Venus breakdown over crash death
VENUS Williams broke down and walked out of a press conference yesterday after being questioned about a fatal crash which police say was her fault.
The former champion covered her face and wiped away tears before sitting in silence for some time and then leaving.
Asked whether she wanted to comment on the accident in Florida in early June, which resulted in the death of a 78-year-old man, Miss Williams replied: ‘There are really no words to describe, like, how devastating and… yeah. I’m completely speechless. It’s just… I mean… I’m just...’
The 37-year-old, who had just won her first round tie, pressed her hand against her face and tried to compose herself.
After up to a minute of sobbing, she left the compulsory post-match press conference for a short break.
When she returned to take more questions, she still had tears in her eyes and the moderator asked for the topic of the crash not to be mentioned further. In the first part of the conference, Miss Williams had repeatedly been asked about the accident but managed to avoid the question several times,
From the moment she sat down, she appeared upset and subdued.
When asked about her emotions over the past month and how she had coped, Miss Williams said: ‘Well, today walking on the court, I love it here, so it’s always a feeling of coming back home. It is special time of year.’
Insinuating that tennis had help her grapple with the tragedy, she added: ‘I’ve definitely played a lot of tennis. It’s a good thing to be on court’. She added: ‘Tennis is still the love of my live. You know, it gives me joy.’
According to US police, Miss Williams was crossing a junction in Palm Beach Gardens, where she lives, when her vehicle collided with a car being driven by Linda Barson, whose husband Jerome was in the passenger seat.
Mr Barson died 13 days after the June 9 crash. His family have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the tennis star. Police said Miss Williams was to blame for the collision and are investigating.
The five-time Wimbledon ladies’ singles champion played her first match of the tournament, beating Belgian Elise Mertens 7-6 6-4 in an hour and 40 minutes against on Court One.
Miss Williams said of her 20th appearance at the championships: ‘I never thought I would play this many. But I’m grateful to be here and to play. I love the game.’
In a comment which appeared to reference the accident, she added: ‘Yeah, 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. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring… That’s what I’ve learned.’
Asked about the crash, Andy Murray whose press conference was immediately after Miss Williams’s emotionally charged appearance, said he had read only ‘headlines rather than the whole story’ but admitted: ‘It’s obviously horrific when anything like that happens. I’m sure it must be tough for her to focus on her tennis just now. But, yeah, I don’t know how you advise someone on that.
‘It’s obviously horrible. I think, unless you’ve been through it, you don’t know.’