Veteran women's Tennis player Venus Williams stood for a moment in front of the photo of former American athlete Arthur Ashe to seemingly pay tribute to the legend at the stadium named after him. The moment likely occurred before her opening game of US Open 2025 as a video of the same surfaced on social media.
Williams, playing her first Grand Slam match since 2023, faced Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova but couldn't go past her, losing 6-3 2-6 6-1 despite the valiant efforts. The 45-year-old, who is also a seven-time grand-slam champion, bid an emotional goodbye to the crowd.
Watch the below video:
For those unversed, the stadium in the United States has been named Arthur Ashe to recognize his legacy. Ashe, who died aged 49, was the only Black player to win the Singles title at Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open.
"When you play unhealthy, it's in your mind" - Venus Williams
Following her defeat, Williams revealed that she hasn't been well for a while but felt good on the night despite ending on the wrong side of the result. As quoted by BBC Sport, she said in the presser:
"Getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy. When you play unhealthy, it's in your mind. It's not just how you feel. You get stuck in your mind too. So it was nice to be freer. I wasn't well. I was in so much pain. Today it's night and day how much better I felt. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to play feeling better."
Last month, the veteran Tennis star had been affected by the severity of painful fibroids, resulting in abnormal growth in her uterus.
