Venus Williams lost to Karolina Muchova 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 at the U.S. Open and received a standing ovation from thousands in Arthur Ashe Stadium. At 45, she was the oldest singles player at Flushing Meadows since 1981. The match was the fourth singles outing of a comeback that began in July after a 16-month absence following surgery for uterine fibroids. Preparation included three months of intense, daily training with no social time. Williams smiled and joked during the postmatch conference but became emotional when reflecting on past injuries and illness. The return aimed to enable healthier, freer play.
"Oh, what did I prove to myself?" Williams began, repeating part of the question. "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. So it was nice to be freer."
"My team and I, we worked as hard and as fast as we could. We literally took no days off. I haven't gone to dinner. I haven't seen friends. I haven't done anything except train for three months as hard as I could," Williams said. "From each match that I didn't win, then I tried to go back and learn from that and then get better."
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