Venus Williams is back in tennis and wishes Serena would come out of retirement to join the fun
'I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here. Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her,' Venus said when asked about a recent video on social media that showed Serena swinging a racket. 'But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know.'
That, of course, was said with a wide grin. Serena, 43, hasn't played since the 2022 U.S. 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 hard-court tournament in the nation's capital begins. 'I think we always hit the ball, because that's who we are. We're always hitting.'
She said it was during a recent practice session of hers that Serena showed up 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 No. 1 in the rankings. Venus, who turned 45 last month, won seven major singles championships, two at the U.S. 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.'
'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.'
Sure does.
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.
Her team had reached out to DC Open chairman Mark Ein via text in April to gauge whether he'd 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.'
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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.'
___
Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
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Winnipeg Free Press
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His combined total of 4,367 exceeds Pete Rose's major league record of 4,256. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Sabathia, second to Suzuki in 2001 AL Rookie of the Year voting, was a six-time All-Star who won the 2007 AL Cy Young Award and a World Series title in 2009. He went 251-161 with a 3.74 ERA and 3,093 strikeouts, third among left-handers behind Randy Johnson and Steve Carlton, during 19 seasons with Cleveland, Milwaukee and the New York Yankees. A seven-time All-Star, Wagner was 47-40 with a 2.31 ERA and 422 saves for Houston, Philadelphia, the New York Mets, Boston and Atlanta. Tom Hamilton and Tom Boswell were also honored during Hall of Fame weekend. Hamilton has been the primary radio broadcaster for the Cleveland Guardians franchise for 35 seasons and received the Ford C. Frick Award. Boswell, a retired sports columnist who spent his entire career with The Washington Post, was honored with the BBWAA Career Excellence Award. ___ AP MLB:
Toronto Star
an hour ago
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Ichiro Suzuki adds humorous touches to Hall of Fame induction ceremonies
Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Billy Wagner, left, Ichiro Suzuki, second from left, and CC Sabathia, center, pose for a photo with Willa Allen, second from right, widow of Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Dick Allen, and Dave Parker II, right, son of the late Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Dave Parker, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., Sunday, July 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) SW flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
