Venus Williams is still writing her story. The 43-year-old beat No. 48 Camila Giorgi 7-6 (5), 4-6, 7-6 (6) in a three-hour thriller at the Birmingham Classic on Monday. It was her first victory by a player in the top 50 in nearly four years.
Ranked No. 697, Williams thwarted Giorgi’s comeback attempt late in the game for a major upset.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion loves weed, and it showed in the vintage performance on Monday.
She didn’t take the win lightly, celebrating with big smiles and punches before expressing what the performance meant to her in a post-match interview.
“Hey everyone, good to see you. I haven’t been here for a few years and not because I didn’t want to, I just wasn’t really on tour,” she said in laughing.
The five-time Wimbledon singles champion was out for six months with a hamstring injury she suffered in Auckland.
“It’s great for me. I haven’t played many matches and it’s great to get out of it,” she added.
It was feared she could be hampered by injury on Sunday as she used a medical time-out in the opening set despite leading 3-2. When she returned to court with her right knee strengthened, she was greeted with thunderous applause.
“It was a touch and go out there, and I felt the support,” Williams said.
The victory also represented a rebound from the loss she suffered in her comeback last week to 17-year-old Celine Naef in the first round of the Libema Open in the Netherlands.
Williams has the opportunity to reach another milestone in her next game as she hasn’t won back-to-back games since reaching the Cincinnati quarterfinals in 2019.
She can change that when she faces second seed Jelena Ostapenko or 18-year-old Linda Noskova.