Venus Williams said that the victory over Camila Giorgi will motivate her even more for the upcoming competitions. Last week, the seven-time Grand Slam champion returned to the court after half a year out due to a hamstring injury she suffered in Oakland. It was her first win over a Top 50 player in almost four years, after she eliminated Barbora Strycova at the Beijing tournament in 2019.
“Camila played very strong, but I also showed a good level. There were a few moments where I thought the match was over. She was landing blistering punches out of nowhere, but instead of getting me down, it motivated me to fight to the end. At one point I believed that I could really win. This success is very important for me, as I was out of action for a long time and it was of great importance to make a successful comeback and start winning as soon as possible”, said Venus Williams in an interview after the match.
The triumph in the battle with Camila Giorgi, which lasted 3 hours and 17 minutes, was more special for the American and for another reason – it was her victory No 100 on grass.
“I started really well, but in the third game I started having pain in my leg, which was terrible. I thought “Oh no, not that, not now.” To be honest, it was very difficult for me to control my emotions. Too often in my career, though, I’ve had to ignore the pain, so now I tried to do the same. I didn’t move on the court the way I wanted, but I was determined to fight for every point and give my best”, said also Venus Williams. “I’m very happy. I know that in the next round it will be even more difficult for me, but after this victory I am even more motivated to fight in every match”, added she.
In the round of 16, Venus Williams will face the 2nd-seeded Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia), who defeated Linda Noskova (Czech Republic) by 2-1 (6:2, 5:7, 6:1). The former world’s No 1 will try to record consecutive victories for the first time since the tournament in Cincinnati in 2019, when she reached the quarterfinals.
