Venus Williams dodges questions about retirement by insisting she is “just focused on the doubles” with sister Serena after being knocked out of the US Open women’s singles tournament in the first round.
- After a singles elimination, Venus Williams turns her attention to the women’s doubles at Flushing Meadows with her sister Serena.
- Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck beat Williams in straight sets on Tuesday afternoon
- Venus added that playing doubles was Serena’s idea because “she’s the boss”
By Jake Fenner for Dailymail.Com
Posted: 04:02, August 31, 2022 | Updated: 05:35, 31 August 2022
It wasn’t a good start to the 2022 US Open for Venus Williams, who now only has the women’s doubles tournament to look forward to.
The 42-year-old did not say whether she would retire after being eliminated in the first round of the US Open playing Arthur Ashe on Tuesday afternoon; telling reporters that she is “only focused on stunts.”
Williams, a back-to-back US Open champion who entered the tournament via wildcard entry, fell to world No. 49 Alison Van Uytvanck of Belgium 1-6, 6-7 ( 5-7).
It was her first Grand Slam singles event since Wimbledon in 2021 and her first time at Flushing Meadows since 2020. She also hadn’t played in a women’s singles event this season until the Citi Open in Washington, DC in late July.
Venus Williams did not say whether this would be her last singles tournament after losing on Tuesday
Former US Open winner falls in straight sets to Alison Van Uytvanck at Flushing Meadows
“It was definitely the longest time I’ve been away from tennis and without a racket in my hand,” Venus said after the loss.
“So it was a whole new experience for me, trying to acclimate as quickly as possible to be ready for the US Open. I definitely played a lot of great points today, but in the end it’s just rust.
“There’s nothing you can do about it except, you know, not be rusty at some point. … I definitely went out there and did my best under the circumstances.
It marked his 23rd year playing at Flushing Meadows, but he hasn’t had the impact he once had. Having reached at least the semifinals of the tournament from 1997 to 2002, Venus has not made a final since 2002 and last reached the semifinals in 2017.
Venus quickly left the court after her loss as the tennis icon prepares for the doubles tournament with her sister.
Venus, whose world ranking has dropped to No. 1,504, has not advanced past the first round of the US Open since 2019, when she won just one match.
She fell in the first round of the 2020 US Open to 20th seed Karolina Muchova and was absent from the 2021 tournament.
The Williams sisters will continue their doubles career at this tournament, playing together in a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2018 French Open.
Venus told reporters it was Serena’s idea to play doubles in Queens this tournament, jokingly adding, “she’s the boss, so I do whatever she tells me to do.”
The pair have not played together at Flushing Meadows since 2014, when they reached the quarter-finals before falling to Russian duo and eventual winners Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina.
Venus and Serena are unbeaten in doubles finals at Grand Slam tournaments, with the most recent victory coming in 2016 on Center Court at Wimbledon.
The sisters face Linda Noskova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic on September 1.
The Williams sisters have won every Grand Slam doubles final they have played together