Williams, 45, Could Play On After Tenacious Muchova Loss

On an unforgettable evening in New York, Venus Williams offered yet another demonstration of her perpetual greatness as she battled into the night with Karolina Muchova, making the 11th seed's life difficult across an intense two hours before falling 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 in the first round of the US Open.

- Tumaini Carayol

As Williams took the familiar walk underneath Arthur Ashe Stadium and onto the court, the 45-year-old's latest appearance at her home grand slam tournament occurred on a notable date. On 25 August 1997, exactly 28 years previously, this stadium opened for the first time. Later that day, a 17-year-old Williams was one of the first players to compete on the court as she made her long-awaited US Open debut there, the start of her monumental run to the final.

So much has changed in the three decades Williams has spent playing professional tennis, yet at 45 years old her passion for the sport is undimmed. Here she was again, just as determined to give her all. She found herself in a difficult match-up against Muchova, a semi-finalist last year. Things have not been easy for Muchova recently and she is still trying to find her form after a left wrist injury that sidelined her for months but she is one of the most talented players in the sport.

Despite a full crowd inside the biggest tennis stadium in the world, the opening games played out to an awkward silence due to Williams's unforced errors. She looked more than a step slow to every ball and her timing was off. Down 0-2, 0-40, things looked grim.