"I find myself here unemployed again" - Venus Williams after her Wimbledon 2023 1R exit

Venus Williams recently stated that during the past few years, when she wasn't actively participating in tennis, she found herself without a job. Unfortunately, she now faces herself in the same slump once again after her first-round exit from the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Williams' pursuit of her sixth Wimbledon title was halted on Centre Court after she endured a disheartening 6-4, 6-3 loss in the first round against Elina Svitolina. The match lasted just one hour and 31 minutes.

Following her defeat at the grasscourt Major, the former World No. 1 took to her YouTube channel to express her current predicament. Venus Williams revealed that she now finds herself without a job, reminiscent of the past couple of years when she was unemployed while attempting to make a comeback in the sport.

Reflecting on her previous experience, Williams emphasized the immense effort she had exerted to regain her position. The American insisted that she had crawled, clutched, and fought her way back into the professional tennis scene.

"I find myself here, unemployed again. I spent the last couple of years unemployed, trying to get back to tennis. Crawl my way back. Claw, clutch, fight all that stuff," Williams said.

Now, faced with a similar situation, Williams stated that she is determined to do whatever it takes to get back.

"I found myself and find myself right now in another moment where I’m going to have to crawl, fight by, do what I have to do to get back," Venus Williams said.

A look at Venus Williams' performance in the 2023 season so far

Venus Williams at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Venus Williams has had a mixed bag of results in the ongoing 2023 season so far. The 43-year-old, presently holding the 558th position in the world rankings, has participated in merely six singles matches thus far, securing victory in two while succumbing to four defeats.

Williams kicked off her season at the ASB Classic in Auckland, where she was granted a wildcard entry for the WTA 250 event. The American began her campaign with a victory in her first match, defeating compatriot and qualifier Katie Volynets. However, her journey was cut short in the second round when she faced Chinese player, Lin Zhu, who defeated Williams with a 6-3, 2-6, 5-7 scoreline.

After sustaining an injury during her time in Auckland, which forced her to remain on the sidelines for an extended period, Williams subsequently headed to Europe to participate in the grasscourt season.

In Birmingham, she emerged victorious in the first round against Camila Giorgi, but unfortunately succumbed to second seed Jelena Ostapenko 3-6, 7-5, 3-6 in the second round. Prior to that, in S-Hertogenbosch, she faced a defeat in the first round against Swiss wildcard Celine Naef in three sets.

At Wimbledon, Venus Williams faced off against Elina Svitolina, who was also a wildcard entrant, in the first round. Unfortunately, Williams lost in straight sets. As of now, the former World No. 1 has not disclosed her future plans for the remainder of the season.