American tennis player Venus Williams recalled how she overcame body cramps to beat former world number one Martina Hingis at a tournament in 2006.
Williams and Hingis have played many heart-pounding battles in the past and the 2006 J&S Cup in Warsaw was the first time the duo had met after a four-year gap.
Hingis came within two points of victory at 5-4 in the second set, but Williams held at 5-5 and conceded just two points for the remainder of the set to force the decider. In the third and final set, Williams overcame cramps and also received treatment at 1-1 after losing serve, at 2-1 and when he was leading at 3-2.
After Hingis broke to level at 3-3, Williams, who could barely serve or move, played as hard as he could with whatever ball came within reach. His immense strength forced Hingis to make mistakes and eventually the American prevailed in the match.
Taking to Twitter, Williams recalled the epic encounter, saying that she and Hingis always had the craziest battles.
“I had full lower body cramps in this match! It was dramatic. We always had the craziest battles,” he tweeted in response to a video shared on the platform.
: Tennis HighlightsVenus Williams and Martina Hingis met 21 times during their careers. Hingis leads the overall head-to-head at 11-10.
Venus Williams could quit after US Open, predicts former coach
Venus Williams’ childhood coach, Rick Macci, has said the American could retire from the sport at the US Open this year.
With younger sister Serena Williams walking away from the sport at the US Open last year, speculation about Venus’s tennis future has abounded.
Her childhood coach, Macci, predicted that Venus will retire at the New York Major later this year, with her sister by her side.
Macci, 68, has opened up about her bond with Williams’ older sister, saying she hopes the Williams sisters will compete in women’s doubles before Venus’ retirement.
Macci then gave her prediction that Venus Williams would retire after this year’s US Open, accompanied by her sister.
“In my opinion, and I have no idea, I think he will retire at the US Open,” he added. “I think she’s going to play doubles with Serena. And I think they’re going to come off the stage that’s left at the US Open.” he told Tennis-Infinity.
The American tennis coach further opined that while Serena Williams and Venus Williams may find it difficult to play singles now, they could still be very competitive in doubles.
Venus Williams and father Richard recall a match the 7-time Grand Slam champion “should have won”