Venus Williams' unbelievable run at Wimbledon continues with 24th appearance

When the Wimbledon draw is released Friday, one name should stand above all others in terms of sheer appreciation to see it there again.

For the 24th time, Venus Williams is playing the tournament that more than any other has defined her historic career. And hopefully it’s a fitting tribute to the most unlikely story tennis has ever seen.

That two little girls from the public courts of Compton, California, could grow up and conquer tennis’ most prestigious tournament at the world’s most exclusive club a combined 12 times in singles and six times as a doubles team stands as an achievement with few equals in the history of sports.

And the fact that the story still hasn’t ended, more than a quarter-century after the world figured out what the Williams Sisters might become, is almost as gobsmacking.

When Serena said her farewell to tennis at last year’s U.S. Open, playing three matches that set Arthur Ashe Stadium ablaze with appreciation for her legendary career, there wasn’t much mention about Venus outside of the doubles magic they tried to rekindle. It was Serena’s stage, Serena’s moment.

But Venus, who turned 43 earlier this month, hadn’t retired. In fact, she hadn’t said much of anything about her future or whether she planned a similar goodbye. Her results hadn’t been good since the COVID-19 pandemic, but all indications were that she planned to keep grinding as long as she could, even as her age climbed and her ranking declined.

When the new season began in January, there she was again in New Zealand, preparing for the Australian Open just as she had done nearly every year since she was 17. Unfortunately, she had to pull out with an injury. Was that going to be the end?

When tennis players of great stature retire, it’s usually not because they can’t win matches anymore or don't have moments where they can recall their best stuff.

It’s because the physical toll of all those years makes it too difficult to maintain the level that satisfies their competitive instincts. The great champions usually don’t want to be out there to win a couple rounds of a tournament and go home. It’s not worth it.

At this stage of the game, Williams is probably realistic about her chances to make another run at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. She’s ranked 554 in the world. The last time she even reached the quarterfinal of a WTA event was Cincinnati in 2019.

With seven Grand Slam singles titles, more money than most people could spend in several lifetimes and all kinds of outside interests in business, fashion and art, there’s only one reason she’s still doing this.

She absolutely loves the sport and still wants to compete.

There’s something beautifully simple and admirable about that. And there’s no indication she plans to stop anytime soon.

Finally healthy, Williams returned to the court a few weeks ago at a small tournament in the Netherlands and lost a close match to Celine Naef, the 202nd-ranked player. As she wrote on Instagram after the match: “The best news is I walked off the court yesterday not hurt and not even sore after a long match and a string of really challenging injuries which means I have a chance to build on yesterdays performance in my next events. It’s not easy to continue to come back after unexpected injuries and delays but that’s life and I love what I do and believe in what I’m doing. If you fall 10 times get up 11, never quit before the miracle.”

That doesn’t sound like a player on a farewell tour, does it? And the following week at another warm-up event in Birmingham, England, she got some validation.

In the first round, Williams got a legitimately good win against 48th-ranked Camila Giorgi in three tight sets. The next day, she faced Jelena Ostapenko, a top-20 player and former French Open champion with huge groundstrokes. From beginning to end, Venus was right there and even had some chances in the third set before falling 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

“She’s a great champion and that hasn’t gone anywhere,” Ostapenko said after the match. “It’s always going to be with her.”

And now here comes Wimbledon, the tournament where her father Richard famously broke protocol after she won her first title in 2000 by jumping up and down and holding up a sign that read: “It's Venus’ party and no one was invited!”

But it’s also the tournament where Venus walked into a room full of tennis executives the day before she would win the 2005 final and delivered a powerful speech about the importance of Wimbledon providing equal prize money for men and women.

The club agreed to raise the purse for the following year, but not enough to equal the men. Williams didn’t quit. On the opening day of the 2006 tournament, she published a searing op-ed in the Times of London with the headline: “Wimbledon has sent me a message: I’m only a second class champion.”

This time, it worked. With a Black woman from Compton leading the way, the British public and members of Parliament ratcheted up the pressure until Wimbledon finally relented. On Feb. 22, 2007, equal prize money had finally been achieved. Venus won the tournament that summer and the next year too, making her a five-time champion.

For that, Venus Williams will have an association with the All-England Lawn Tennis Club that lives beyond all of us. And while some may complain that she now must rely on wildcards to qualify for tournaments at the expense of a younger player, she has earned the right to play as many more Wimbledons as she wants.

Finally healthy and undeniably hungry, let’s hope this one isn’t the last.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Dan Wolken on Twitter @DanWolken

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Venus Williams' love affair with Wimbledon, tennis a historic sight