Venus Williams Can Still Play, But Should She?

All great champions have earned the right to quit on their own terms. It’s a phrase that has done more rounds than Jack Nicklaus. Nicklaus famously won his last major at 47, but for Venus Williams to still be on court at the age of 43 is some achievement. The fact that she only won two games against a qualifier at Flushing Meadows is a little more problematic. Retirement whispers are carrying more weight in the humid air of New York.

Just ask Andy Murray.

The 2000 and 2001 U.S. Open champion was beaten 6-1, 6-1 by Belgian Greet Minnen in the first round on Tuesday. It wasn’t a pretty sight in any shape or form. The spectacle may have encouraged a prime-time TV audience to hide behind the sofa. Or at least question the validity of the contest. A seven-time major winner, Venus is beginning to resemble a boxer who has had one too many fights. The undercard is beneath her but this wild card felt wasted on the night.

She admitted that her preparation was “minimal” at the press conference but didn’t think it affected the majority of the performance. It was wishful thinking. The second serve was slaughtered and as the fortysomething admitted, her feet “weren’t there”. It brought back memories of Roger Federer’s final singles match against Hubert Hurkacz when the Swiss was so out of kilter, he lost his perfect balance at one point. The 20-time major champion was bageled. Life sucks sometimes even for the most aesthetic of ageing players.

The best of Venus always had a bit more grace than her little sister although that’s three consecutive first-round defeats at the venue now. The winding down process has seen playing levels drop off over the last five years. The current ranking of 530 offers a real insight into a stripped-back schedule and a failing body. Does she need to take someone else’s place when there’s nothing left to prove?

She has failed to make it past the third round of a Grand Slam since 2017, the year in which she made an incredible return to form by reaching the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and the semi-finals of the U.S. Open. It was a last hurrah in many ways. An Indian summer at 37 at the top level of tennis is about as good as it gets for most mortals. Novak Djokovic could disprove that in the next calendar year.

After missing the Australian Open in January because of a hamstring injury and then the French Open, Williams returned to the scene of her five greatest triumphs: Wimbledon. Those memories are stronger than her body now. The annual pass will always be there and some are willing for her to take it now after what happened in July.

Her first-round match on Centre Court against Elina Svitolina was a difficult watch. The 43-year-old was cracking it around her former home, Centre Court, with all the timing of 15 years ago. Suddenly, Williams’s knee gave away and the screech was on a par with Andy Murray’s outburst against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The match was never a live contest from that point on, bringing a rather apologetic ending from the Ukrainian. It’s awkward for the opponent when bad karma strikes down a legend.

Williams can still provide cameos of brilliance. She had a good grass court season, taking Jelena Ostapenko all the way at Birmingham and beating Camila Giorgi who is no slouch. The physical cost was more injuries as her frame does not like the high-pressure load of a competitive match, exacerbated by more than a decade of suffering from an autoimmune disease. Williams’ courage and sheer bloody-mindedness to continue is nothing short of remarkable. The fight against all odds continues to this day.

Williams has done pretty much everything to extend her career. She changed to a raw vegan diet, improved her fitness to keep up with the modern game, and used all her experience to keep some advantage over the younger jet set. She is still doing what she loves. Period. This is her 30^th year on the WTA tour and that anniversary might – or might not be – a good time to blow the candles out. The media can keep trying to get an answer.

Federer reminded everyone that life rarely gives a dream send-off. “We all hope for a fairytale ending. Here’s how mine went: Lost my last singles, Lost my last doubles, Lost my last team event, Lost my voice during the week, Lost my job,” the retired star said in a social media post after bringing down the curtain on his career at the Laver Cup last September. His race was run.

Richard Williams used to tell his daughters that the ball “was never out”. Venus can’t stop running for it quite yet.