"As an unseeded player, she's going to be dangerous" - Tracy Austin on Venus Williams' return to action at the Citi Open
American tennis star Venus Williams is about to make her return to competitive action in singles. The seven-time Grand Slam champion accepted a wildcard to compete at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. The tournament often marks the beginning of the American hardcourt swing.
Three-time Grand Slam winner Tracy Austin recently spoke to Tennis Channel about Williams' return to the tour. The former World No. 1 noted that Williams had a good draw in Washington and opined that "she's going to be dangerous," especially as an unseeded player.
"42 and what I was curious about was to see her draw. As an unseeded player, she's going to be dangerous. Who did she get, she got a qualifier. So I think that's a nice draw for her to be able to work her way in," Austin said.
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Despite being a WTA 250 event, the Citi Open will see the likes of Emma Raducanu, Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka all competing for the title. The tournament serves as a warm-up ahead of the two WTA 1000 events in Montreal and Cincinnati, after which the final Major of the year kicks off in New York at the end of August.
The draw came out a couple of days ago and Venus Williams will face a qualifier in the first round. However, she will have to potentially go through the likes of Simona Halep and Jessica Pegula to reach the latter stages of the tournament. Pegula is the No. 1 seed at the Citi Open this year.
Venus Williams' on-court struggles in recent years
While Venus Williams has been thriving in her business ventures of late, she has not enjoyed success on the court. The five-time Wimbledon champion hasn't played a singles match since the Chicago Women's Open last year, where she lost in straight sets in the first round against Hsieh Su-wei. She withdrew ahead of the 2021 US Open due to a leg injury.
Williams was diagnosed with Sjogren’s syndrome in 2011, an autoimmune disease that affects countless people across the globe. The symptoms of this disease are fatigue and joint aches that lead to exhaustion.
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will play as they return to Washington DC 
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The @WTA #CitiOpen draw has been made! See who your favorite women’s 🌟 will play as they return to Washington DC 🇺🇸🎾 https://t.co/TlRsGgu9vh
The American last won a singles Slam title in 2008 (Wimbledon). Her last tour-level title came in 2016 at the Taiwan Open.
Fans will get a better understanding of where Williams' game stands after seeing her take to the court at the Citi Open next week.