Venus Williams says she is not getting bored of competing at the US Open, on the contrary, she finds it exciting more than ever.
Nearly 30 years after her main draw debut at Flushing Meadows, the 45-year-old American is set to make her 25th appearance in New York.
After ending a 16-month Tour break in July and taking part in Washington, Williams also received main draw wildcards into Cincinnati and the US Open. While the former world No. 1 didn't make deep runs in Washington or Cincinnati, she still achieved something memorable when she beat Peyton Stearns in the United States capital to become the second oldest player after Martina Navratilova to win a singles match on the WTA Tour.
Now, Williams is for the big stage again as her US Open first-round match against world No. 12 Karolina Muchova is scheduled for Arthur Ashe.
“Super thrilling to be back. It does not get old, it just gets more exciting. And I’m looking forward to Monday night," the 2000 and 2001 US Open champion said in her pre-tournament presser.
Williams warns Muchova she has no intention of going down easily
Against 2023 French Open runner-up Muchova, Williams enters as the big underdog. However, the seven-time Grand Slam champion insists that she will go out to the court determined to play as well as possible and make it a competitive battle.
“I want to be my best and that’s the expectation I have for myself, to get the best out of me, and that’s all any player can ask for. I haven’t played as much as the other players, so it’s a different challenge when you’re dealing with that. So I’m just trying to have fun, stay relaxed, and be my personal best," the former world No. 1 explained.
A bit interestingly, Muchova and Williams' lone meeting came at Flushing Meadows five years ago, when the Czech won 6-3 7-5.
