Venus Williams out of US Open, leaves the court without expected ceremony and retirement
WTA
Serena Williams announced her retirement from professional tennis after the 2022 US Open, and many expected also her sister, Venus Williams, to retire after the tournament, but that didn't happen.
Venus Williams received a wild card for the 2022 US Open. She took on the WTA World No. 43 player, Alisson Van Uytvanck, in the first round of the tournament.
Although Venus never really spoke about her retirement, it was widely expected that she could join her sister in retiring after this year's US Open. At the end of the day, Venus is the older sister, but it seems that she might outplay her sister when it comes to the retirement date.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion certainly wanted to delight the crowd in New York at least one more time, but she couldn't pass her first-round test. It was a match of two different sets as the experienced American struggled to find her rhythm in the first set.
It was the Belgian player who dominated the first set from start to finish. Van Uytvanck broke her opponent's serve three times. On top of that, she lost only two points on her serve and won the set 6-1.
The second set was much different, especially because of Williams and the crowd in New York. The American player started with a break, and soon she led already 3-1 in the second set.
However, she got broken back, and eventually, the second set had to be decided in a tie-break. Despite leading 3-1, Venus Williams lost it 5-7. She lost the match 1-6, 6-7(5).
According to Eurosport, a ceremony was prepared for Venus Williams after the match, but she left the court, and also, she didn't announce her expected retirement. As of now, it remains to be seen if she will retire after doubles or keep playing for another season.
