The Grand Slam winner penned a heartfelt Instagram post after her defeat to Elina Svitolina.
Venus Williams is keeping her head up after her first-round loss at Wimbledon.
The five-time Wimbledon singles champion took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a heartfelt message to her fans after her defeat to Elina Svitolina on Centre Court on Monday. The 43-year-old has had a series of injury setbacks that have plagued her in recent years -- including a diagnosis of Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes joint pain and fatigue -- her Instagram post expressed a refreshed optimism toward the future of her competitive career in professional tennis.
"I'm not sure how I managed to smile in this moment but I don't remember my face looking like this...pleasant...I felt just the opposite," Venus admitted in her caption. "I felt like everything slipped away from me so quickly and I was disappointed that I wasn't stronger to pull out the match despite the circumstances."
She continued, "I'm happy I can look back at this moment and see I smiled. I felt like crying. But as an fyi I didn't cry. I don't have time for crying when I'm trying to get to the next level. I sat in the locker room right after thinking...to figure out what I could learn from this and plotting how I was going to be better."
Writing that she believes in "less time crying and more time working," the seven Grand Slam singles title winner concluded her post by writing, "I also believe in being a good sport. You win and lose in life. You can't cry when you are losing. You have to get to learning. It's a bad sport if you can't at least try to be a good sports person in the moment of defeat and allow your opponent to enjoy their moment of victory...until your moment comes."
According to CBS Sports, Venus began her 24th Wimbledon campaign as a wild card entry.
She played six matches and four tournaments this year, despite missing nearly six months because of a hamstring injury she suffered in the first tournament of the season in Auckland, New Zealand.
While her younger sister, Serena Williams, recently "stepped back" from the sport last year, Venus put any rumors of her retirement to bed during her pre-tournament press conference. When asked what motivates her to carry on playing on the WTA Tour and about pending retirement plans, she joked, "There are really great insurance benefits on tour. I need those so I figure I may as well keep going!"
Meanwhile, her 23-time Grand Slam champion sister is preparing for a new role: mother of two.
Serena and her husband, Alexis Ohanian, shared they were expecting their second child as they walked the carpet at the 2023 Met Gala.
"Was so excited when Anna Wintour invited the 3 of us to the Met Gala," Serena captioned the photo of her showing off her baby bump in a black Gucci gown as she stood next to the Reddit founder.
The pair are parents of 5-year-old Olympia -- who had the sweetest reaction upon finding out she was getting a sibling.
Last week, Serena shared the moment when she and Ohanian shared the news with their daughter that she was getting a promotion to big sister.
"Remember how you've been praying for a little sister or brother? Well, we went to the doctor and it turns out I'm not getting fat. But I have a baby in my belly," Serena said, to which Olympia promptly asks excitedly. "Are you kidding me?!"
Prior to the release of the video, Serena shared why she and her husband kept their news from their daughter.
"Olympia does not know right now that I am pregnant, so the big reveal will be at the Met and then before we leave, I'll tell Olympia," Serena explained in an Instagram video. "The reason I haven't told her is because she can't keep a secret!"
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