New York –Venus Williams’ return of wine may have ended on day 2 at US Open, but the 45-year-old left Arthur Ase Stadium in the sound of an ovathion usually reserved for the samples, and rejoiced in experience.
A win for Williams and Tours.
Williams fell in Karolina Muchova 11th, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, in a match that showed off the seven-time champion game, and even more importantly, her sustainable connection with fans who have supported her for nearly three decades.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a crowd so much on my side,” Williams said after the match. “When I lost those first two games, they were just there with me every point. It didn’t matter if I was losing and she was starting to roll quickly, they were right there with me, and it felt good.”
From the first ball to the last, Williams seemed upset by that love.
“I knew how to get into this match that people in this stadium. People in the United States, people around the world were really robust to me, and that felt good.”
Williams made Muchova work for her victory. After sharing the first two groups, Williams taking the second with some initial explosive games, the Ceku withdrew from the decision maker with authority, accuracy and movement proven a lot. But for Williams, the result was never the only story.
Her reflections then hinted that a player who still finds joy in the quarrel.
“My goal is to do what I want to do,” she said. “I wanted to be here this summer. I am very grateful to all the people who gave me a wild card. They might have said,” Hey, listen, you’ve gone too long, you haven’t won a lot of matches in recent years. “I was not lucky with my health and injuries.”
There is no magnificent plan from here – at least none that Williams are sharing.
“There were a lot of people who believed in me in these tours,” she added. “I am very grateful to have had that chance and that opportunity to do well in it and have a chance to really hit the ball. I play an exciting brand of tennis. It is a lot of fun to go literally Hog Wild there and hit as much as I can. I’m happier when I can just hit.”
Williams smiled when she spoke how her game has been sharpened since her summer return to Washington. “I like to play. The level of my game has come out so much since the DC tried as much as I could to throw any rust, but at the end of the day, there are only so much that they can really be realized in three or four games.”
Whether this was a farewell or only another chapter remains to be seen. But on Monday in New York, Venus Williams again proved that her presence is just enough to pack a stadium and remind us all that it has not yet been fully done.
