It is fitting that 36-year-old Venus Williams should stun world No.1 Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3, in the quarter-finals at the Miami Open.
20 years after her debut at the tournament, the seemingly ageless world No.12 overpowered and outplayed her German rival. It was a far from perfect display from the American, who struggled to get her first serve in (recording a 45% success rate) and was broken three times in the match. Still, cheered on by the Miami crowd, Williams managed to come through and win the 101-minute encounter.
“It was an interesting match.” Said Williams. “I was controlling it. I had more errors than I like and lower first serve percentage than I would like. For me, I’m looking at it from a standpoint of how can I get better.”
“I have to play well against the No. 1 in the world. She’s on top of her game and she played well, so I had to find a way to play a little better.”
The Miami Open was the tournament that secured Williams’ first entry into the world’s top 10 back in 1998. On that occasion she defeated world No.1 Martina Hingis on route to winning the tournament. Since then, Williams’ longevity on the tour continues to inspire many of her rivals. Her dismissal of Kerber was her 15th victory over a world No.1 player and her first since August 2014. She is now the oldest player in the Open Era to defeat the world’s best player on the tour. The previous record was held by Martina Navratilova, who defeated Monica Seles at the 1993 Paris Open.
“In my heart I always be a tennis player. I think once I’m done I’ll never feel completely whole without the game or playing pro.” Williams said on Thursday.
Fartherly love
One of the driving forces behind Williams’ career is her father, Richard, who was present for her Miami match. He has been credited for the development of the highly successful Williams sisters. Continuing to inspire his eldest daughter, Williams spoke of the excitement on Richard’s face following her latest win.
“I could hear him on the sidelines. He really wanted it for me. So it’s a happy moment when you come off the court.” She said of her father.
“Even if I lose he’s still very happy, but to see the joy and the pride and the excitement, I could win the match just for that.”
Richard has been praised for many things in relation to the development of his daughters. There is however just one standout thing that sticks in the mind of Williams when she speaks about her father’s greatest achievement.
“I feel that his greatest accomplishment was for Serena and I to be whole people and to not be statistics. He just wanted us to not see tennis as the whole thing in our life.” The 36-year-old explained.
“At this point I think he never wants us to retire, so it’s a joy for him to see us out here.”
In the semifinals Williams will play Great Britain’s Johanna Konta. She is bidding to reach her first Miami Open final since 2010.
