John Lloyd likens Venus Williams to Jimmy Connors as another comeback begins: "Not chasing any records"

John Lloyd compared Venus Williams and Jimmy Connors in terms of their love for tennis.

The former British tennis player argued that Williams and Connors have made comebacks in tennis because of their deep love for the sport, without pursuing any specific records. This comes after Venus Williams' recent appearance on the tour, where she suffered a first-round defeat at the Libema Open s-Hertogenbosch, losing to 17-year-old Swiss player Celine Naef.

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Lloyd shared his thoughts on the Inside-in podcast of Tennis Channel, stating that Venus' perseverance to continue on the circuit is different from her sister Serena Williams, who aimed to become the tennis player with the most Grand Slam titles in history. Lloyd sees Venus, at 42 years old, as a similar case to Jimmy Connors, who continued to compete out of pure love for the sport.

"Serena, okay you could say that she was chasing records and that may have kept her longer than she would have normally played. Venus is not going after any records, she just loves to play, and I love to see it. She's like Jimmy Connors. Jimmy wasn't chasing any records," he said.

"Ken Rosewall, getting to the finals of those tournaments at 39 or 40. The love of that game, Venus I believe, and probably Serena too, but Venus, I see her hitting balls till she is whatever, 80-90. She is just that sort of person who loves hitting the ball," Lloyd added.

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Former world No. 1 Venus Williams, began her season with a victory at the ASB Classic against Katie Volynets but then suffered a defeat to Zhu Lin in the second round. She sustained an injury during her preparation for the Australian Open, which forced her to take time off for recovery. However, she is now making a comeback with her sights set on Wimbledon, a tournament she has won five times (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008).

Her next appearance will be on Monday when she faces Italian player Camila Giorgi in the first round of the Birmingham Classic.