Serena Williams Credits Venus For Being a Trailblazer
Serena Williams gave an emotional tribute to her sister Venus following her US Open match on Monday (August 25).
In an Instagram post, Serena expressed just how proud she is of Venus and how she’s forever changed the sport of tennis.
“Strength, courage, determination, class, perseverance, inspiration… there’s not enough words to describe how proud I am of you @VenusWilliams,” Serena’s caption read.
“P.S. I hope to be like you,” her post concluded.
After missing 16 months of play because of health issues, Venus, 45, stunned the sports world with a comeback win at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, earning a wild card berth into the US Open. In the first round of the US Open, Venus gave a valiant effort and showed glimpses of her iconic skill set, but lost to 11th seed, 21-year-old Karolína Muchová in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1.
“I definitely had a bit of a slow start, but it’s not really a bad thing,” Venus said after the match. “I just haven’t played a lot of matches, so I’m still finding everything … I didn’t win today, but I’m very proud of how I played."
Elsewhere in the US Open, Coco Gauff, the No. 3-ranked player in the world, survived a first-round scare from Ajla Tomljanović, winning in the three highly competitive sets, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5.
Following the match, Gauff noted that the tough match was exactly what she needed.
“This is the match that I needed,” she said in her news conference. “I don’t think it can get any more stressful than this.”
Gauff will face Donna Vekić on Thursday, August 28.
Also, Hailey Baptiste, a tennis star on the rise, defeated Katerina Siniakova in the first round for her first main draw victory. Following her victory, Baptiste shared how it felt to achieve her first US Open win.
I know that I [hadn’t] won a main-draw match here,” Baptiste said after the match. “I’ve put a lot of pressure [on myself] to get that milestone, and I’m just really happy to be able to do it. Obviously, a lot of nerves, but I came out on top, so not too bad.”
Next up for Baptiste is Naomi Osaka, who she’ll face on Thursday.
