Venus Williams tears up and leaves interview room after question about fatal road accident
A tearful Venus Williams walked out of her post-match Wimbledon media conference on Monday following a question regarding her involvement in a fatal road accident.
Williams’ vehicle collided with a car carrying 78-year-old man Jerome Barson in Palm Beach, Florida on June 9. Barson was hospitalised and subsequently died from injuries sustained in the crash.
A police report alleged the seven-time grand slam champion was at fault for the incident, though she was not issued with any citations or traffic violations. There was also no evidence she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or distracted by an electronic device.
Williams expressed her condolences to Barson’s family in a statement on Facebook last week.
The subject was broached following the 37-year-old’s 7-6 (9-7) 6-4 first-round victory over Elise Mertens at Wimbledon, prompting her to leave the room in tears.
“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,” Williams trailed off before a moderator stepped in and invited her to take a minute outside.
Williams did return to the interview room to answer further questions on unrelated matters.
She will face Wang Qiang in the second round.
