NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Venus Williams said she plans to keep playing tennis on Tuesday after exiting the United States (US) Open women’s doubles with partner Leylah Fernandez.

The 45-year-old tennis icon and Fernandez saw their doubles dream halted in the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to top seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend.

Williams, who only returned to tennis in July after a 16-month absence from the sport, expressed satisfaction at her performances in New York.

And the seven-time Grand Slam singles winner said she intends to keep playing for the foreseeable future, opportunities permitting.

“If there is opportunity for me to play, then hopefully I can get back somewhere this year,” said Williams, who received wild cards into the singles, doubles and mixed doubles draws at the US Open.

“What I’m proudest of is it’s not easy to come off the bench,” Williams said. “I have never had a layoff that long. It brought new challenges that I wasn’t ready for in so many ways.”

Asked if her recent comeback performances had helped her fall back in love with tennis, she replied: “I was never out of love with the game.

“I never had to think about if I loved the game. I was always playing, so it’s part of my DNA. But clearly to be out here grinding at this point, there has to be a little love, right?”