Williams in tears after opening win
Venus Williams broke down in tears during her post-match news conference at Wimbledon yesterday when asked about a recent motoring incident she was involved in, which led to the death of a 78-year-old Florida man.
Williams, who won her firstround match against Belgian Elise Mertens in straight sets, was asked about her feelings regarding the incident.
‘‘There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating and ... yeah. I’m completely speechless. It’s just - yeah, I mean, I’m just ... ’’ said the American before breaking down in tears and leaving the room.
The five-times Wimbledon champion returned shortly afterwards to finish off the compulsory media briefing.
News of the fatal incident near her home in Palm Beach Gardens surfaced last week.
Palm Beach Gardens police released a preliminary report saying she was the driver at fault in a June 9 accident that left Jerome Barson, a passenger in the other car, with fatal injuries.
After the crash, Barson was taken to a Florida trauma centre where he died 13 days later, according to the Palm Beach county medical examiner.
Before breaking down in the news conference, Williams had been asked several questions about her emotions in the past month but had avoided directly addressing the matter.
‘‘Life, you can’t prepare for everything. I prepared for a lot of matches, tried to get ready for whatever my opponent will throw at you, but you can’t prepare for everything,’’ she said.
‘‘I have no idea what tomorrow will bring. That’s all I can say about it. That’s what I’ve learned,’’ she said to another question on how she was handling the situation.
Last week Williams released a statement on Facebook saying that she was ‘‘heartbroken’’ and ‘‘devastated’’ by the death of Barson.