Izuchukwu OkosiSeven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams tops the list of players to have been handed wild cards to feature at the 2023 Wimbledon Tennis tournament this summer.
The older of the famous Williams – with Serena Williams now retired from the game – has been derailed of late due to injuries and was suffering from an hamstring complaint of late.
Williams recent seasons and was out for six months because of a hamstring injury sustained in Auckland during the first week of the year, with the five-time Wimbledon singles winner only returning to action at a grass-court event in the Netherlands last week. It 000
The 43-year-old claimed her first victory over a world top-50 opponent since 2019 when she defeated Camila Girogi at Rothesay Classic in Birmingham on Monday, with Williams – who has battling a knee injury during that victory – now returning to the singles draw after only competing in mixed doubles at Wimbledon last year.
Williams is one of seven players named on the wild card list for the ladies’ singles, including former British No 1 Heather Watson and Ukraine’s two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist Elina Svitolina, with one more yet to be announced.
Svitolina reached the quarter-finals at the French Open on her return to action last month, following the birth of daughter Skai last October, although was thrashed on grass in Birmingham this week.
British players were also handed wild card spots in the ladies’ draw, with Jodie Burrage, Harriet Dart, Katie Swan and Watson all included.
Dart and Watson have also been handed a wild card place to compete together in the ladies’ doubles, where Burrage will partner Emily Appleton.
The other three ladies’ double wild card spots confirmed also went to all-British pairings, with the final two yet to be announced.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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