Venus Williams Plays On Despite Injury During Australian Open Match

Tennis star Venus Williams, 40, has suffered an ankle injury during the Australia Open Cup.

The injury occurred during the opening set of her second-round matchup against Sara Errani of Italy. Williams headed to the net for a volley and landed on her left leg awkwardly while twisting her right ankle. The tennis star was unable to then put pressure on her legs.

Williams was treated on the sidelines by a trainer. This caused the match to be delayed for 15 minutes. Play resumed because Williams wanted to play out the game. For the rest of the match, the 40-year-old limped and grunted in pain. The tennis star endured the pain, as she went on to lose the first set, six to one, and then the next by a score of six to zero.

Williams opponent Errani was shocked by the American’s decision to play through the injury. “I thought she would retire because she wasn’t running, she was walking badly…. I was worried about her more than thinking about how I should play,” she said. “I was thinking, who knows? Maybe at a certain point, she’ll say enough is enough. But instead, she continued right up until the end.”