Venus Williams isn’t ready to retire just yet. Despite her difficult form, the 45-year-old has set her sights on a potential return to clay at next month’s French Open.
After her first-round exit at the Madrid Open on Tuesday: Williams revealed that she wants to continue playing on clayalthough he is going through a difficult phase at the end of his career. The seven-time Grand Slam champion lost 6-2, 6-4 to Spanish up-and-comer Kaitlin Quevedo, marking her 10th straight singles defeat on tour.
“Yeah, I mean to get my feet dirty, it was a great start,” Williams said in her post-match press conference. “I can’t play in Rome, unfortunately I have other commitments, so I’m really very sad about that. My husband is Italian, so we’re sad that we can’t be there. So we’d like it to continue on clay.”
Williams, who has not featured in Madrid for five years, is still adjusting to the surface, having last played on clay at Roland Garros in 2021. On that occasion, she exited in the opening round, losing to Ekaterina Alexandrova.
“All these things require adjustments,” she said. “I started training on clay a few weeks after Miami. I haven’t really played on clay in years. But I enjoy clay, it’s fun. I played against a very inspiring opponent today.”
Her last tour-level victory came in July 2025 when she defeated Peyton Stearns in Washington. Since then, Williams has struggled for results and suffered early exits in Auckland, Hobart, Australian Open, Austin, Indian Wells and Miami this season.
Meanwhile, Quevedo’s win marked a watershed moment in her young career. The 20-year-old secured her first WTA 1000 main draw win and only her second tournament-level win overall. She also became the youngest Spanish player to win the main draw at the Madrid Open.
“I was so surprised,” Quevedo said. “I didn’t know it was going to happen. I’m really happy to play against such a legend for the first time on this amazing court. It was a privilege.”
Although the results did not go her way, Williams’ desire to compete remains strong and the French Open is now firmly in her sights.
– The end
Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
April 22, 2026 12:55 PM IST
