Venus Williams may have enjoyed a great US Open run with Leylah Fernandez but she is quick to shut down any claims about her possibly becoming a doubles-oriented player at this stage of her career.
Although the American tennis icon didn't win her US Open singles first-round match, she still made some noise after pushing last year's semifinalist Karolina Muchova to three sets.
However, that wasn't the last of Williams at Flushing Meadows this year after she took a doubles wildcard with Fernandez. The two started their debut with a very notable win over No. 6 seeds Lyudmyila Kichenok and Ellen Perez. And then, they also defeated Ulrikke Eikeri & Eri Hozumi and 12th-seeded Ekaterina Alexandrova and Zhang Shuai, before losing to top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend in the quarterfinal.
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Considering how well Williams and Fernandez looked at the US Open and that their run only ended after they lost to the best doubles team at the moment, some suggested that the 45-year-old should prioritize doubles going forward.
Williams: My focus will always be on singles... Not going to suddenly become a doubles player
I think out there Leylah and I, we kept telling each other to be the best singles player we could be. So our focus will always be singles. I'm not going to suddenly become a doubles player. I never did, I never will. It's the singles for me," the former world No. 1 underlined.
Williams was out of action for 16 months before Washington gave her a wildcard in late July. The seven-time Grand Slam champion also received a wildcard into Cincinnati and the US Open. When asked about her plans for the upcoming period, the American pretty much said that if someone offered her a wildcard, she'd probably do it.
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"If there is opportunity for me to play, then hopefully I can get back somewhere this year," Williams said.
