By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday July 5, 2023
43-year-old Venus Williams has been a constant source of inspiration to fans this summer, as she has returned to the grass court and competed like a house on fire, all in the name of passion for the sport.
Never mind that Williams wasn’t able to get past Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on Day 2 at Wimbledon. She hyper-extended her knee and ended up struggling physically as she bowed out 6-4, 6-3, but the lessons keep coming from the seven-time Slam champion.
She took to social media to let the world know that she is taken the loss as a lesson. Rather than lament her rough luck, Williams says she is already planning her next move on the tennis court.
“I felt like everything slipped away from me so quickly and I was disappointed that I wasn’t stronger to pull out the match despite the circumstances,” Williams wrote in an Instagram post. “I’m happy I can look back at this moment and see I smiled. I felt like crying. But as an fyi I didn’t cry. I don’t have time for crying when I’m trying to get to the next level. I sat in the locker room right after thinking…to figure out what I could learn from this and plotting how I was going to be better.”
“I believe in less time crying and more time working,” she said. “I also believe in being a good sport. You win and lose in life. You can’t cry when you are losing. You have to get to learning. It’s a bad sport if you can’t at least try to be a good sports person in the moment of defeat and allow your opponent to enjoy their moment of victory…until your moment comes.”
Perhaps that moment will come later this summer on the American hard courts? We’re all ready for this legend of the sport to continue inspiring us with her words and deeds.