Even before Monday’s prime-time 19:00 spot on Arthur Ashe stadium, Venus Williams had already made history.
The two-time US Open winner made her 94th Grand Slam appearance at the age of 45, surpassing any other female player in the Open Era.
The American is also the oldest singles player to play at the US Open since Renee Richards, who was 47 when she played at the Open in 1981.
While she was denied a deeper run into her home slam, Williams was grateful and proud of her recent progress, given her recent off-court battles.
Tough draw
It was always going to be a tough first-round draw as a wildcard, facing the world No 13 Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic.
While Muchova overcame Williams (6-3, 2-6, 6-1), her performance emphasised how much this sport still means to the former world No 1.
Her passion and drive throughout the match was palpable in front of a home crowd, punctuated by fist pumps, self-encouragement and a level of play showing remarkable improvement from when she last played two years ago.
Impressive serving and powerful groundstrokes rolled back the years, despite a lack of recent match practice.
The winner of two US Open titles had a slow start, at 0-2 down in the first set, before finding her rhythm to catch up at 3-2, thanks to clean, powerful ball-striking.
In classic Williams’ sisters’ style, she turned defence into offence on the run!
One such moment came when the American was down 1-4 in the third set, treating a packed Arthur Ashe stadium to flashes of vintage Williams brilliance.
On serve, the seven-time grand slam winner initiated a 13-stroke rally, forcing Muchova to stay back and defend from side to side.
The rally culminated in a winning backhand return, unreachable by Muchova.
It was the trademark Venus backhand – with the unorthodox double-handed take-back executed with the same ferocious precision and power as that of 20 years ago.
‘Proud of her performance’
Despite the loss, Williams titles received a standing ovation from crowd.
At her post-match press conference, she spoke of being proud of her performance, under the bright lights and crowd support, and gratitude for being given the opportunity with a wild card.
There were many positive takeaways.
She had played her fourth match in two years. It was her first grand slam in two years, yet despite the lack of match practice, she managed to take a set off 29-year-old Muchova.
Williams was proud of her level, which she acknowledged had continued to improve in recent weeks since playing in Cincinnati and Washington.
Speaking to reporters, Williams revealed her dedication, and the harsh realities of being on tour, including sacrifices and the unpredictability of health.
Sacrifice
In the last three months, about herself and her team, she confirmed: “Literally took no days off. I haven’t gone to dinner; I haven’t seen friends, I haven’t done anything except train for three months, as hard as I could and for each match that I didn’t win, I tried to learn from that and then get better”.
The sacrifice can’t have been easy for Williams, who recently got engaged to partner Andrea Preti.
Williams has suffered from health struggles, which have kept her away from the sport whilst struggling through pain.
As well as living with the autoimmune condition Sjögren’s syndrome for many years, Williams recently revealed her battles with uterine fibroids – which she has had successful treatment for, allowing her to return to tennis.
It was at this point, while speaking of the difference she felt being able to play without pain, that a visibly emotional Williams spoke of the gratitude and freedom she felt to play tennis feeling healthier.
“When you play unhealthy, it’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel, it’s stuck in your mind. So, it was nice to be freer.”
Amisha Savani is reporting exclusively from the US Open in Flushing Meadows for The South African.
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