Venus Williams was overcome with emotion after her remarkable return to the US Open ended in defeat on Monday night.
The 45-year-old was back on Arthur Ashe on Monday night after two years in which she has battled health problems are barely played any tennis.
But she took No 11 seed Karolina Muchova to three sets, eventually succumbing to a 6-3 2-6 6-1 loss in the first round.
After the match, Williams – who only began her comeback last month – had to fight back tears as she reflected on her journey back to her home Grand Slam.
‘What did I prove to myself? I think for me getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy,’ she began.
‘When you play unhealthy, it’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel. You get stuck in your mind too. So…’ Williams then began to tear up before adding: ‘It was nice to be freer.’
Venus Williams was overcome with emotion after her remarkable return to the US Open
Williams revealed more than a decade ago that she had been diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome, an energy-draining auto-immune disease that can cause pain in the joints.
The 45-year-old also last year underwent surgery for uterine fibroids.
‘I’m still learning about myself. When I think about the match I played against her (Muchova) in 2020, I was so uncomfortable,’ she explained.
‘I wasn’t well. I was in so much pain. Today it’s night and day how much better I felt, so I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to play in feeling better, and at that rate, have a real chance.’
Williams was given a wildcard to this year’s event, despite playing only five matches since the 2023 US Open.
‘I’m so grateful,’ the 45-year-old said. ‘They could have said: “You’ve been gone too long, you haven’t won a lot of matches in the last few years.”
‘I wasn’t lucky with my health and with injuries. But there were a lot of people who believed in me.’
She added: ‘The lights are very bright out there. I don’t think I’ve ever had a crowd that much on my side… I knew going into this match that people in this stadium, people in the United States, people around the world were really rooting for me, and that felt great to have that kind of support.
