Venus and Serena Williams made a highly anticipated return to the US Open doubles court, but their run ended early, sparking debates over whether they should continue playing. Despite the early exit, former US Open champion Andy Roddick defended 46-year-old Venus Williams against critics questioning her decision to remain on tour.
Andy Roddick Defends Venus Williams After US Open Doubles Loss With Serena Williams
On Friday night, the Williams sisters fell to Chan Hao-ching and Maya Joint in a thrilling three-set match, losing 6-3, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (10-7) in front of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.
As Venus also suffered a first-round exit in singles, her performance faced a lot of backlash from a group of fans. However, Roddick believes she has the right to decide when and how she wants to compete.
“Not going to blame her for whatever she wants to do,” Roddick said in his “Served” podcast.
He defended the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s ability as a doubles player, pointing to her run at last year’s US Open with Leylah Fernandez, where they made it to the quarterfinals, losing to Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková.
“She’s a good doubles player still. Made the quarters here with Leylah Fernandez last year. I thought she played great tonight. She hit the ball great.”
The former World No. 1 also praised the athleticism Venus continues to show at 46, while acknowledging that her movement is naturally different from what it was 20 years ago.
“Nobody moves better at 46 than they do at 22,” he added.
Venus has continued to compete on the WTA Tour in both singles and doubles. Her first-round loss to Sofia Kenin at the US Open extended her losing streak to 15 matches. This year, her best recent result came at the DC Open, where she reached the doubles quarterfinals with Diana Schnaider.
Meanwhile, after retiring at the 2022 US Open, the 23-time Grand Slam champion returned to the court during the grass-court season at Queen’s Club. She reunited with Venus for doubles at the Cincinnati Open, where the sisters lost to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.
Following their match at the Flushing Meadows, the sisters declined to speak to the media, leaving questions over what they will do next. While Serena has teased a possible return to singles, Venus has maintained that she should not have to explain her future plans to anyone.
“I don’t think I should have to,” she told reporters, after a straight-set loss to Kenin in singles. “My mind is fully focused on that (doubles match with Serena): how I recover from this completely insane evening and get ready for the next one.”
Despite the criticism, many fans still want to see the 14-time Grand Slam doubles champions compete, as the huge New York crowd showed.
