Venus Williams is accustomed to setting all kinds of records in professional tennis. In her long career, Williams has a record of 819-281, with 49 titles to her name; however, this Tuesday she set a very unusual record, along with Germany’s Tatjana Maria.
Although Venus hasn’t formally ended her career, for some years now, she has only played a handful of matches per season. Many of these matches are by wild-card entry into tournaments.
This year, the former world number one began her season at the Hobart International, which is a lead-up to the Australian Open. However, her return to the courts wasn’t what she expected.
Williams lost 6-4, 6-3 to Maria, being eliminated from the tournament. However, the most important aspect of this match wasn’t the score, but the players’ ages.
Venus vs. Maria: The “oldest” match in WTA history
The elder Williams sister entered the match at the Hobart International Tennis Center at 45 years, seven months, and 23 days old when the tournament began on Sunday. Maria, meanwhile, was 38 years, five months, and two days old.
Combined, the ages of both players total 84 years and 1 day. This is the oldest combined age for a WTA main draw match since the circuit’s inception in 1973.
This isn’t the first age-related record Williams has set, either. She is the second-oldest player to win a WTA singles match, defeating Peyton Stearns at the DC Open this past July.
What’s next for Venus Williams?
Following her defeat in Hobart, Venus is already packing her bags for Sydney, where she will compete in the Australian Open after being granted a wild card.
After all, as Maria said at the end of today’s match: “Everybody loves Venus, I love her too! For me, to play with her was such an honor because I had never played with her before.”
Read the full article here
