“I’m not too disappointed. It’s my first Wimbledon and there will be many more to come” – the words of Venus Williams back in 1997. She was 17 and had just been beaten in the first round by Magdalena Grzybowska but she knew then that she and Wimbledon were at the start of a very long and committed relationship.
Even in those days, Venus came with an impressive reputation. She turned professional at 14 and, in her first couple of years on the road, played a very limited schedule. Even so, it had taken the likes of Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario to stop her. But 1997 was the beginning of her Grand Slam career – and Wimbledon was the tournament she wanted to win.
That winning business took another three years to sort out but once Venus had got her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish, she had no intention of letting go. By 2000 and her first victory, her little sister, Serena, (you may have heard of her) was stealing the limelight and had already won the US Open the previous summer. But Serena was not going to be allowed to upstage Venus in SW19.
From that first final and for the next decade, there was hardly a ladies’ final without a Williams sister in it: Venus won five times, Serena won four times. And to add to her five victories, Venus also reached three finals, losing to Serena each time. Maria Sharapova broke the duopoly in 2004, and it was only in 2006 that neither sister reached the final; Justine Henin, who had lost to Venus in the 2001 final, fell this time to Amélie Mauresmo. In the first decade of the 21st century, the Williams sisters and Wimbledon went together like strawberries and cream.
In the years since her debut, generations of players have come and gone but Venus just keeps going. She turned 40 on June 17 but there is no hint that she intends to stop, no obvious sign that she is looking forward to retirement. If Venus can play, she will play. It is as simple as that. So far, she has played at The Championships 22 times and all being well with her – and all being well with the world – she will make that 23 next summer.
Not even the diagnosis of Sjogren's syndrome in 2011 could stop Venus. An incurable auto-immune disease, the symptoms range from a dry mouth to chronic fatigue and muscle and joint pain.
Venus was 31 when she was diagnosed and most people thought that would be the end of her career. But that was not accounting for Venus and her stubborn refusal to give in. It had been three years since her last Grand Slam singles title – at Wimbledon where she beat her sister in the final – but the great champion was not done yet.
Sure, she has good days and bad days, but on her good days, she is still a force to be reckoned with – and six years after diagnosis, in 2017, she reached the final of both Wimbledon and the Australian Open.
Venus should have won her first match in SW19, too. With purple, green and white beads in her hair – she had taken the Wimbledon colour scheme to heart – she was the better player in the first set but that was when the nerves set in. Grzybowska managed to level the scores and as Venus faltered, the Pole made her way into the second round 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
“I was so nervous. It was a total disaster,” Venus recalled years later. “Poor young V. But I’ve definitely come up since that time. I don’t think I could ever be that nervous. Also, I know how to handle it a lot better. There’s moments where maybe you aren’t as relaxed as other moments but it’s about handling it.”
No matter, as Venus had pointed out, there would be other Wimbledons. There would be other Grand Slams, too and a couple of months later in only her third major championship, she reached the final of the US Open.
For the record, Grzybowska retired in 2002 having earned just under £400,000. Her best result at Wimbledon was reaching the third round after beating Venus. Venus, on the other hand, is still going strong and has banked £30.7million in prize money. And she still hopes to add to her collection of five Venus Rosewater Dishes. She knew what she was talking about back in 1997.
Despite the absence of a Championships this year, there are still plenty of ways you can get into the Wimbledon spirit…
#WimbledonRecreated
Help us recreate Wimbledon from home by sending us your favourite traditions and moments on social media using the hashtag #WimbledonRecreated - and look no further than this if you’re in need of inspiration...
Play The Championships
Now’s your chance to play The Championships with our interactive game - take on seven rounds of retro tennis action and battle to become a Wimbledon champion, with prizes on offer for the top scores.
A Wish from Wimbledon
If we could grant you one wish, what would it be? Let us know here, and it might just come true!