Venus Williams' US Open return isn't over yet despite the singles exit after the former world No. 1 accepted a wildcard into the women's doubles event with Leylah Fernandez.
This year, the US Open organizers reserved one of their eight singles wildcards for Williams. In what was her 25th main draw singles appearance at Flushing Meadows, the American - who is now 45 years old - turned back the clock and nearly upset one of the best in the game before 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova registered a 6-3 2-6 6-1 win.
After impressing in singles and making it an entertaining night for the crowd on the Arthur Ashe Stadium, Williams will stay in New York for a bit longer and also play in doubles alongside Fernandez, who recently won Washington. In their team debut, the American/Canadian team will take on No. 6 seeds Lyudmyla Kichenok and Ellen Perez.
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In the past, Williams enjoyed massive doubles success with her sister Serena as they won 14 Grand Slams together, including two titles at the US Open.
Williams wants to make the most out of the US Open
After losing to Muchova, Williams indicated that we didn't see the last of her in pro tennis. However, the former world No. 1 also hinted that playing outside the United States wasn't an option anymore.
"Are there any tournaments in the States? Can someone move a tournament here? I don't know that I'm willing to travel that far at this stage in my career to go play. I love playing. The level of my game has come up so much since DC I tried as hard as I could to throw off any rust, but at the end of the day, there's only so much that can really be accomplished in three or four matches," Williams said when addressing her tennis future.
