"My knee is not acting right" - Venus Williams pulls out of match vs Mirra Andreeva at Cleveland Open 2023 due to injury
Venus Williams withdrew from the 2023 Cleveland Open citing a knee injury, leading to the cancellation of her opening match against Mirra Andreeva.
The tournament organizers took to Twitter to share a video of the seven-time Grand Slam champion addressing tennis fans to announce her decision. They wished her well and wrote:
"We are wishing you a speedy recovery Venus, The Land will be cheering you on at the @usopen"
Venus Williams opened the video with love for her home crowd and said:
"Hey everybody, it's Venus here. I'm so sorry that I won't be able to be at Cleveland. I've always wanted to play Tennis in the Land since it started, so I was really looking forward to it and I love the fans in the mid-west, you guys are awesome."
She also confessed to feeling "bummed out" with the situation and added:
"I was looking forward to getting some matches to tune up for the US Open, but unfortunately my knee is just not acting right, it's just not supporting me being on-court right now and it's such a bummer. I'm just bummed out about it."
The American further explained that she needed to rest and recover from her knee injury to gear up for the upcoming US Open.
"I'm gonna work on myself, get myself together and that way I can get to the US Open and also hopefully come in and play for you guys next year. I love you, sending all my love, I'm so sorry and I'll see you next time," Venus Williams concluded.
Venus Williams' noteworthy performances in season 2023
Venus Williams' apparent love for the game has kept her going ever since she turned pro in 1994. The 43-year-old continues to grace the court and give younger players quite a challenge.
She defeated Camila Giorgi in a three-set battle in the opening round of the Birmingham Classic earlier this year. The former Wimbledon champion was a crowd favorite as a wildcard entry in this year's edition of the Grand Slam.
Williams had her right knee taped during her first-round match against Elina Svitolina at 2023 Wimbledon. She was heard screaming in pain during the straight-set defeat against the Ukranian.
Williams bounced back to compete at two other events after that - the Canadian Open and most recently, the Cincinnati Open. Although she is yet to win back-to-back matches in a tournament, she registered her first win of the season over a top 20 player at the Canadian Open, overcoming World No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets.
Venus Williams is next likely to be seen in action during the US Open where she has been given a wildcard entry.