In what may well be her last match, time finally ran out for Venus Williams at this year’s US Open as she and doubles partner Leylah Fernandez were thrashed in less than an hour on Tuesday.
Williams, 45, said afterwards that she hadn’t thought about her future yet. But it was hard not to feel a finality to her waving the New York crowd goodbye following a 6-1, 6-2 quarterfinal loss to Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova.
‘I think I was never out of love with the game, or I don’t know. I never had to think about if I loved the game’, said Williams, who returned from 16-month tennis hiatus earlier this year. ‘I was always playing, so it’s part of my DNA. But clearly, to be out here grinding at this point, there has to be a little love, right?’
She added that she was ‘very proud’ of the way she ‘stayed myself.’
‘I didn’t try to play another game,’ she said. ‘I didn’t try to play it safe. I went for it, and that’s who I am. I go for it.’
If this turns out to be it for Williams – who was defeated alongside Fernandez in just 56 minutes – she at least left the door ajar, talking about improvements she could make in her game moving forward.
Venus Williams’ US Open doubles run came to an end on Tuesday in brutal fashion
Williams waved goodbye to the fans – possibly for the last time – following the match
Williams and Leylah Fernandez developed a strong partnership over the last week
Notably, though, she also spoke about ‘commitments’ she had to attend to off the court.
‘If there is opportunity for me to play, then hopefully I can get back somewhere this year,’ she said. ‘I just don’t know. I really don’t.’
While fans were also happy for fellow American Townsend to advance, this was assuredly a spectacle defined by Williams’ presence.
Supporters brought posters for Venus and her partner, and the biggest cheer came not after an impressive winner or ace, but when Venus waved farewell to the crowd.
On court after the match, Townsend, 29, was even asked about her earliest memories of watching the opponent she had dispatched just moments before. It had been an ‘honor’ sharing the court with Venus, she said.
There were even suggestions beforehand that this match should have been on Arthur Ashe after Marketa Vondrousova pulled out of her quarterfinal against Aryna Sabalenka just two hours before it was set to go ahead.
Ultimately, though, the encouragement of the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd was easily nullified by the No. 1 doubles team Townsend and Siniakova, who earned a comfortable victory to move into the last four.
Williams and Fernandez, who are 23 years apart, developed a refreshing chemistry over the last week, and Venus consistently packed Armstrong after missing last year’s US Open.
Fans came out to Louis Armstrong Stadium with posters for Williams and Fernandez
Fellow American Taylor Townsend moved into the last four of the doubles competition
Venus also competed in the tournament’s new-look mixed doubles competition, and pushed Karolina Muchova to a third set in a spirited first-round singles effort. But her most electrifying moments in this year’s Open came alongside Fernandez, whom she had never played doubles with before.
Their straight-sets win together in the fourth round created such a fever pitch that Venus urged her sister Serena to come watch her in New York. ‘You need to show up,’ she said to her younger, retired sibling.
Against Townsend and Siniakova though – winners of this year’s Australian Open doubles title and last year’s Wimbledon crown – Williams’ new partnership finally faltered. But it doesn’t seem like Fernandez will be forgetting their time together.
‘I think today didn’t go our way, but there’s definitely a lot of positives for myself going forward, and seeing Venus playing on court for joy just kind of brought me back as to why I started playing tennis,’ Fernandez said afterwards.
‘It’s probably the most important thing is that I started playing tennis for the love of the game and for bringing joy on court, not only for myself but also for the fans.’
Townsend, if not for all the reasons she would have wanted, has had her own moment in the spotlight this tournament following her clash with Jelena Ostapenko and impressive run to the singles fourth round.
And she showed once again that she’s a draw for fans in her own right, as she and Siniakova fired 19 winners past their opponents.
The pair are now just two wins away from lifting their first US Open together – after potentially ending the career of Williams along the way.
