OT: Venus at Wimbledon

[wire chief]

But don't expect ESPN2 to give her much face time, as the station is showing Novak's opening match now.

 

[wire chief]

ESPN2 showed the last 3 games of Venus' set one, but she just doesn't have enough movement, losing 1-6.

 

[alexrgct]

ESPN3 has all of the matches, as does DirecTV. Sadly I can't watch.

 

[calpedaler]

Venus is out. I'm not a fan of VW, but that was sad to see.

 

[Icebear]

As someone once said of another athlete, "It looks as if the Williams sisters' future is behind them." Changing of an era.

 

[VAMike23]

I watched a little of it earlier this morning, and there was one point where her opponent hit a baseline shot that went right behind Venus and Venus didn't even turn to attempt a return. The way she walked to her chair between games looked like a person half asleep.

Definitely not the way I want to remember Venus Williams at Wimbledon

 

[meyers7]

Venus at Wimbledon.

Well that didn't last long.

 

[wire chief]

It's with more than a little sadness that I am reporting on the possible end of an era. Venus goes down 3-6 in the 2nd, and at this point I don't know if she has her ranking high enough to represent the USA at the Olympics, a strong, publicly announced desire on her part.
Yes, of course I'm a devotee of our Huskies, and I have my favorites. Nonetheless for 15 years, I consider Venus my favorite athlete.

Despite her 7 Slam titles, she always had intermittent inconsistencies that were often attributed to lack of match play, abbreviated scheduling. Issues with abdomen, shoulder and wrist didn't help, but finally she got an answer last year to puzzling bouts of tiredness and joint pain--she has the auto-immune Sjogerns syndrome, apparently for several years.
For the fan it hurts to see her go out on the first round in the milieux where she was queen for the 1st decade of this century.

For an athlete, time will always run out, and with her at age 32 now, even without her malady it looks like farewell.
So, this is one person's "thanks" for the classy way you have always been.

 

[VAMike23]

I will never forget how, after her most recent Wimbledon victory, she literally bounced up and down at courtside like a little girl, so giddy was she at pulling of yet another W at the Big W. It was a priceless display of pure joy.

 

[easttexastrash]

I will never forget how, after her most recent Wimbledon victory, she literally bounced up and down at courtside like a little girl, so giddy was she at pulling of yet another W at the Big W. It was a priceless display of pure joy.

One of my favorite moments in sports. Her joy was a beautiful thing to see.

It is truly sad that this disease has impacted Venus so severely. The thing that has always separated her from the rest of the pack has been her athleticism, which will probably never be the same.