Venus Williams’ return tour is still ongoing, and despite an early exit in the singles, she remains a threat in the ladies’ doubles.
Having opted to partner with Leylah Fernandez at the eleventh hour, many feared for their chances when they were drawn against the sixth seeds in the very first round.
However, the most unlikely pairing produced the most unexpected result, winning in straight sets to progress into the second round.
Naturally, Venus Williams played a key role, continuing to impress at the ripe age of 45.
Speaking on court afterwards, the two victors naturally cut upbeat figures.
Venus Williams and Leylah Fernandez react to winning US Open doubles match
Venus naturally kicked things off, thanking both the crowd and her Canadian partner: “Wow, thank you, you guys. Thank you for showing up for us. Thank you to my partner, too.
“She’s the best partner I’ve ever played with outside of Serena.
“I think we’re almost the same. We play the same style. I’m just a little bit bigger, but we’re a great team, though, so thank you.”
Attention then turned to Fernandez, who was asked about their strategy heading into the clash: “Um, I don’t think we came in with the plan, did we?
“No, we came in, we tried to figure things out in the beginning, and Venus said the most amazing, amazing strategy during a changeover. Bring your energy up.
“And that definitely helped. I mean, it was a great atmosphere, a lot of fun, and I’m just super honoured to be sharing a court with Venus, so thank you so much.”
She then spoke about the honour of playing with such a legendary figure, continuing: “Oh, my goodness, It was nerve-racking, exciting. I was, uh, the night before, I was, like, shaking, and I was just super happy, and then once I got on court, during the warm up, you were super nice and welcoming, so that kind of brought down my nerves too, so thank you for doing that.
“It was a lot of fun. And once we started playing, I think everything started flowing, so it was good.”
Venus then concluded by revealing the process that resulted in her partnership with Fernandez, claiming: “Absolutely, I couldn’t believe it. It was like 10 o’clock at night, and I was thinking to myself, I’m not very good at doubles. I really don’t know what I’m doing. I just try really hard.
“I had a really good partner. But now I have another really good partner, so thank you for giving me the opportunity to be back here. It’s fun to play in front of you guys, and guess what, we’ll be back.”
Venus Williams reacted on Instagram after losing in the first-round of the US Open singles draw, as magnanimous as ever.
Venus Williams continues to defy the odds
Having taken the decision to play this doubles event the night before the cut-off point, and to have instantly jumped into action with such success, only adds to the sparkling and ever-improving legacy of Venus.
She is a truly timeless, ageless and remarkable athlete who has defied biology for years now.
To be able to just jump back into professional tennis and perform at the level she has is truly unprecedented.
And, having dumped out an established partnership in the very first round of the US Open ladies’ doubles format, the journey continues and anything feels possible.
Venus is still making people’s dreams come true; both the fans who get to watch her again, and the players who get to play with and against her.
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