Venus Williams is not done yet with tennis – at least not at all – as the American tennis great has signed up for a star-studded mixed doubles match that will take place at the US Open next week.
Last year, Williams struggled with hamstring and knee injuries – which limited her to just seven tournaments and going just 3-7 before she ended her season in late August. Since then, Williams has made just two appearances on the main level and it came in Indian Wells and Miami earlier this year where she picked up back-to-back first-round exits after being given wildcards into the two WTA 1000 tournaments.
But next week, fans will have a chance to see Williams back in action when she and Andy Roddick take on Gabriela Sabatini and Juan Martin del Potro. All four participants enjoyed victorious runs at Flushing Meadows in the past and there is no doubt that this matchup will draw lots of attention although it’s just in exhibition form since all four participants are ex champs in New York.
Venus Williams, who has not officially retired but has not played any pro match since March, is playing an exhibition mixed doubles match at the #USOpen next week during qualifying.
Venus is teaming up with Andy Roddick against Gabriela Sabatini and Juan Martin del Potro.
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) August 14, 2024
What happened to Williams last year?
Last season, Williams’ goal was to play more. But she was dealt with several injuries and physical setbacks, which led to her calling it a season following a 1-6 1-6 loss to Greetje Minnen in New York in late August.
“I went to Wimbledon and sadly slipped in the third game of the match and really got injured. I spent the whole summer pretty injured with my knee, like really struggling with it. I didn’t want to miss the US Open, made it there, but definitely not my best performance after so much time off after Wimbledon. So, I decided not to play anymore the rest of the year and just give my knee a chance to heal,” Williams said in a video posted on her YouTube channel in December.
“This is what I was going through in the summer. I couldn’t get my swelling down, I lost range of motion, the nature of my injury was you know, all this stuff. But anyway, I was dealing with all that, so, I decided not to play anymore.”
It will be interesting to see if Williams makes any announcements next week or if she decides to take part in any WTA events in the remainder of 2024.