Venus Williams discloses how an ‘accidental’ drive around the Roland Garros led her to make a comeback that involved ‘digging’ Serena Williams’ house for a racket and shoes
Venus won in straight sets against the 16th seed, Veronika Kudermetova, at the Cincinnati Open.
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Venus Williams and Serena Williams (Credits: NBC news)
Venus Williams expressed how the charm of the 2023 Roland Garros persuaded her to revisit her rehab journey. During her post-match conference at the Cincinnati Open, the American star opened up about her struggle with her injury and getting back into the sport again. Her comeback was possible because she watched the French Open and became inspired by it. She said, “So I took a couple months off. I was in France and felt like I had a driver that went the wrong way, and I passed by the French Open. I was like, ‘Man, that looks fun.”
Her sister and pro tennis player Serena Williams‘ house in Paris also played an important role in restarting her rehabilitation process. While she was in Paris, she was digging around the house and found the racket and worn-out shoes of the 23-time Grand Slam winner. She then had an epiphany that she should recover from her injury, no matter how difficult it might be.
The 43-year-old suffered a hamstring injury at the ASB Classic in January. The injury forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open and the French Open until the incident with the faulty racket and ragged shoes, which motivated her to get better.
“I was in Paris, and I was literally digging up a racket. Serena has a place there, and I looked and looked and looked and looked, and I finally found a racket. I found her shoes. Her shoes had the soles taken out. I’m, like, in these shoes. They’re too big for one racket, and I’m trying to find string. I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m ready to do my rehab again,” Venus said.
She initiated her recovery in Paris itself and got back on her feet to participate in the Libema Open in June. Venus also revealed that at first, she opted against rehab. Her previous encounter with rehab was very grueling and difficult. Constantly, being in rehab had an adverse effect on her. She believes that taking some time off was very necessary for her.
Unfortunately, Venus again suffered a knee injury at Wimbledon and had to go through the rehabilitation process again. She joked that her life was like the theme of Amy Winehouse’s song Rehab,” which talks about her reluctance towards rehab.
She said, “So right after Wimbledon, I went straight back to rehab. I felt like Amy Winehouse. I don’t want to go,” she added.
Venus Williams upsets Veronika Kudermetova at Cincinnati
The seven-time Grand Slam winner won in straight sets against the 16th seed, Veronika Kudermetova, at the Cincinnati Open on August 15. This is her first win over a top-20 player in four years.
The American veteran entered the tournament as a wildcard. She showed great resistance by overcoming a 4-1 gap in the first set and a 5-1 gap in the second set. She emerged victorious with a score of 6-4, 7-5.
Venus Williams will play China’s Qinwen Zheng or Belarus’s Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the second round.
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Nikhil Sonmali
(1112 Articles Published)