Venus Williams has now lost 16 consecutive matches, the latest to an 18-year-old who was born the same year Williams won her last Grand Slam title.
The former World #1 ranks sixth in career singles wins with 819, including 49 titles and seven Grand Slam championships. But she hasn’t won a title since February 2016, and the results since have been difficult to watch.
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A Historic Age Gap
Lilli Tagger, 18, defeated Williams 6-2 6-2 at the Guangzhou Open earlier this week, dropping the 46-year-old to 0-13 in 2026. The match set a WTA record for the largest age gap between opponents at 28 years. Tagger was born in 2008, the same year Williams won her last major singles title at Wimbledon.
The Austrian hit 29 winners to Williams’ seven, never faced a break point and won 25 of 25 first-serve points. Williams was broken four times with relative ease.
It was not an outlier. Williams has won just four of 30 sets this season and has often looked uncompetitive. Her 2026 campaign includes two losses to players outside the top-350, and m0re than half of her defeats have come against players ranked outside the top-75. She holds an 8-46 record on Tour since 2020 and has just one win since 2023.
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“I’ve Earned the Right”
Williams addressed the streak after the loss to Tagger.
“Well, obviously 0-16 isn’t ideal,” she said. “I’m a competitor. I’ve been a competitor my entire life, and nobody likes losing, certainly not me … Maybe other people don’t understand it, but I do … I think I’ve earned the right to decide how this ends.”
She also spoke about the health challenges she has faced. Williams was diagnosed with Sjögren’s syndrome and has dealt with fibroids, which forced a long break in 2011, when she was ranked top five in doubles. Being able to play and practice pain-free, she said, is a motivator she doesn’t take for granted.
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She has no plans to retire anytime soon.
“Will I still be playing in six months? A year? Two years? Who knows?” she said. “I certainly don’t have a date circled on the calendar. But right now, I’m happy. I’m enjoying being on the court, I’m enjoying the work with my team, and physically I’m in a place where I can do that. So while I feel this way, I’ll continue.”
A Decline Years in the Making
The numbers tell a story of steady erosion since her last title at the 2016 Taiwan Open. Williams reached three finals in 2017, including the Australian Open against her sister Serena. In 2018, she reached only one semifinal, and in 2019 she managed just four quarterfinals. Though, it serves as a testament to the depth of her career that her tour winning percentage has only slipped from .765 to .737 since 2020.
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A Career Worth Celebrating
Jan 19, 2011; Melbourne, AUSTRALIA; Venus Williams (USA) against Sandra Zahlavova (CZE) (not pictured) on day three of the 2011 Australian Open in Melbourne Park. Williams won 7-6, 6-0, 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Matthias HauerGEPA via USA TODAY Sports
The decline is only one part of the story, and the timing makes the full arc had to ignore. Williams made her tour-level debut 32 years ago this week, recording her first win on Oct. 31, 1994, at the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California.
She established herself as the decade progressed, winning her first singles title in 1998 at the IGA Tennis Classic in Oklahoma City, the same tournament where she won her first doubles match alongside Serena. Then came the run that defined an era: back-to-back US Open titles in 2000 and 2001, and Wimbledon championships in 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008. Her seven majors singles titles are tied for seventh in the Open Era.
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Williams also has 22 WTA doubles titles, all alongside Serena. Her Olympic resume is just as remarkable: singles and doubles gold at Sydney 2000, then doubles gold again at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
The Last Word
It’s impossible to argue against Williams’ accomplishments or her place among the game’s greats, male or female. A losing streak, however long, doesn’t change a career that spans more than three decades, seven Grand Slam titles and a last influence on the sport.
Her legacy is secure, and nothing happening now can tarnish it. What remains is her own choice about how to write the final chapter. If she plays on next season, the four majors are where she belongs, not 250s and 500s like Guangzhou.
There’s no rush — or pressure — for her to make that decision, though.
Main Photo Credit: Cara Owsley-USA TODAY Sports
