
Tennis-Venus Williams prioritising fun as she returns after 16-month absence
(Reuters) -Former world number one Venus Williams said she was embracing the challenge and joy of tennis after a difficult year marked by health concerns and time away from the court as the 45-year-old prepares for her return at the Washington Open on Monday.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion declined wildcard entries into the tournament in the nation's capital in the past but said she felt up to the challenge this year.
"Most of the time I don't (take up the offer to play as a wildcard)," she said with a laugh on Sunday.
"But this time I had been hitting the ball. And of course I love the game and the hard courts, it's my favourite surface, what I feel comfortable on. So all those different factors."
Williams is setting new personal goals, prioritising enjoyment over results.
"My personal goal is to have fun and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself," she said.
"I don't know if I define success at this moment in any sort of way other than believing in myself and sticking to my process. That's not easy to do, especially after a layoff. So those are my goals."
Williams has won the Wimbledon singles title five times and the U.S. Open twice, as well as 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles alongside her younger sister Serena.
She has not competed since the Miami Open in March 2024 and has not won a match since defeating Russia's Veronika Kudermetova in the first round of the Cincinnati Open in August 2023.
She faces fellow American Peyton Stearns in the first round of the WTA 500 tournament on Monday.
Reflecting on her future in the sport, she remained characteristically private.
"I think I know what I want to do, but I don't always want to talk about it," she said.
"I'm just here for now, and who knows? Maybe there's more. Like I said, I hold my cards close, but at the moment, I'm focused just on this."
Williams also opened up about her health struggles including her surgery last year to remove fibroids - painful but benign tumors that grow in the wall of the uterus.
"My health journey was very scary," she said.
"You know, this time a year ago I was preparing to go to surgery. There was no way for me to play tennis or play the U.S. Open. I was just trying to get healthy."
Known for her powerful game, Williams is determined to stick to her strengths.
"I'm still the same player," she said. "I'm a big hitter... This is my brand. So it's about hitting big and actually putting it in. So this will be my effort - put it in the court. That's my main goal."
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los AngelesEditing by Toby Davis)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Star
12 minutes ago
- The Star
Triathlon-Garcia breached anti-corruption policy before WT election, CAS says
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Court of Arbitration for Sport logo at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, May 14, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo (Reuters) -World Triathlon executive board member Liber Garcia breached the governing body's anti-bribery and anti-corruption policy in the lead-up to its 2024 presidential election, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in a verdict published on Tuesday. Antonio Fernandez Arimany won the election to succeed fellow Spaniard Marisol Casado as president. Michelle Cooper, the former president of Australia's triathlon governing body who ran for the presidency of the global ruling body, lodged a complaint last year alleging election misconduct. Uruguayan Garcia, president of Americas Triathlon, was given a warning as the CAS partially upheld a March 2025 decision by the World Triathlon Tribunal and said a predetermined "favourites list" influenced the outcome of the elections and that some candidates were encouraged to withdraw. "While I was disappointed the CAS panel reduced (Garcia's) sanction to a warning, the key outcome remains unchanged: misconduct occurred. The finding of guilt stands," Cooper wrote in a LinkedIn post on Monday. "Sport governance must not become theatre, where ethical breaches are acknowledged but not acted on. We have the ruling. We have the facts. Now we need the action. Let this be the moment we all say: enough." The verdict comes less than two weeks after the publication of a wide-ranging report on the current state and future of triathlon, which has faced problems due to differing governing bodies, changing formats and struggles for commercial and TV backing. The report called for creating a unified commercial ecosystem, focusing on festival-style formats and investing in mass participation in the swim-bike-run sport. (Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)


The Star
42 minutes ago
- The Star
Cricket-India's Deep ruled out of fourth test, Kamboj set for debut
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - Second Test - England v India - Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham, Britain - July 5, 2025 India's Akash Deep celebrates after taking the wicket of England's Joe Root Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs/File Photo (Reuters) -Fast bowler Akash Deep will be unavailable for the fourth test against England in Manchester, India captain Shubman Gill said on Tuesday, with right-arm quick Anshul Kamboj likely to make his debut. India drafted Kamboj into the squad on Monday with Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out of the rest of the tour with a knee injury and fellow seamer Arshdeep Singh unfit for the next test. With Deep nursing a groin issue, India will decide between Kamboj and Prasidh Krishna for the match starting on Wednesday. "Never easy, when there's injuries in the squad. Nitish is going to miss out on the series and Akash is also unavailable for this next match. So is Arshdeep," Gill told reporters. "I think we have got enough good players in the team to be able to firstly get 20 wickets. That's been the most challenging part of the series. "Anshul is very close to making his debut. We're going to see tomorrow between him and Prasidh." India's top order has impressed during the series, but concerns remain around the form of Karun Nair, who has made 131 runs in six innings with a highest score of 40. "Karun is batting well," Gill said. "In the first match, he didn't really play at his number. "It's difficult when a player is making a comeback in a series like this, but I don't think there's been any issue with his batting. "It's about getting that click, once you are able to make your fifty, then you're able to get back into your zone and get some big runs." Gill reflected on his heated exchange with England openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley late on day three of the Lord's test. "The English batsmen on that day had seven minutes of play left. They were 90 seconds late to come to the place. Not 10, not 20, 90 seconds late," Gill said. "Yes, most of the teams use this. Even if we were in a position, we would have also liked to play fewer overs, but there's a manner to do it. "If you get hit on your body, the physios are allowed to come on and that is something that is fair. But to be able to come 90 seconds late on the grass is not something that I would think comes in the spirit of the game." England lead the five-match series 2-1. (Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru, Editing by Ed Osmond)


The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
Wimbledon expansion plan set to proceed after High Court ruling
WIMBLEDON 's controversial expansion plan is set to go ahead after a legal challenge against the decision to approve the proposal was dismissed by a High Court judge on Monday. The 'Save Wimbledon Park' campaign group took action against the Greater London Authority's decision last year to grant a planning permission that would almost triple the size of the site for the grass-court Grand Slam. The proposals would see the construction of 38 new tennis courts and an 8,000-seat stadium on the grounds of the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club, which would allow it to host All England Club qualifiers on site instead of across south London at Roehampton. The campaign group's barristers told the High Court earlier this month that the decision to approve the plans was 'irrational' and should be quashed, as Wimbledon Park was covered by restrictions on how it could be used. But Wimbledon chiefs defended the challenge, with the court told that the decision was a 'planning judgement properly exercised' and that the restrictions were not 'material'. In a ruling on Monday, Justice Saini dismissed the challenge. 'In short, the defendant's decision on the relevance of deliverability, applying to both the statutory trust and the restrictive covenants, was a planning judgement rationally exercised and having regard to appropriate and relevant factors,' he said. Planning permission for the scheme was initially granted by Jules Pipe, London's deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'. Following Monday's High Court ruling, the campaign group said it had been 'advised that it should' seek to challenge the decision. 'SWP is not taking this step lightly but believes that the GLA did make a significant legal error in the way it dealt with the special legal status of the park,' a statement said. The latest edition of Wimbledon concluded on July 13, with Jannik Sinner winning the men's title and Iga Swiatek lifting the women's trophy.