Venus Williams may have come up short at the US Open but she produced a high level of tennis against one of the world’s best.
The American made her first appearance at a Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open when she took on Karolina Muchova under the lights inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
At the age of 45, the former world number one produced some inspired tennis and pushed Muchova to three sets.
But her lack of matches, especially at Grand Slam level, showed in the third set as Muchova stormed through the decider without losing a game.
Venus Williams was given a standing ovation by her home fans and she left tennis’ biggest stadium with uncertainty surrounding her future in tennis.
Venus Williams says she does not want to travel much at this stage of her tennis career
Williams played her first match since March 2024 at July’s Citi Open in Washington D.C.
She claimed one victory in America’s capital against Peyton Stearns, before suffering opening round defeats at the Cincinnati Open and US Open.
It is unclear whether Williams will play for the rest of the season, but she did share that she does not want to travel much at this point in her career, which would limit her ability to play more frequently.
“Are there any tournaments in the States? Can someone move a tournament here? I don’t know that I’m willing to travel that far at this stage in my career to go play,” Williams told reporters after her defeat to Muchova.
“I love playing and the level of my game has gone up so much since DC. I tried as hard as I could to throw off any rust but at the end of the day there is only so much that can really be accomplished in three or four matches.
“There were just some shots that I missed and those kind of shots were about feel and less about training and those are the kind of things I just couldn’t stave off today.
“I had a lot of returns where I was right there and it is about the reps. Those are things that I just could not do. It wasn’t my fault!”
Karolina Muchova says how she felt playing against Venus Williams at the US Open
Williams faced Muchova for the second time in her career at the US Open.
The Czech player was up against not just a legend of the game but the raucous crowd rooting for Williams to win.
Despite dropping the second set, she composed herself brilliantly to storm through set three and seal a 6-3 2-6 6-1 win.
Post-match, Muchova told the crowd: “I was stressed. You guys make me stressed. No, it was an unbelievable atmosphere.
“She’s such a legend of our sport, I understand. It’s so nice to share a court with her. I’m just glad that I was lucky to win today.”
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