The 7-times
Grand Slam champion,
Venus Williams, has returned to the courts to prepare for
the Sunshine Double, with
Indian Wells and the
Miami Open as her upcoming
challenges. The former world No. 1 last played at the US Open, after an injury
during the grass-court season.
During that
time, she didn't have a strong performance in the first round and fell to Greet
Minnen with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-1, far from the level she had shown in
previous weeks, where she even secured a victory against the world No. 16
Veronika Kudermetova and the former Canadian Open champion Camila Giorgi.
Return to
the Tour after 7 months
At 43 years
old, she is the oldest player on the WTA Tour, yet she has repeatedly stated
that she has no intention of retiring due to her love for high-level
competition. In 2023, Williams participated in eight tournaments, with only two
of them being Grand Slams: Wimbledon and the US Open.
The
American recently confirmed that she will be participating in Indian Wells and
Miami, the latter being a tournament where she clinched three titles in 1998,
1999, and 2001. "One of my big goals is to play in the United States, to
participate in the Miami Open and at Indian Wells," Williams stated in an
interview with WTA.
"I
have not played there since 2019 due to injuries. It's a long time. ... It's a
lot of years not to play at home. So that's of course one of my big goals on
the horizon," she added.
Williams
trains with the Sunshine Double in sight
The former
world No.1 recently shared an image on Instagram, showing her fans that she is
already on the court, preparing for her participation in the upcoming
tournaments. The picture features Venus serving on a hardcourt. Once she makes
her debut at Indian Wells, Williams will mark her 30th season as a
professional, since her debut in 1994:
"Sunday evenings," Williams captioned her Instagram story.