"So inspiring" - Venus Williams congratulates Novak Djokovic on winning his 23rd Grand Slam title

Venus Williams has congratulated Novak Djokovic for his remarkable achievement of clinching his 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open 2023.

Playing a record 34th Grand Slam final, Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 securing his 23rd major title. With the win, he broke the record for the most Grand Slams won by any man in the Open Era.

The Serb now has 10 titles at the Australian Open, three at Roland Garros, seven at Wimbledon, and three at the US Open.

On Sunday, Venus Williams took to social media to extend her congratulations to Novak Djokovic for his remarkable achievement of winning 23 Grand Slam titles and called him "inspiring."

"Congrats! So inspiring! 🌟 🌟 " Williams captioned her Instagram story.

Williams' Instagram story

Venus Williams to take on Celine Naef in Libema Open 1R

Williams at the 2023 ASB Women's Classic

Venus Williams is in the Netherlands to participate in the highly anticipated 2023 Libema Open. The tournament, set to take place in Hertogenbosch from June 12 to 18, has granted Williams a wildcard entry. This marks her first time competing in the event.

Williams will be making her comeback at the grasscourt event, following a hiatus due to injury which has caused her ranking to drop to 701st in the world. Her last match was at the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier this year, where she suffered a disappointing loss in the second round to Lin Zhu 6-3, 2-6, 5-7.

The former World No. 1's is set to take on 17-year-old Celine Naef in the opening round of the tournament.

Naef, who burst onto the scene during ITF events in 2021, made the main draw of two W25 events and one W60 but unfortunately failed to make an impact. However, she bounced back in the following year, winning three titles.

This season, Naef has continued to compete in the ITF circuits. Her most recent appearance was in the 2023 French Open qualifiers, where she faced off against Elizabeth Mandlik in the opening round.

Journalist Ben Rothenberg took to social media to confirm Williams' clash with teenager Celine Naef.

"This is fun: 42-year-old Venus Williams will face 17-year-old Celine Naef in her return to competition next week on the grass of WTA 250 ‘s-Hertogenbosch," he tweeted.

Following her participation in the tournament in the Netherlands, Venus Williams will compete at the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham. She has also been granted a wildcard entry to the event, which is set to begin on June 19.