"Venus Williams is just like Jimmy Connors, not chasing any records" - John Lloyd
Former tennis player John Lloyd has likened Venus Williams to Jimmy Connors for her love of tennis without chasing any records.
Williams is still around on the WTA Tour following the retirement of her sister Serena. She recently competed at the Libema Open in 's-Hertogenbosch and lost 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 to Celine Naef in the first round.
John Lloyd, who is a Grand Slam singles finalist, appeared on the Tennis Channel's Inside-in Podcast and said that while Serena Williams was chasing records, that was not the case with Venus Williams.
The Brit said that the 42-year-old was like Jimmy Connors and said that she is the sort of player who just loved to hit the ball.
"Serena, okay you could say that she was chasing records and that may have kept her longer than she would have normally played. Venus is not going after any records, she just loves to play, and I love to see it. She's like Jimmy Connors. Jimmy wasn't chasing any records," Lloyd said.
"Ken Rosewall, getting to the finals of those tournaments at 39 or 40. The love of that game, Venus I believe, and probably Serena too, but Venus, I see her hitting balls till she is whatever, 80-90. She is just that sort of person who loves hitting the ball," he added.
Before the Libema Open, Venus Williams entered the ASB Classic in Auckland as a wildcard and started the tournament with a 7-6(4), 6-2 win over Katie Volynets. However, she lost 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 to Zhu Lin in the second round.
The American suffered a hamstring injury during her defeat to Zhu, which forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open. Williams was sidelined for almost five months before entering the Libema Open.
Venus Williams will next compete at the Birmingham Classic
Following her first-round exit at the Libema Open, Venus Williams is next scheduled to compete at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham. The American received a wildcard for the grass-court event along with Elina Svitolina.
Williams will compete in the tournament for only the second time, with her previous appearance coming in 2019. Back then, the American reached the quarterfinals with wins over Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Wang Qiang. Here, she lost 6-4, 6-3 to second seed and eventual champion Ashleigh Barty.
It's yet to be seen where Venus Williams will compete next after the Rothesay Classic.