Venus Williams does not have a “wild” chance anymore at Wimbledon
This was Venus' 24th trip to the hallowed precincts of the All England Club, where she lost to Ukrainian Elina Svitolina in straight sets.
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Venus Williams suffered a defeat in the opening round of Wimbledon, losing 6-4, 6-3 (Image Credits: Andrew Couldridge/Reuters)
In the good old days, when Venus Williams ruled The Championships at Wimbledon, headlines read like: “Venus In Orbit.” More longish headlines went like “Venus Williams lifts Venus Rosewater Dish,” the name of the trophy presented to the women’s singles winner.
Ah, Father Time, it spares none. One has to accept ageing as a natural phenomenon and move on. The point is, who does one blame for giving American Venus Williams a wild card into the main draw? She is 43, an age when she should be coaching, or be a TV commentator. At best, she could give it a thought of playing the seniors’ event at Wimbledon.
Well, Venus has not been able to get through with the hangover, a heady one, of making a trip to Wimbledon, again. This was her 24th trip to the hallowed precincts of the All England Club, she once ruled. That was a different time and era when she made her debut in 1997.
Callow youth, long arms and legs, gazelle-like grace in her court coverage and wonderful hands at the net to execute the classic volleys. All that is a blur, images fading, like the old print photographs. The ‘modern’ version of Venus, at 43, is past shelf life. On Monday, the opening day at Wimbledon’s box office which the Centre Court is, Venus slipped, fell. Literally.
And, her opponent from Ukraine, also a wild card, Elina Svitolina, teed off, and won in straight sets. For two wild cards to be drawn in Round 1 is kind of unusual. One cannot do much about it, really. Venus spoke of how her fall, figuratively and literally, on Monday, was a reminder of how she is ageing.
One cannot be uncharitable with words or gestures or actions, when you are dealing with Venus, of the Williams’ family gene pool. In the good old days, Venus and little sis Serena would come in tow, with Dad Richard Williams, Mom Oracene and a few sisters also for the company. Serena eventually became a bigger star than her elder sister. Serena also became Super Mom, again bombed at the box office last year at Wimbledon. She had come unprepared, not underprepared.
Venus needs to recognize this unnecessary fall
As for Venus, getting a wild card at 2023 Wimbledon was not needed. She knows the only thing she can do is play tennis. If wild cards are given, there is a meaning and purpose behind it. Britons give wild cards to their own players, which is, but natural. However, to give wild cards to Svitolona and Venus Williams is so different.
Svitolina is 28, coming back from a break. Venus is 15 years older, relying more on luck than form or strokes to win a match. “The fall made it very hard to focus on what I was doing. Grass is inherently going to be slippery. You’re going to fall at some point. It was just bad luck for me. I started the match perfectly. I was literally killing it, then I got killed by the grass,” said Venus.
Those who have watched vintage Venus win five singles titles and half a dozen doubles titles at Wimbledon shed tears at her current journey. Imagine it’s a bit like waking up a retired heavyweight boxer and asking him to take on a current champion in a high-stakes bout in Las Vegas or some other exotic venue. Venus must realize, this kind of a fall, is not needed. It only dents her illustrious bio.
Wild cards are the prerogative of the organizers, the high priests at Wimbledon. When they gave Goran Ivanisevic a wild card in 2001 and he went on to win the Gentleman Singles title on People’s Monday, the third Monday in a Grand Slam, it was momentous. Goran ran away with the title, against all odds. Why is it called People’s Monday? Well, no tickets that day, as the Grand Slams end on Sunday. Those were the days when there was no roof at Centre Court or Court No.1.
Rains, elements, all were part of tennis on grass. More natural, more challenging, and more slippery. Just that Goran produced the right stuff to conquer Aussie Pat Rafter, 9-7, in the fifth set!
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)