Venus Williams to play Washington's DC Open, her first tournament in more than a year

Australia Broadcast Center

3 days ago

Venus Williams is back on the tennis scene, ready to compete for the first time in more than a year at the DC Open.
And she has teased to the media she would love it if her sister Serena Williams came back too.
"I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here," Venus said when asked about a recent video on social media that showed Serena swinging a racquet.
"Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her.
"But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know."
Serena, 43, hasn't played since the 2022 US Open, when she declared she was "evolving" away from the sport she dominated for stretches on the way to 23 grand slam singles titles and an additional 14 in doubles with Venus.
"I don't know what she's going to do. I don't ask those questions," Venus said a day before the start of the hard court tournament in Washington.
"I think we always hit the ball, because that's who we are. We're always hitting."
She said Serena showed up at a recent practice session and joined in for about 15 or 20 minutes.
"She can take six months off and she clocks it clean," Venus said.
"You can't teach that kind of talent. She's just so good."
They both were the best around at one point.
Both reached number one in the rankings.
Venus, who turned 45 last month, won seven major singles championships, two at the US Open and five at Wimbledon.
Her last tournament was in March 2024 at the Miami Open, where she exited in the first round. It's been so long that the official WTA Tour website lists her as "inactive".
Williams is drawn to meet fellow American Peyton Stearns in the round of 32 on Wednesday (Australian time).
"This is very special for me to come back and play tennis," Venus said.
"I think it's a surprise for the fans — and a surprise in general, as I hold my cards tight."
It came as a bit of a shock to the tennis world when her appearance in Washington via a wild card invitation was announced a week ago.
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Her team had reached out to DC Open chairman Mark Ein via text in April to gauge whether he would be open to having Venus at an event she last entered in 2022.
He said he needed two seconds to reply: "Of course."
"She's such an icon of the sport — and, importantly, both on and off the court," Ein said in an interview.
"So anytime you can have her engaged and have the spotlight on her and everything she's done and continues to do, it's hugely positive."
What did she miss the most while away from the tour?
"All the times that I had and, of course, the adrenaline, all those things," Venus said.
"Just the pure fun of playing the game, the fun of the challenge, overcoming. When you play, you overcome so many challenges: your opponents, the conditions. A lot of times you have to overcome yourself. Those things are very exciting."
When asked why she's getting back on court, Venus offered a simple response: "Why not?"
As for whether this is a one-stop tour or she plans to play elsewhere, she wasn't prepared to say much.
"I'm just here for now, and who knows?" Venus said.
"Maybe there's more. … But at the moment, I'm focused just on this. I haven't played in a year. There is no doubt I can play tennis, but obviously coming back to play matches, it takes time to get in the swing of things.
"I definitely feel I'll play well. I'm still the same player. I'm a big hitter. I hit big. This is my brand."
AP