Venus Williams relishes feeling of hard-fought victory after pulling off a sensational win over Camila Giorgi at Birmingham Classic

The 43-year-old had been on the sidelines for six months due hamstring injury which she picked up in Auckland in the first week of January.

Venus Williams relishes feeling of hard-fought victory after pulling off a sensational win over Camila Giorgi at Birmingham Classic

Venus Williams, Camila Giorgi (Images via WTA and Sportal.it)

Venus Williams pulled off a sensational win over 48th-ranked Camila Giorgi as she beat the Italian 7-6(7-5), 4-6, 7-6(8-6) in a thriller that lasted for more than three hours at the Birmingham Classic. This marked her first victory against a top-50 player in nearly four years.

Williams now ranked 697th, sent a message with this victory that she is not done yet. The 43-year-old had been on the sidelines for six months due hamstring injury which she picked up in Auckland in the first week of January.

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The former world number one then made a comeback last week at the Libema Open in the Netherlands. But she couldn’t secure a win over 17-year-old Celine Naef and lost in the first round itself.

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Venus Williams winning after being out of tennis for a long time made her ecstatic as the 43-year-old celebrated her victory, raised her arms, and pumped her fist. This only showed how Venus possesses the same old determination and passion for the sport.

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Venus Williams heaps praise on Camila Giorgi

Venus Williams relishes feeling of hard-fought victory after pulling off a sensational win over Camila Giorgi at Birmingham Classic
Venus Williams (Image via Tennis.com)

After the match, Venus Williams heaped huge praise on her opponent, Camila Giorgi, and expressed surprise at the fact that the Italian is not world number one. Williams also thanked Giorgi for pushing her to do better which was what she needed despite being in the later stage of her stunning career. The US star relished the feeling of emerging victorious in a tough match.

“It was tough and go there, and I felt the support,” Williams said after the match (via WTA). “I thought I played so well today. She also played incredibly. I’m so surprised she’s not number one in the world. There were so many moments where I thought, ‘This match is over,’ when she would hit a shot from out of nowhere.

“She pushed me to be better than what I thought could be, and it’s great for me. I haven’t played a lot of matches, and it’s great to come through,” the seven-time Grand Slam champion added.

Meanwhile, her next opponent will be either Linda Noskova or Jelena Ostapenko. It will be interesting to see whether the five-time Wimbledon champion plays at this year’s grass-court Grand Slam or not. Considering her recent injury struggles, it will be difficult for the 43-year-old to do so.

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