Venus Williams Set For Tennis Comeback After 16-Month Layoff

Back on the court after a 16-month layoff and serious health scare, Venus Williams wants to experience the joy of playing tennis without putting too much pressure on herself.

The 45-year-old, a seven-time Grand Slam champion, will face fellow American Peyton Stearns in a first-round match at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday after accepting a wild card to the WTA 500 event.

Williams, who last played on the WTA Tour in March 2024 at the Miami Open, says she had been practicing on hard courts and opting to play in the American capital just made sense.

“Most of the time I don’t [take up the offer to play as a wild card],” she laughed. “But this time, I had been hitting the ball. And of course I love the game and the hard courts, it’s my favorite surface, what I feel comfortable on.”

The five-time Wimbledon champion, who underwent surgery last year to remove fibroids, said her personal goal is to soak in the experience of returning to the sport.

“My personal goal is to have fun, I think right now and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself,” former world No. 1 Williams told reporters.

“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.”

When she faces 23-year-old Stearns, the veteran Williams will be aiming for her first victory on the tour since August 2023, when she defeated Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in the first round of the Cincinnati Open.

“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,” she said with a smile, when asked about her goal this week.

“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.”

After winning the last of her 49 singles titles, Venus Williams last played a full schedule in 2019, going a credible 19-15 — at the age of 39. She played 37 matches in the following six years (winning only seven), two in 2024, at Indian Wells and Miami.