Venus Williams’ US Open return ends in spirited defeat to Karolína Muchová | US Open Tennis 2025

During an unforgettable evening in New York, Venus Williams offered another demonstration of her perpetual grandeur while she was fighting overnight with Karolína Muchová, making the life of the 11th seed for two hours before falling 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the first round of the United States.

While Williams made a familiar walk through the bowels of the Arthur Ashe stadium and on the field, the last appearance of 45 years during his tournament at home in the Grand Chelem occurred on a notable date. On August 25, 1997, 28 years ago, this stadium opened its doors for the first time. Later in the day, Williams, 17, was one of the first players to compete on the field while she was making her long -awaited debut there, the start of her monumental race to the final.

So many things have changed during the three decades that Williams has gone to play professional tennis, but at 45, his passion for sport is not put. Here, she was again, just as determined to give her everything. She ended up in a difficult match against the 11th seeded Muchová, semi-finalist last year. Things have not been easy for Muchová recently and she always tries to find her shape after a left wrist injury that put her away for months, but she is one of the most talented players in sport.

Despite a crowd inside the largest tennis stadium in the world, the opening matches played an embarrassing silence due to the unrefitted errors of Williams. She looked more than a slow step with each ball and her timing was turned off. Down 0-2, 0-40, things seemed to be sinister.

Then, suddenly, Williams came to life. She found the first destructive and eviscerated the ball of the two wings, pinning Muchová far behind the base line and putting it under incessant pressure. She continued to move forward, always looking for opportunities to snatch a brand training volley. Each successful point was punctuated by a roar of the New York crowd, which did not always support it during its first years.

Even if her second service betrayed him towards the end of the first set, Williams entered the second embraced by the way in which his game measured against one of the best players in the world, and she played at a brilliant level. With age, certain parts of his game have naturally deteriorated, but the fundamental principles persist: a large portion, an implacable and attacker shooting and its determination to close the net. Muchová finally recovered in the final set, forcing Williams to defensive positions more frequently when she closed victory.

Subsequently, Williams expressed his pride in the face of her performance and she felt her inability to maintain her high level due to her lack of recent match. “I love playing,” she said. “The level of my game has appeared so much since [last month]. I tried as hard as I could eliminate rust, but at the end of the day, there are only a few things that can really be accomplished in three or four games. There were just a few photos that I missed – these kinds of photos concern the feeling and less training, and these are the kind of thing I just couldn’t avoid today. “”

When Williams announced his return for the first time, many people were skeptical about whether the 45 -year -old woman could be competitive with elite tennis players. After such a positive performance, the majority of the Williams press conference focused on the question of whether it would really be willing to compete more frequently. Williams does not intend to play after the United States Open or outside the United States, but it has not excluded the competition next year. “”Are there tournaments in the United States? Can anyone move a tournament here? I don’t know I’m ready to travel so far at this stage of my career to go and play, “she said.

Williams recently revealed that she had trouble with fibroids for many years, tumors that have been developing in and around the uterus causing significant pain and heavy bleeding, which had a significant impact on his player career. His health problems have made this correspondence even more symbolic. “When I think of the match against which I played [Muchová] In 2020, I was so uncomfortable, “said Williams.” I was not well. I was so bad. Today, it is night and day how much I felt better, so I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to play to feel better, and at this rate, I have a real chance. “”

Last year, Williams underwent open myomectomy surgery to eliminate fibroids, major surgery that was the source of significant concern for her beforehand. Part of her motivation to continue to compete at her advanced age was simply to be able to experience the sport she loves without suffering.

“What did I prove to myself? I think that for me, going back to the field, was it to give me a chance to play more healthy. When you play unhealthy, it is in your mind. This is not only what you feel. You are also stuck in your mind,” said Williams, your eyes loading. “So … it was pleasant to be freer.”