"Thinking of Venus Williams on her special day" - Billie Jean King extends wishes to American on 43rd birthday

Billie Jean King extended her warmest greetings to Venus Williams, who celebrated her 43rd birthday on June 17.

Williams is on a comeback trail. She participated in the ASB Classic in Auckland earlier this year when she lost in the second round to Lin Zhu 6-3, 2-6, 5-7. She was then forced to withdraw from the 2023 Australian Open due to a hamstring injury she sustained during her time in Auckland.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion recently competed in the 2023 Libema Open, where she faced off against an opponent 25 years younger than her, Celine Naef of Switzerland. The match was close and went to three sets, with Naef managing to squeeze out a victory 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-2 on Tuesday, June 13.

On Saturday, June 17, Billie Jean King took to social media to extend birthday wishes to Venus Williams, who turned 43. In her message, King took the opportunity to highlight some of the most remarkable moments of the former World No. 1's illustrious career.

King mentioned Williams' achievement of being the first black woman in the Open Era to rank No. 1 in singles. Additionally, the 79-year-old pointed out that Williams had participated in 89 Grand Slam events so far, which is a record that no other player has been able to match.

"Thinking of Venus Williams on her special day! 🎉 She is the first Black woman in the Open Era to rank No. 1 in singles, and has played in 89 Grand Slams, the most ever by any player," King tweeted.

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Venus Williams will next compete at the Birmingham Classic

Williams takes part in a practice session during day one of the Rothesay Classic Birmingham

Following her first-round exit at the Libema Open, Venus Williams will next participate in the Rothesay Classic in Birmingham, which is scheduled to commence on June 19. The former World No. 1 was granted a wildcard entry into the main draw of the grass-court tournament, alongside Elina Svitolina.

Williams will make her second appearance in the tournament. Her previous participation was in 2019, where she made it to the quarterfinals after securing victories against Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Wang Qiang.

Unfortunately, her journey came to an end after a 6-4, 6-3 loss to the second seed and eventual champion, Ashleigh Barty.

On Monday, June 19, Williams will take on World No. 47, Camila Giorgi, in the first round of the WTA 250 tournament. The American legend has previously faced Giorgi twice and emerged victorious on both occasions. Their most recent encounter was at the 2018 US Open, where the senior player defeated the Italian in straight sets.

It is yet to be seen where Venus Williams will compete following her participation in the Rothesay Classic.