Venus’ Woes: Is Age Catching Up?

The aging American superstar was granted a wild card ahead of the Indian Wells, and the seeding had her go against Nao Hibino in the first round. The 80th-ranked Japanese player won convincingly after their match got suspended on opening day because of poor weather conditions. After losing the first set, Nao Hibino seemed in full control for the remainder of the match, winning 6-3, 6-0 in the final two sets. 

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Honing in on what could be Venus Williams’ last showing at the prestigious Indian Wells, it’s evident that the American hero was struggling. In this article, we compared Venus’ stats from her match against Nao Hibano to how she previously performed in the tournament throughout her career. Data only available since 2007. 

Since 2017, Venus Williams has played 15 matches in the Indian Wells tournament. 

In those 15 matches, she has averaged 1.8 aces per game. In the game against Nao Hiabano, the American star pulled off a staggering 7 aces. More than everyone playing on the same day. Despite this impressive figure, the stats show that her serve wasn’t fully on point in the opening game, as she made 10 double faults. She has averaged 4.3 double faults throughout her career when playing in the Indian Wells tournament. 

In her last outing in Indian Wells, in 2019, Venus made it to the quarter-finals, playing five matches. In those matches, she averaged 0.6 aces per match and only 2.8 double faults. In 2019, her percentage of 1st serve points won was 62.6%, and in yesterday’s match, it was down to 58%. Throughout her career, she posted similar numbers at Indian Wells as she did in 2019; 62.5%. 

Here’s a breakdown of the stats:

Considering the stats, it seems as if Venus Williams' age has finally caught up with her. She’s unable to move as much as what would be needed. This lack of movement has forced Venus to put all her eggs into one basket; her serve. When depending so much on one aspect of her game, she’s forced to take more chances, resulting in more aces, more double faults, and lower serve-won percentages.