Venus Williams made some serious noise at the DC Open this week! Fans were eager for her return after a long break, and wow, did she deliver. First, she teamed up with Hannah Baptiste for doubles and they stormed through their R16 match. Then, Venus faced Peyton Stearns in singles and cruised to victory in straight sets. That’s truly impressive—she hadn’t competed since the 2024 Miami Open! People doubted if she’d ever come back, but Venus is here to remind everyone just how much she loves the game.
On Tuesday, 45-year-old Williams powered past world number 35 Stearns, her fellow American who is 22 years younger. Final score: 6-3, 6-4 in the opening round. With this win, Venus becomes the oldest woman to claim a singles match on tour since Martina Navratilova in 2004, who was 47 at the time. She’s a seven-time singles Grand Slam champ and entered DC with a wildcard. Before this week, she hadn’t played an official match since March 2024.
Did she want to prove the doubters wrong? Venus made her answer clear: “No, because I’m not here for anyone else except for me, and I also have nothing to prove. Zip, zero. I’m here for me because I want to be here. And proving anyone wrong or thinking about anyone has never gotten me a win and has never gotten me a loss.” With seven singles Grand Slams and 14 alongside her sister from three decades as a pro, she owes nothing to anyone.
Venus Williams made it very clear in press after her win over Peyton Stearns that her return to tennis IS NOT about proving other people wrong. pic.twitter.com/UncZqPU7Hh
— TennisONE App (@TennisONEApp) July 23, 2025
So what led some to think she’d retire during her absence? Venus never used the word “retired,” but after 16 months away, the WTA marked her as ‘inactive.’ She even turned down a wildcard for Indian Wells earlier this year, opting instead to try her hand at commentating for the French Open.
Venus Williams kept fans guessing—posting Instagram stories of her hitting at practice, dropping hints that she wasn’t done just yet. But she never revealed a return date! Now it’s all out in the open. She says, “No one has put in the work for me. I put in the work. So it doesn’t matter what anyone says. It doesn’t stop the work that I have put in. It doesn’t stop my belief. Even if people are saying amazing things, it still doesn’t help you win. I really just try to focus on myself and not think about anything else.”
And boy, did she work. Venus took time off for a knee injury, but there was more going on. She dealt with a frightening health scare that truly derailed last year’s plans. In a July 3 interview with NBC News Daily, Venus opened up about her long fight with fibroids and adenomyosis. “My symptoms were extreme pain. You know, getting so much in pain that maybe you throw up. Or you can’t get off the ground.” Adenomyosis, a brutal condition involving uterine tissue invading the uterus wall, made things even tougher.
Venus Williams jokes about her reason to return
Williams lit up the court with her signature spark while chatting with Rennae Stubbs after her big win. With her signature humor, she quipped, “I had to return for the insurance, this year they told me I’m on COBRA. So I was like, I need to get those benefits going! I got back to training. You all know how it is, and let me tell you, I’m always at the doctor, so I definitely need that insurance.” Stubbs and the crowd erupted in laughter, but beneath the smiles, Venus’s grit shone through.
She’s faced a maze of pain, from adenomyosis, relentless cramps, bouts of vomiting, and exhausting doctor visits where her struggles were brushed aside. A simple social media ad flipped the script for Venus Williams—“You don’t have to live like this.” It hit her like a rally winner. Inspired, she took charge and found Dr. Taraneh Shirazian at NYU Langone’s Center for Fibroid Care. Finally, someone heard her. As Dr. Shirazian shared with SELF, “I was the first person to ever tell her [of the adenomyosis].” In July 2024, she underwent a game-changing myomectomy and felt true relief for the first time.
Now the oldest player battling on the singles tour since Kimiko Date in 2017, Venus is running her own race against time—and winning. Taking out Peyton Stearns was her first singles triumph since clipping World No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova in 2023. She’s taken down two Top 35 rivals with nearly two years between the wins. Up next: Magdalena Fręch in the DC Open’s round of 16. Will this passion take her even farther? Tell us below—Venus’s epic run isn’t over yet!
The post At 45, Venus Williams Reveals Real Reason for Her Tennis Comeback appeared first on EssentiallySports.