Venus Williams stays on clay, plans French Open bid after Madrid defeat

Venus Williams said she hopes to play this year’s French Open after returning to compete on clay for ​the first time in five years and losing ‌in the opening round of the Madrid Open.

Williams was beaten 6-2 6-4 by fellow wild card Kaitlin Quevedo in the opening round ​on Tuesday for her 10th straight singles loss ​after she returned from a 16-month break midway through ⁠last season.

The seven-times Grand Slam singles champion will need ​a wild card to feature at Roland Garros.

“Yeah, I mean, ​to get my feet dirty, this was a great start,” Williams, 45, told reporters.

“I’m not able to play Rome, I have other commitments, ​unfortunately, so I’m really super sad about that, actually.

“My ​husband is Italian, so we feel sad that we can’t be there. ‌So ⁠we would love to keep it going on the clay.”

Williams’ last match on clay before Madrid was at the French Open in 2021 and she said she was happy ​with how ​she performed.

“I felt ⁠like in the last game I started to move better on the clay. But ​then it was the last game,” she added.

“All ​these ⁠things take adjustments. I started my practice on clay a couple weeks after Miami. I haven’t really played on clay ⁠in ​years. But I enjoy the clay, ​it’s fun.

“I played against a very inspired opponent today.”

The French Open begins on ​May 24.