The hype for the return of Venus Williams was at an all-time high. After her absence since January, Venus played in two tournaments leading up to the Wimbledon Championships. While she could not go beyond round two, her fans certainly believed they would see a glimpse of a younger Queen V at SW19. However, her tournament could not have been worse, as she was eliminated in the first round. Along with the defeat, an accident during the match stayed with her and made her ponder.
Venus Williams opens up on her defeat and the slip that led to it
Williams found a tough match-up for her return to SW19 as she played against the former number 3. Elina Svitolina did not hold anything back as she went on to defeat Williams in straight sets. The final score of the match was 6-4, 6-3, gutting Queen V fans. While she fought well, Williams suffered a fall during the match. She stood back up and dusted herself off right after, but her game changed to the point of suffering a defeat.
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However, the seven-time grand slam champion had a sense of humor about the unfortunate circumstance. During the post-match interview, she stated, “You’re going to fall at some point. It was just bad luck for me. I started the match perfectly. I was literally killing it, then I got killed by the grass (laughter).“
Venus: "You're going to fall at some point. It was just bad luck for me. I started the match perfectly. I was literally killing it, then I got killed by the grass (laughter)."
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 3, 2023
While it was a difficult situation already, Williams found it hard to deal with this incident mentally. After a long absence and such events transpiring, it became more difficult for her to accept her defeat.
She said, “I think what makes this one hard to process is I’ve had so many injuries. I’ve been missing from tour for quite a while. This is not what I want for myself.“
Venus also said she was in shock by the fall and struggling to get her head around it: "I think what makes this one hard to process is I've had so many injuries. I've been missing from tour for quite a while. This is not what I want for myself."
— Tumaini Carayol (@tumcarayol) July 3, 2023
A terrible fall effectively sealed Williams’ fate, but the match was not completely devoid of any controversy.
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The nasty fall which shook her to the core
When the bout began, Williams was playing rather well and amassed a lead over the Ukrainian player. But as they started the fourth game, Williams slipped and suffered a horrendous fall. She approached the net for a volley but instead lost her footing and seemed to be in agonizing pain. She stood back up and continued on with the match. Unfortunately, she could not play with the same intensity anymore.
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Watch this story – ‘She’s Not Embarrassed’ – Regardless of Results, 43-Year-Old Venus Williams’ Burning Desire to Compete Is a Life Lesson in Self-Confidence, Claims Tennis Expert
Svitolina would eventually go on to win in straight sets, ending the dream comeback. Now that the much-awaited return is over, the former number 1 will start aiming for the US Open.