Venus Williams isn’t giving up tennis just yet after stating that she hopes to resume her career in the new year.
The 42-year-old is currently the oldest player in the world to have a WTA singles ranking and is one of over two to be aged over 40. The other is Japanese world No.752 Junri Namigata who turned 40 earlier this year.
Despite her age, Williams confirmed that she is continuing to work on improving aspects of her game. This season she has only played four singles matches on the Tour across North America, losing all of them. In the doubles, the American also played at the US Open with sister Serena but they lost their opening match.
“A lot of people have been asking me if I am going to play again. I love tennis and I would like to play again. I don’t know exactly when but I have been hitting the court a lot,” Williams said in her video blog.
“I hit the court right after that doubles match we played at the US Open. I immediately booked a court the next day. Every single practice in New York I have been hitting indoors and I have been hitting ever since. That’s been a lot of fun.”
In recent months the seven-time Grand Slam champion has been troubled by a leg injury which sidelined her from action for a long period. She also suffers from Sjögren’s syndrome which is an autoimmune disorder that she was first diagnosed with in 2004.
“I’ve been working on a lot of things. Mainly my forehand, probably one of the most important shots in tennis. My serve, the most important shot in tennis is your serve,” she continued.
“I’ve been working on slicing. I slice like once per year in a match and I played a point yesterday and I sliced four times during that point which was a world record for me.’
“Volleying too and that has been a lot of fun. Been throwing in a couple of serves and volleys.”
Away from the court, Williams has also been working hard at the gym to improve one specific area of her physicality.
“I have been working on a lot of leg strength. Genetically I have no quads and if I can order them on Amazon I would,” she joked.
“I have put a lot of work into that and lifting in the gym.”
So far in her career, Williams has won 49 Tour titles and earned more than $42.4M in prize money. She held the No.1 ranking for 11 weeks during three separate periods in 2002. Her other accolades include being a four-time Olympic gold medalist and 16-time Grand Slam champion in doubles.
Williams, who hasn’t won a match since Wimbledon 2021, is currently ranked 1017th in the world.
