Venus Williams set to make another WTA Tour appearance

James Richardson 31 Jul 2023 7:04 PM

Venus Wiliams plays a shot

Tennis icon and WTA Tour veteran Venus Williams will head to Cincinnati this August for the Western and Southern Open.

Williams will be able to turn out at least one more time this summer for Cincinnati fans after she was given a wildcard for the competition which goes down in August.

Williams is a four-time Olympic gold winner, a seven-time Grand Slam victor, and a former world No 1 player with an inarguably massive legacy.

She will compete against five (current and past) global WTA No 1s, 12 Grand Slam champions, after being handed one of four wildcards for the WTA 1000 event.

An announcement revealing Williams’ entry was published on Monday 31 July.

“Western & Southern Open fans will get another chance to see seven-time Grand Slam tournament champion Venus Williams as she has been awarded a wild card for the August 12-20 event,” the statement reads.

“She joins a star-studded lineup featuring the world’s top 39 WTA players and four other wild cards. With the addition of Williams, the women’s field features 12 Grand Slam major winners and five current or former world WTA No. 1s.

“Williams owns 49 career singles titles, four Olympic gold medals and is a former world No. 1. The 43-year-old played three grass court events this summer, scoring a thrilling three-set win over Top 50 player Camila Giorgi, pushing No. 17 Jelena Ostapenko to a deciding set and competing in her 24th Wimbledon.

“A Western & Southern Open semifinalist in 2012 and quarterfinalist in 2019, this will be Williams’ 10th singles appearance at the tournament, tying her for second most appearances in Cincinnati among active players.”

At Wimbledon, Venus Williams joked that she is staying on the WTA Tour for the health benefits.

Williams insists that she is still enjoying her game and isn’t too concerned with her struggles to get results.

“There are really great insurance benefits on tour. I need those so I figure I may as well keep going,” Williams said.

She feels that tennis is a great way for her to stay active and she has shown that she can still threaten top players.

“Tennis is something I have done my entire life,” Williams added.

“I’ve reached a level very few have achieved so there is always appreciation because of it. I walked out at the start with zero experience. Now I have so much more.

“The pleasure starts with training. If you can’t enjoy that, you’re never going to enjoy the match.”