Venus Williams is back and how! At 45, when most players hardly dare to step out and hit the court, the 7-time slam queen showed she can still hit it hard down-the-line. The former World No.1 just proved it in Washington D.C. on Tuesday night after making a remarkable return to professional tennis. Before her campaign on the American hard court this week, she told the media “Long time no see.” Well, we are about to see her more and more again, thanks to a stellar victory that just earned her a rare distinction, rubbing shoulders with another WTA legend Martina Navratilova.
Williams beat World No.35 and compatriot Peyton Stearns in a one-sided, R32, battle on Tuesday at the Mubadala Citi Open. Venus, who last played her professional WTA match more than a year ago in Miami, bested Stearns in straight sets with a score line of 6-3, 6-4. With that, Williams just became the oldest woman, at 45, to win a WTA match since Martina Navratilova. The 18-time Grand Slam champion was 47-years-old when she won an encounter in 2004.
Following her emphatic win, Naomi Osaka – a four-time slam queen herself – couldn’t resist admiring her tennis idol. Sharing an adorable reaction, the Japanese star simply wrote on X, “My queen ”
My queen
— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@naomiosaka) July 23, 2025
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