June 20th 2023.
Venus Williams has made a dramatic return to the tennis world with a major win at the recent Birmingham Classic. After being out of action since the beginning of 2023, the 43 year-old, 697th ranked Williams defied Father Time to beat a player in the top 50 for the first time in almost four years.
The match lasted an impressive three hours against Camila Giorgi, who is ranked 48. Although Williams emerged victorious, she faced a setback when she lost to 17-year-old Celine Naef in the first round of the Libema Open in the Netherlands on June 13, 2023.
Williams was thrilled to be back on the court after a two year absence. She said, “I am just so happy to be back! I thought I played really well today, and she played incredible. I'm so surprised she's not No.1 in the world. There were so many moments where I thought, 'This match is over,' then she would hit a shot from out of nowhere. She pushed me to be better than what I thought I could be, and it's great for me. I haven't played a lot of matches, and it's great to come through.”
Williams will play either Jelena Ostapenko or Linda Nosková in the next round. The last time Williams played was at the beginning of 2023, when she suffered a hamstring injury in Auckland.
Off the court, Williams and her sister Serena are working in collaboration with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith for a sports documentary. The partnership is for a documentary about the 1971 Women's World Cup of soccer titled COPA 71. The Williams sisters are the film's executive producers, with Dogwoof and New Black Films production, and Westbrook Studios executive producing.
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