Venus Williams ended her 16-month absence from the Tour on Monday with a straight-sets win in the doubles at the Citi Open in Washington.
Williams and partner Hailey Baptiste stormed to a convincing 6-3, 6-1 win over Genie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in front of a full capacity crowd. The former world No.1 has received a wild card into the WTA 500 event after her team contacted the tournament organisers. Despite her lengthy absence, Williams proved that she can still strike the ball with force at the age of 45.
It is a dream return for Williams, who 12 months ago was dealing with a health issue that required surgery. She has been suffering from Fibroids, which are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb. According to the National Health Service, symptoms include stomach and back pain.
“Where I am at this year is so much different from where I was last year,” Williams told reporters. “It’s night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for [fibroids] surgery a year ago.”
Elaborating further, the seven-time Grand Slam champion says her health scare has shaped her view on the sport. Overall, she has won 49 WTA singles titles and 22 doubles titles so far in her career.
“Tennis is a game, it’s our life. Literally our obsession. It’s actually a cult, I think,” she said. “But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter if your health is not there. So it definitely put it in perspective for me and maybe made it easier to make the decision to maybe come back out here and maybe play even freer.”
Among those cheering Williams on was NBA star Kevin Durant, who plays for the Houston Rockets and is a 15-time All-Star.
“The crowd was insane,” Baptiste commented. “From the moment we stepped out of the players area, you could kind of feel the buzz walking onto the court. Just felt all the love for the both of us.”
Williams will return to action on Tuesday to play her first singles match against Peyton Sterns. She is aiming to claim her first singles win since the 2023 Cincinnati Open.
