Venus Williams’ reflective put up raises hypothesis about tennis future

An Instagram put up by Venus Williams reflecting on the twenty eighth anniversary of her skilled tennis debut raised hypothesis that her legendary profession could possibly be nearing an finish.

“On today 28 years in the past I made my debut to skilled tennis,” Williams wrote within the caption alongside two pictures of her as a 14-year-old on the 1994 Financial institution of the West Traditional, the location of her first WTA match. “I by no means imagined 28 years later what [Serena Williams] and I’d expertise on this sport. I can recount the wins and the losses, however in the long run it was all the time concerning the pursuit of my greatest self. On daily basis, win lose or draw. I can look again with no regrets. It is all been value it.”

Her put up Wednesday evening was met with reward from a number of of her friends, together with Coco Gauff and Reilly Opelka.

“Queen,” commented Gauff, who has lengthy credited Venus and Serena for her begin within the sport.

Williams final performed on the US Open in September; she misplaced within the first spherical in singles after which paired with Serena for the doubles competitors as a wild-card entry. The sisters misplaced 7-6 (5), 6-4 to the Czech duo of Lucie Hradecka and Linda Noskova within the first spherical.

Whereas Serena in August had introduced her plans to “evolve” away from tennis to concentrate on off-the-court pursuits and ventures — and was given a star-studded farewell on the US Open — the elder Williams sister publicly revealed no such plans.

“Proper now I am simply targeted on the doubles,” Williams instructed reporters following her first-round singles match at Flushing Meadows when requested about her future within the sport.

Venus Williams, 42, is a former world No. 1 and has received seven Grand Slam singles titles to associate with 16 main doubles titles (14 in girls’s doubles, two in combined doubles). She has earned 5 Olympic medals all through her profession, tying her for probably the most within the sport’s historical past on the Video games.

She performed in simply 5 occasions throughout the 2022 season, together with a combined doubles-only look at Wimbledon, and was 0-4 in singles play.

Williams would want a wild card to play the Australian Open, the yr’s first main, which begins Jan. 16.