If one would have to pinpoint the biggest reason why Venus Williams is still around, making grand slam quarter-finals, and perched nicely in the world’s top-eight, the sensible guess would be her brilliant grasp on perspective.
The 36-year-old is back in the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the first time since 2010 – she missed the tournament once in between – thanks to a 7-6(3), 6-4 victory over No12 seed Carla Suarez Navarro on Monday.
She faces Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova – who famously claimed a golden set against Sara Errani at Wimbledon in 2012 – on Tuesday for a place in the last-four.
Venus turned pro 22 years ago and has an ongoing battle with the energy-sapping autoimmune disease, Sjogren’s syndrome, yet never complains about her tough journey.
Instead, she has been dropping pearls of wisdom over the past week in her press conferences, choosing to focus on the positive aspects of her career path, while bringing up important topics like gender equality in the sport.
“Being in the quarter-finals is better than the first round. Put it like that,” Venus told reporters on Monday.
“But, like I said, I always want more. I want more out of myself. For sure, I haven’t had an easy road, but a lot of people haven’t. I try not to think about those sorts of things. I try to think about what I can accomplish…
“It’s been a few years (since I made the quarters at Wimbledon). Missed a year or two. But I’ve been here before. I’m not, like, a deer in the headlights.”
The five-time Wimbledon champion had a tough opponent in Suarez Navarro – a player she was 3-3 against in their previous career meetings.
The Spaniard had an early break and served for the first set but Venus struck back to level for 5-5. The American No8 seed led 4-2 in the tiebreak before play was suspended due to rain.
Venus clinched the opening set upon resumption and held her ground to edge through in straight sets.
“The biggest wonderful part of my career has been working so hard and then actually being able to do what you love and actually achieve your dreams,” said Venus, who had to fight through tough three-setters in both her second and third rounds against Maria Sakkari and Daria Kasatkina.
“That is so, so wonderful. Every human needs that, that sense of accomplishment and that sense of, I’ve worked for something and I’ve got it. That’s kind of what we’re here for in some ways.”
"She is still simply the best"
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 4, 2016
@serenawilliams celebrates reaching a 12th #Wimbledon quarter-final https://t.co/P0a1z9Rf8j
Her sister, Serena, stormed into her 12th career Wimbledon quarter-final with a 7-5, 6-0 victory over two-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova.
Serena, the defending champion, won the last nine games of the match, which was briefly interrupted due to the rain. Both players argued with the umpire, demanding the Centre Court roof be closed as they feared slipping and getting injured.
Kuznetsova served for the opening set at 5-4 but was broken and the pair were taken off court at 5-5 while organisers shut the roof.
Serena did not lose a game after that.
The 34-year-old credits her coach Patrick Mouratoglou for being able to change things around after a difficult first 10 games. The Frenchman gave Serena the necessary tips during the rain delay and it immediately paid off.
Venus talked about Serena’s intensity on the court and how they compare in that aspect.
“We’re very different because she wears it on her sleeve and I don’t. That pretty much describes it,” said Venus.
Serena’s next opponent is Russian No21 seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, a 6-3, 6-3 winner against last year’s quarter-finalist Coco Vandeweghe.
