24-Year-Old Rallies From 4-0 Down to Beat Tennis Legend

A tennis player who wasn't even born when her opponent first competed at the Australian Open just pulled off the comeback of the tournament.

Olga Danilovic found herself down 4-0 in the third set against Venus Williams on Sunday, facing what looked like certain defeat. Instead of giving up, the 24-year-old told herself to just play point by point and take everything out on the court.

The strategy worked. Danilovic won six straight games to complete a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory over the seven-time major champion.

The turning point came at 4-4 when Danilovic broke Williams' serve in a game that lasted 14 and a half minutes and went to deuce eight times. She never looked back, closing out the match on her next service game.

"These things don't happen every day and playing against Venus Williams is something that I cannot take for granted, but there were a lot of nerves," Danilovic said on court after the match. "On 4-0, I said to myself, 'Just play, just take everything out and just play point by point.'"

The nerves were understandable. Williams, now 45, remains one of the most decorated players in tennis history with seven Grand Slam titles.

Why This Inspires

Danilovic's comeback shows what happens when athletes refuse to let the score dictate their effort. Down 4-0 against a legend, she could have accepted a respectable loss.

Instead, she simplified her approach. Move your legs, move your hand, she told herself. Play the next point, not the scoreboard.

That mindset shift transformed the match. By focusing only on what she could control in each moment, Danilovic turned a 4-0 deficit into a 6-4 victory.

"I'm very happy I managed to get this one but it was such a pleasure playing against such a legend," she said. "She was serving incredible, honestly."

Danilovic advances to face either Coco Gauff or Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round, carrying the confidence that comes from winning when all seemed lost.