When asked earlier this week about her legendary journey in professional tennis that has lasted more than 25 years, Venus Williams paused for a moment and reflected on what was most important to her.
“I am trying to improve every day,” she said on Monday after her victory at the Australian Open in the first round. “I think that no matter what happens to you in life, you always keep your head up, you give a hundred million percent. That’s what I do every day. This is something I can be proud of.”
His words seemed to foreshadow what was to come.
Losing 5-1 and serving to stay in the first set of his second round match against Sara Errani on Wednesday, Williams rolled his right ankle as he approached the net for devolution. She screamed in agony and hobbled around the court as she tried to control the pain. The tournament medical team was called in and she fought back tears as they examined the injury and provided her with treatment options. Already dealing with an uncomfortable injury to her left knee prior to Slam, the medical team attached her ankle and a reinforced tape that she already had on her left knee during consecutive medical intervals of more than 15 minutes.
Back in the second round at an important tournament for the first time since 2019, she was determined to continue playing. Venus struggled to put the weight on his right leg as he returned to the court, limping to the baseline. Errani quickly closed the game for the set.
As Williams headed for his seat once again, commentators on the world broadcast said there was no way for Williams to play another set and that his retirement from the match would be imminent. Williams sat down, briefly rested his head on his hands, stood up and began to practice his service movement.
Venus Williams would not give up. Not like this.
Playing in her 350th career match in an important tournament, she retired from a match only once, at the 2011 Australian Open. She was not going to let that happen again.
For the next 31 minutes, the 40-year-old woman limped around the court, taking care of her ankle with each step, but never losing her characteristic intensity. Venus was unable to push for her looting, so they were weakened while she remained lying on the floor. She struggled to get to the ball, but kept on fighting, even avoiding two match points in the final moments.
Williams lost the match, 6-1, 6-0, but managed to provide the most inspiring moment of the 2021 tournament so far, falling in love with viewers around the world with your perseverance and courage – one hundred million percent effort.
Inspirational sports are not lacking, but Williams added another to the list. Some contestants had more at stake than Venus on Wednesday, like Tiger Woods playing through a torn ACL and double stress fracture en route to victory at the 2008 United States Open, or Kerri Strug fighting for an ankle injury to win a gold medal in the jump at the 1996 Olympic Games. Others had to overcome difficult obstacles, such as Alex Smith recovering from a horrible and almost deadly leg injury to become the starting defender for the Washington football team this season.
On Wednesday, Williams showed once again why she is one of tennis’s biggest competitors and most committed players.
It is something that she has done many times throughout her career. Diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome in 2011, three years after her last major singles title, many expected her to step away from the sport. Instead, she made radical changes to her diet and devoted herself even more to health and well-being. She then had one of the best years of her career in 2017, playing in two major finals and a semifinal.
Sometimes overshadowed by younger sister Serena and seeing mediocre results since that stretch of 2017, Williams has the second most important title on tour among active players (seven), but is largely overlooked today. Its world ranking dropped to position 81, leaving it seedless in tournaments and often needing wildcards to enter smaller tournaments. Speculation about her retirement seems to continue and grow with each defeat, but when asked about her future, she explains that her passion for the sport remains strong.
“I love this game,” she said after an elimination in the first round of the United States Open in August. “I’m good at what I do. It’s easy to be motivated and excited to do something so incredible. Few people can do that.”
She refused to speak to the media on Wednesday night, opting for medical treatment. But for her colleagues on the tour, many of whom grew up idolizing her, Venus remains a constant source of inspiration as a result.
“I feel that whenever I see [Venus], it’s really amazing to see how much she loves tennis, “said three-time champion Naomi Osaka after her first round on Monday.” I see her smiling so much these days, so it’s great to see. She just has that aura of loving the sport and that contagious energy. I hope I can learn a lot from her. “