2018 WTA Preview: No. 5, Venus Williams

As a preview of 2018, Baseline is taking a look at all the Top 10 finishers from the ATP and WTA.

See No. 6 here.

5

Venus Williams defied age and expectation in 2017 with two Grand Slam finals (in Melbourne and London). She also added on a final showing in Singapore, and finished inside the Top 5 for the first time since 2010. Yet, her year saw zero titles added to her career haul of 49.

Moment of the Year

Reaching the Australian Open final was an incredible achievement for Williams, but she wanted more. The world No. 5 would fall to her younger sister Serena in the final, despite all her efforts to finally rise above her 23-time Grand Slam-winning sister. Still, the sister final produced incredible moments, including this speech from Venus:

Hot Shot of the Year

Williams has shown time and time again her refusal to give up. Her dedication to the sport is unparalleled, and her dedication to putting in work during points has given her many rewards, as proof from this point in Rome:

Outlook for 2018

It's impossible to know what to expect from Venus Williams. Just when fans started to think her time was over, she rose to the occasion and returned to the Top 5 and the Grand Slam podium. Does she have one more Grand Slam title in her? If younger sister Serena takes her time returning, there's a real chance for it to happen for Venus in 2018.

Watch Serena Williams' first match back at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, live on Tennis Channel PLUS.

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