“Milking the System” – Fans Call for End to Venus Williams Getting Wildcards After 10th Consecutive Loss in 2026

Venus Williams becomes the first former World No.1 player to lose 10 matches in a row.

“Milking the System” – Fans Call for End to Venus Williams Getting Wildcards After 10th Consecutive Loss in 2026

Venus Williams (Image via Served with Andy Roddick)

In Short
  • Venus Williams lost her 10th consecutive singles match at the Madrid Open, falling to Kaitlin Quevedo.
  • Fans are calling for an end to her receiving wildcards, arguing it limits opportunities for younger players.
  • Williams has not won a singles match in nine months and is currently ranked World No.479.

Former World No.1 Venus Williams lost her 10th singles match in a row as she was beaten in straight sets by Spanish star Kaitlin Quevedo at the Madrid Open. Williams has been enjoying the benefits of her past success on tour as she continues to receive wildcards from tournament organizers, but has failed to make the most of them.

Williams last won a tour-level singles match at the Washington Open in July, where she defeated fellow compatriot Peyton Stearns in straight sets in the first round. Since then, she has been suffering losses but has not yet given any hint of retirement, even at 45. Ranked World No.479 in the WTA rankings, she has been getting wildcards to events due to her past success.

In tennis, wildcards were given to young stars who needed tour-level experience in their growth to become professionals. Hardly do senior players get a wildcard previously in a WTA 1000 tournament. With many stars praying for an occasion to show themselves to the World, Williams seems to be making light of it.

The 45-year-old became the first former World No.1 to lose 10 matches in a row since the rankings were first introduced in 1975. She struggled in the first set against Quevedo at the Madrid Open, winning just two games, while the Spaniard broke her twice. In the second set, she put in a better performance but couldn’t maintain the momentum.

Quevedo ended Williams’ hopes of reaching the second round with a 6-2, 6-4 in the opening round of the Madrid Open. Since the loss, fans have been debating whether tournaments should stop giving Williams a wildcard, as she’s yet to win a singles match in the last 9 months. Some sections of the fans argue that giving the tennis legend a wildcard entry limits the potential of younger players in the sport. Here are the fans’ reactions:

Last season, several former players, including American legend Andy Roddick, defended the US Open for giving Williams a wildcard despite hungry young talents around in the sport. The former World No.1 even said that William isn’t supposed to be forced into retirement, and that the sport needs to be happy to see her continuing to play on tour.

This is the former US Open champion’s first match at the Madrid Open since 2021. When she last played at the tournament, she was 40 years old. Her last clay tournament before this season was at that year’s French Open, where she lost to Russian star Ekaterina Alexandrova in the opening round.

Venus Williams happy to get her socks dirty despite losing in the Madrid Open

Venus Williams has focused mainly on hard-court tournaments since turning 40 on tour. She also features in doubles tournaments and has been doing pretty well in that category. In fact, she’s ranked World No.147 in the WTA doubles rankings. The 45-year-old doesn’t have a great record on clay. Her last title on the surface came at the 2005 Istanbul Cup, where she defeated Nicole Vaidišová in the final.

Venus Williams
Venus Williams (via X/The Tennis Letter)

However, she’s hoping to get back to the clay dirt once again and perhaps play better tennis. During her post-match press conference after her first-round loss, Williams revealed that she was not going to play the Italian Open, but hopes to get more tournaments on the red dirt:

Yeah, I mean, to get my feet dirty, this was a great start. I’m not able to play Rome, I have other commitments, unfortunately, so I’m really super sad about that, actually. My husband is Italian, so we feel sad that we can’t be there. So we would love to keep it going on the clay.All these things take adjustments. I started my practice on clay a couple of weeks after Miami. I haven’t really played on clay in years. But I enjoy the clay, it’s fun.

Williams’ younger sister, Serena Williams, last played at the US Open in 2022. She is eligible to play again after re-entering the out-of-competition drug testing pool, but has yet to announce an official return to the sport.

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