Venus Williams is ready to “forgive and forget” after American Airlines luggage debacle

CINCINNATI, Ohio—Venus Williams’ international nightmare is over: her luggage has been found.

The former world No. 1 delivered a hilarious update to a week-long saga that began when she announced on social media that American Airlines had accidentally launched her bags towards the Bahamas despite her flight to Canada for the Omnium Banque Nationale.

“I think I spent all my unlimited minutes calling you all which has become my full-time job day and night,” she wrote at the time.

Williams was set to play her first tournament of the North American summer hard-court swing after incurring an injury at Wimbledon against eventual semifinalist Elina Svitolina.

“I called every hour, like, I'd get off the phone and then I'd call right back and speak to another agent,” she recalled after scoring her first Top 20 win since 2019 over Veronika Kudermetova. “I'm relentless. I needed my bags, and it was days of calling.”

The luggage unfortunately did not come in time for her Montréal match against Madison Keys, which she lost in straight sets after having to improvise on her apparel.

“The day I played my match was the craziest day ever in terms of preparation. Like, there was none. I was running to buy clothes, and, you know, just all over the place. It was nuts.

“You know, the package I had sent from Florida got stuck in customs. I thought I was going to have something. That didn't come. It was crazy, a crazy day.”

A member of American Airlines’ Million Miler program, Williams is entitled to AAdvantage Gold status for life and after just under 30 years on tour, it sounds like the five-time Wimbledon champion isn’t about to declare a new airline of choice.

“Oh, it happens,” she said with a smile. “I forgive and forget, yeah.”