Venus Williams’ thirst for success on the women’s tour has intensified following her loss to sister Serena in the final of the Australian Open.
The 36-year-old produced her best run in a major tournament since the 2009 Wimbledon championships. On route to the final, Williams enjoyed wins over Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Coco Vandeweghe. Becoming the oldest Melbourne finalist in the Open Era, the world No.17 (who will rise to 11th next week) is eager to take her momentum into the rest of the season.
“It’s a great start to the year.” She said. “ I’m looking forward to the rest of the year. This is like tournament number two and it’s already a lot of work. I’m looking forward to tournament number three and four. It’s going to be awesome.”
Williams’ two-week performance comes as she manages her physical issues. At the start of the year she had to withdraw from the ASB Classic in New Zealand due to an arm injury. She also revealed that she was receiving treatment on the issue throughout the Australian Open. Sidestepping the injury discussion during her runners-up press conference, the resilient American is determined to have a triumphant year.
“(I’m) Ready to kill it this year. That’s my goal. Who goes into the year and says, Oh, my God, it’s not going to be a good year? Who says that? Not me.” She explained.
Reflecting on her final showdown with Serena, which was their 29th meeting on the WTA tour, Williams has hit back at criticisms over the start of the match. Four breaks of serves kicked-off the final with both players struggling to find rhythm and consistency on the court at the Rod Laver Arena.
“I think just in general we go for a lot, so there’s going to be some errors. There’s no counter-punching. There’s no pushing. There’s just aggression. You’re going to see some great shots and at times you’re going to see some errors. But those errors are very close. They’re near-misses.”
Losing in a major final to your sister is somewhat of a consolation for Williams, even if it wasn’t the result she desired. During stages, the 36-year-old was outplayed by her rivals aggressive shots and fast play. Still, she refuses to be downbeat about her 6-4, 6-4, loss.
“I feel like I had opportunities, for sure. Just missed some shots. But it’s not like I missed shots that I wasn’t going for. I went for those shots. It’s a matter of inches.” Williams positively said.
Nearing a return to the top 10 for the first time since September, she has hinted that she will not be playing in the Fed Cup ‘at the moment‘, opening the door for others to fill her space.
2017 is Williams’ 23rd year on the WTA Tour. Throughout her career, she has won 49 WTA titles, including seven grand slams.
