I trained as hard as I could for three months," Venus Williams' reaction after her loss at the US Open
Returning to the US Open, 28 years after her debut, Venus Williams had a tough challenge ahead as she faced the 11th seed, Muchova.
At 45 years old and with only three matches in 2025, the American understandably lost. However, she displayed an impressive level of play that allowed her to level the match at one set all (6-3, 2-6, 6-1). In the post-match press conference, the legend with 7 Grand Slam titles stated:
"I think for me, coming back on the court was a chance to play healthier. When I think about the match I played against her in 2020, I was so uncomfortable. I wasn’t doing well. I was in so much pain.
Today, it’s day and night, so I’m so grateful. We literally didn’t take a single day off. I didn’t go out to dinner. I didn’t see friends. I did nothing else but train for three months as hard as I could.
My goal is to do what I want to do. I wanted to be here this summer. I’m so grateful to all the people who gave me a wild card. They could have said, 'Look, you’ve been gone too long, you haven’t won many matches in recent years.'
But there were a lot of people who believed in me at these tournaments. So I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity and the chance to really hit the ball.
US Open 
Davis Cup: between reforms, criticism and national culture 
When tennis stars change courts: from Noah the singer to Safin the deputy, another match – the battle of reinvention 
As a laboratory for tomorrow’s tennis, does the Next Gen Masters have a future? 
Tennis: the little-known truths about the offseason, between rest, stress and physical survival 
