14 consecutive losses - and the tennis world is still defending Venus Williams
The 46-year-old tennis legend has dropped to a 0-11 record this season, reigniting the debate over wild cards amidst her doubles comeback with Serena.
Venus Williams has once again found herself at the center of the conversation in the tennis world. The 46-year-old American lost on Friday 6-2, 6-2 to Emiliana Arango in the first round in Cincinnati, in what was her 14th consecutive loss.
The loss reignited the debate over the wild cards she continues to receive in major tournaments. One fan wrote online that at some point, tournaments will have to stop granting her free entry, arguing that there are other players who are more deserving of the opportunity.
Coming to her defense was veteran tennis journalist Jon Wertheim:
"Venus should get a wild card. Yes, it is hard to see such a great and proud player lose like this, but the whole wild card system is problematic. If a champion wants to keep playing and tournaments want to reward the past - let both of them do it."
Wertheim continued, arguing that the problem is much broader than just Venus's story: "Friends of players, spouses, and siblings have received wild cards. Management agencies use them to entice players to sign. If you want to set boundaries for this system - great. But why is Venus specifically the line that must not be crossed?"
Despite the loss in singles, her week in Cincinnati is not over yet. Venus is expected to team up in doubles with her sister Serena, in what will be the first reunion of the two in four years. They will face Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns, after their joint comeback planned for Wimbledon was postponed due to an injury to Serena.
Serena is also in the spotlight these days, albeit for a completely different reason. During the tournament, a plane was seen over the Cincinnati complex carrying an advertising banner for the company RO, for which she serves as an ambassador, as part of a campaign related to GLP-1 weight loss drugs.
Williams has spoken openly in the past about using drugs of this type and claimed that it was a medical decision she made after years in which diet and exercise were not always enough. "Sometimes it doesn't matter what you do, how many steps you take, or how many miles you run, you just can't get past that barrier," she said in the past.
She shared that the treatment helped her lose about 15 kilograms and also improve other metrics, but the criticism has not disappeared. Serena, for her part, clarified in an interview with "Vogue":
"I don't really care what people say about my body anymore. What matters to me is transparency."
Thus, while Venus struggles to prove that she still has a place on the big stage, Serena continues to spark discourse about the way she manages her life after her professional peak. In Cincinnati, the two are connecting again, and this time with quite a bit of noise around them.
