Venus Williams defeated Camila Giorgi in the first round of the 2023 Birmingham Classic on Monday (June 19). The 43-year-old displayed brilliant endurance throughout the fixture as the match crossed the 3-hour mark during the third set.
Williams was already playing in the match with a strapped knee. Moreover, in the first set, when she was serving 4-3, 40-30, the 43-year-old slipped on the ground while trying to strike a forehand. Nevertheless, Camila Giorgi kept playing and even celebrated winning the point.
Camilla Giorgi just yelled Si when @Venuseswilliams just fell over and screamed! I mean wtf !!! I honestly think that could be the lowest moment of her career!!!! And you NEVER want to see this face coming at you now! Come on Vee! pic.twitter.com/q9QvZ2N8de
— Rennae Stubbs 🟦👍🏼 (@rennaestubbs) June 19, 2023
The Italian was also heard saying “Si”, which translates to “yes” in English, which was, of course, an expression of celebration. Thus, as the five-time singles Wimbledon champion got up, she gave her opponent a frosty stare with a stern look on her face. Consequently, the first set was forced into a tie-break and Venus Williams managed to capture it.
“Camilla Giorgi just yelled Si when @Venuseswilliams just fell over and screamed! I mean wtf !!! I honestly think that could be the lowest moment of her career!!!! And you NEVER want to see this face coming at you now! Come on Vee!” Stubbs tweeted.
Serves her right- Venus kicked her butt anyway!!! How disgusting from Giorgi if that is how it happened
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) June 19, 2023
The 31-year-old was massively lambasted by fans. Moreover, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, and tennis legend Martina Navratilova also came forward to criticize the Italian player.
“Serves her right- Venus kicked her butt anyway!!! How disgusting from Giorgi if that is how it happened”
Replying to the same tweet made by Rennae Stubbs, 18-time singles Grand Slam winner, Martina Navratilova called Camila Giorgi’s actions ‘disgusting’. In addition to that, Navratilova also recalled the infamous Aldila Sutjiadi and Miyu Kato incident that took place at Roland Garros earlier this month.
Venus Williams records her first top-50 win in four years
Despite playing with a knee issue and nearly injuring herself in the first set, Venus Williams managed to win the first-round thriller against Camila Giorgi at the 2023 Birmingham Classic. The fixture went on for 3 hours and 16 minutes as Williams won both her sets on a tiebreaker.
It was Venus Williams’ first match since she last faced Switzerland’s Celine Naef in January. She seemed a bit rusty on a few occasions in the match. However, it also felt like she had found her rhyme back as she sealed the victory against World No. 48, Giorgi with the score of 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (8/6).
Venus Williams is glowing & smiling after getting her first top 50 win in 3 years & 8 months.
You can see on her face just how much this win means to her.
Reminding everyone that she will always belong here. 🥹❤️
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 19, 2023
“This one is especially sweet because I have been away from the tour for so long. The last couple of years I’ve had little to no matches and that’s very challenging. Tennis is awesome. Some so many people would love to do what I’m doing right now, so I don’t take it for granted,” Williams said.
After the match, Williams also stated that winning a hard-fought match always feels sweet to her, especially since her participation in tennis fixtures has increased. At 43 years old, Venus Williams is still standing strong as a tennis player.