Marquette, MI – July 23rd, 2025- After a long recovery from surgery, Venus Williams decided it was time for a return to the court. Venus would begin training and attempt to make a return at age 45. Rehab wasn’t an easy process for Venus, “I don’t know if I’m good enough yet… it’s all a head game. There are no limits for excellence… if you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity.”
Williams was determined to get back to the court, entering the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The tournament kicked off on July 19th, but Williams would have to wait until July 22nd to begin her singles play. In the meantime, Williams would play on the doubles side of the tournament with Hailey Baptiste. Williams’ first time back on the court would be a success as Williams and Baptiste would move onto the second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win. Baptiste had this to say after their match, “I was very nervous to play with her. I didn’t want to let her down, first match back and everything.” Their second-round matchup was today at 2:00 pm, where they will took on Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai.
Last night was the time for Venus to return to singles action, where she would take on Payton Stearns. With Stearns having the age advantage (23), and Williams not playing for sixteen months, Stearns would be a heavy favorite. Before the match, Williams had this to say bout her training and progress: “I just wanted to get back to who I am.” Williams would dominate with her big serve and groundstrokes, including six aces exceeding 110 MPH, leading her to a 6-3, 6-4 win. Williams will move to face Magdalena Frech tomorrow, although no start time has been announced yet for their match.
Williams continues to add to her resume, a 7-time grand slam singles title winner, 14-time doubles champion, two-time mixed doubles champion, and becomes the second-oldest woman to win a WTA-level singles match behind Martina Navratilova, who won at age 47. Proving to us that age is just a number.
