, out of nowhere, because the eyes of the tennis world have been educated on Wimbledon, she introduced she was able to play on the Washington Open.
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, 45, gained her first-round match on her first look in 16 months, earlier than going out in spherical two.
The victory over fellow American Peyton Stearns meant Williams turned the oldest participant to win a WTA Tour singles match in additional than 21 years.
Why now for Venus Williams?
It begged two apparent questions. Why? And why now?
Williams put the timing of her return all the way down to her love for the sport and her love of the arduous courts.
That shone by way of when she arrived within the US capital.
Williams had usually been curt and closed when chatting with the media, however spoke warmly and brazenly in her first pre-tournament information convention.
Hitting “large” – the model of tennis with which she emerged as a famous person within the late Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s – was nonetheless her plan.
Williams proved she nonetheless had that capacity as she swept apart Stearns.
Whereas she misplaced within the subsequent spherical to fifth seed Magdalena Frech, and was additionally crushed by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro within the Cincinnati first spherical, they have been aggressive sufficient to earn her a US Open wildcard.
Now the previous world primary will seem as soon as once more at Flushing Meadows in New York, the place she gained two of her Grand Slam titles, in 2000 and 2001.
Williams is about to turn into the oldest participant to compete in singles on the US Open since 47-year-old Renee Richards in 1981.
Will probably be 577th-ranked Williams’ first look at one of many sport’s 4 majors for the reason that 2023 US Open, the place she misplaced within the first spherical.
Williams may also play within the revamped combined doubles alongside fellow American Reilly Opelka.
Some will argue giving a spot within the 128-player draw to a veteran with one victory in additional than two years blocks the event of a youthful participant.
Others will say an all-time nice ought to at all times be supplied the possibility to play.
May it’s the right place to retire and have a glitzy farewell like her youthful sister Serena did in 2022?
We do not know that but – however you would not rule it out.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Feedback, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform don’t essentially signify the views or coverage of Multimedia Group Restricted.
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