Venus Williams Quiets Retirement Rumors As Wimbledon Approaches

The tennis legend returned to the court Tuesday at the Libéma Open in Amsterdam.

Venus Williams made her return to the tennis court on Tuesday in the Netherlands at the Libéma Open after not playing since January, and it sounds as if she isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future.

Even though Williams lost in three sets Tuesday in the first round at Amsterdam, the 42-year-old wrote in an Instagram post Wednesday that she is ready to continue improving her health and performances in her “next events.”

“The best news is I walked off the court yesterday not hurt and not even sore after a long match and a string of really challenging injuries which means I have a chance to build on yesterdays performance in my next events,” Williams said. “It’s not easy to continue to come back after unexpected injuries and delays but that’s life and I love what I do and I believe in what I am doing.”

When sister Serena “evolved away” from tennis last September after the U.S. Open, fans began reading into all of the elder Williams sister’s comments about her career to see if she would follow in Serena’s footsteps. Even though Venus Williams hasn’t explicitly said she’s not retiring yet, it appears safe to say that she plans on playing a little bit longer in her “next events.”

Serena Williams, the 23-time Grand Slam champion, was present at Tuesday’s match to cheer on her older sister.

Venus Williams returned to the court today for the first time in five months 🎾

Serena came out to support 🙌 pic.twitter.com/MDPDZcLsLJ

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) June 13, 2023

Venus Williams will hit the court next week at another Wimbledon tune-up tournament at the Rothesay Classic Birmingham, England, where she has been invited as a wild-card entrant. The seven-time Grand Slam winner hasn’t yet disclosed whether she plans to compete at Wimbledon.