Venus Williams struggled to hold back the tears following her defeat to Karolina Muchova upon her US Open return.
The 45-year-old ultimately suffered a 6-3 2-6 6-1 loss, but she insisted during her post-match press conference that she was proud to have stepped back onto the court.
She said: “What did I prove to myself? I think for me getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy. When you play unhealthy, it’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel. You get stuck in your mind too. It was nice to be freer.”
Williams was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome over 10 years ago, and she feels that after plenty of work and treatment, she is now back competing at a good level. She concluded: “I’m still learning about myself. When I think about the match I played against her (Muchova) in 2020, I was so uncomfortable.
“I wasn’t well. I was in so much pain. Today it’s night and day how much better I felt, so I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to play in feeling better, and at that rate, have a real chance.”