“Honestly, after the [US] Open I was just so excited,” Williams said at the Wuhan Open in China, in October. “I couldn’t wait to play another match.”
Venus was referring to her quarterfinal run at last year’s U.S. Open, which ended with a three-set loss to her sister Serena. If there was ever any doubt about whether Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam champion who will turn 36 in 2016, still had a desire to compete, that match, and those comments, should have dispelled it.
So should her 2015 season. Williams finished in the Top 10 and reached the quarters at a Grand Slam tournament—twice, in fact—for the first time in five seasons. If it hadn’t been for Serena, who beat her at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, Venus might have added to her major title count, which has remained at seven for the past seven years.
Williams’ health, which has been an issue in recent years, wasn’t a problem last season, and while her speed and shotmaking may not be quite what they used to be, it’s obvious that they’re still more than enough against most of today’s competition. At Flushing Meadows, she dismissed the teenager du jour, Belinda Bencic, in straight sets, and a week later watched as her contemporary, Flavia Pennetta, won the tournament. If Pennetta can do it, Williams must have thought, I know I can too.
Williams loves the Olympics, and she can’t wait to get to Rio, which will be her fifth Games. That should also serve as motivation for the season. Are the stars aligning for one more Slam run?
Her downside can be summed up in one sentence: She’ll turn 36 in June. Williams’ Sjogren’s Syndrome also makes her energy levels unpredictable. The last time she finished in the Top 10, in 2010, she ended the next season at No. 103.
Even at 36, any Olympic year is a good year for Williams, and she’s coming off her best season since 2010. Now, if she can just avoid her sister...
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