Following her 6-1 6-1 loss in the first round of the US Open, Venus Williams praised her opponent Greet Minnen‘s skills and even said that the Belgian world No.97 has the skills to become a No.1 or win a Grand Slam.
The 43-year-old Williams suffered the most lopsided loss in her 100 career matches at the Grand Slam she won twice, in 2000 and 2001. This is her third consecutive first-round exit at the US Open, having previously been 21-0 in openers in New York.
“There wasn’t a shot she couldn’t make, even when I hit really amazing shots, she just hit a winner or a dropshot,” said Williams, the oldest player in the draw, who admitted that her preparation for the tournament was minimal. “If she can play like that, you imagine that she can be in the Top 10, or perhaps No.1, or maybe win a Grand Slam, something like that, if she can play at this level.”
Asked about her planned schedule for the rest of the season that saw her play just ten matches because of injuries, Williams said:
“I typically haven’t played after the US Open for a number of years now. I may reconsider that this year, because my year didn’t go in any way, shape or form the way I thought it would go. I don’t know what I’ll do this fall. Definitely too soon to say.”
The 26-year-old Minnen was born in August 1997, the month before Williams played her first US Open final. “I knew I had to bring my A-game to beat her,” the Belgian qualifier said after her victory. “Even though she’s a bit older, she keeps hitting the ball very good.”
