Venus Williams resumes comeback journey, starts training for the first time since ASB Classic injury

American tennis legend Venus Williams has resumed her comeback journey after a lengthy layoff following an injury suffered at the 2023 ASB Classic.

The former World No. 1 began her 2023 season in New Zealand at the WTA 250 event. She advanced to the second round by defeating Katie Volynets 7-6(4), 6-2. However, she was defeated 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 by Zhu Lin there, in a match that was frequently interrupted by rain. The 42-year-old sustained a hamstring injury during the contest, which eventually forced her to withdraw from the Australian Open.

Following that, Venus Williams took to Instagram on Thursday (March 30) to provide an update on her whereabouts, posting a photo of herself resuming tennis practice and preparing for a bigger comeback on the courts.

"It has begun #tennislife," Williams wrote in the caption.

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"Hopefully sooner than later" - Venus Williams comments on her return to tennis

Venus Williams discussed her injury and her return to the WTA tour in a video she uploaded to her YouTube channel.

She stated that after being injured, she did not consult a doctor for the first week because she was overwhelmed after having an MRI. However, a week later, she began scheduling appointments with her doctor to determine how long it would take her to recover.

"I kind of spent the first week not seeing the doctor. I just had an MRI and I felt just super overwhelmed. But after about a week I started setting up my doctor's appointments and started thinking about what was next for me and trying to really get a handle on like, how much time it would take for me to get back," she said.

The seven-time Grand Slam champion confirmed that she has begun rehab and admitted that it will take a long time for her to return to normalcy.

"I'm still in that process now. This is the kind of injury where you have to let it rest a little bit before you can even start to do serious rehab. But I've started. Definitely a slow start, you gotta walk before you run and right now I'm starting to walk pretty good and hopefully I'll be running really soon. But for now, I will not be playing tennis," Venus Williams stated.

Williams then stated that her next step is to go to a place where she feels "confident" in her body, and she will inform everyone about her return when the time is right.

"I think my next step is to get to to a place where I feel confident in my body again I definitely need to build confidence in it again and I'll get there, god willing. I'll take you guys on this journey with me, back to health, back to tennis hopefully. Hopefully sooner than later, I don't know exactly when but I'll let you know," she added.

While details regarding the timing and venue of the American's return remain uncertain, it is anticipated that we will get to see her in action during the upcoming clay swing.