The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion had not played a WTA Tour match since March of 2024 and had not won one since 2023.

After defying the adage of age in the DC Open, Venus Williams was eliminated in the second round of the doubles tournament

Venus Williams joked this week that she only returned to tennis to get back on the WTA’s health insurance. Venus Williams just came back from a 16-month break from professional tennis. But she didn’t return because she missed playing — rather, she missed her health insurance.

Venus Williams became the oldest player since Martina Navratilova to win a tour-level singles match at the Citi Open in Washington. The 45-year-old defeated fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-3 6-4 for her first singles victory since August 2023.

Recent back-to-back triumphs for 80s babies Venus Williams and Manny Pacquiao offer more than a glimmer of hope for those of us old enough to wake up with aches we can’t explain.

A post-match interview with Venus Williams on Tuesday revealed that the seven-time Grand Slam singles winner is engaged to Andrea Preti, an actor and former model who was seeing her play in person for the first time.

Mubadala Citi DC Open, Washington, D.C. Venus Williams will be playing Magdalena Frech in the second round of the Mubadala Citi DC Open tonight, July 24, at approximately 7:30 p.m. In the U.S., you can tune into the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open on the Tennis Channel.