Venus: I’ll Definitely Be Back in 2021
By Richard PagliaroThe first round has been Venus Williams' final stop in Grand Slams play this season.On a damp, dreary day in Paris, Anna Karolina Schmiedlova scored her second win Roland Garros win over Williams 6-4, 6-4 on Court Simonne Mathieu.Azarenka: Conditions Pose Injury RiskIt was Williams' third opening-round exit in three Grand Slams this season and marks the end of her 2020 campaign."There is nowhere to go. And even if there was, I'm done, anyway," the former world No. 1 said afterward."I'm going home from here. I'm done. If there is somewhere to play, I won't be there."The 40-year-old Williams shared a silver lining on a cloudy day: She vows she "definitely" will return to play in 2021.
The four-time Olympic gold-medal champion has several goals for 2021: She's aiming to win her 50th tournament title and play the Tokyo Olympics, originally scheduled for last summer but postponed to 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.When she does come back next year, Venus is hoping fans will be back too."There were a handful ofpeople there, and I was super grateful for them," Williams said of the fans. "It was fantastic, really. At this point, grateful for any fans that are here. Miss them desperately."You know, most years it's pretty cold and rainy here,whether it's in May or right now. Obviously it was verycold and rainy and the courts are playing much differentlythan usual. Those are the conditions right now foreveryone, so it should be interesting."Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve]]>
