Archive of posts tagged Venus Williams

Venus Williams Returns To US Open, Defying Age And Expectations

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At 45, Venus Williams has made a historic return to the U.S. Open, becoming the oldest singles competitor in New York since 1981. Despite the media focus on her age, fellow players emphasize her iconic status and enduring influence on the sport. Williams is competing in her first Grand Slam in two years following a long break and surgery for uterine fibroids. Her resilience and love for tennis continue to inspire others, including top players like Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff. Venus, along with her sister Serena, broke barriers in tennis, with Venus being the first Black woman since Althea Gibson to win Wimbledon in 2000. With seven Grand Slam singles titles and 16 in doubles and mixed doubles, she remains a major figure in the sport. Many credit her with expanding opportunities for African-American girls in tennis and applaud her for her passion and perseverance. Venus' return is seen not just as an athletic feat, but a continuation of her legacy as a trailblazer and role model.

Top seed and defending U.S. Open champion Jannik Sinner has confirmed he is fit to compete in the tournament beginning this Sunday, despite a recent virus that forced him to withdraw from a warm-up event while trailing Carlos Alcaraz. The Italian world number one stated he is not yet at full strength but expects to be ready in time. Sinner, who has won four Grand Slam titles including the 2025 Australian Open and Wimbledon, enters the event with renewed composure after a turbulent 2024 marked by cleared drug test allegations. Reflecting on his rivalry with world number two Alcaraz, he emphasized its importance for the sport's future but warned against complacency due to intense ATP Tour competition. Sinner remains focused on continuous improvement as competitors become more familiar with his playing style.

Novak Djokovic is set to begin his U.S. Open campaign without participating in a competitive match since Wimbledon, opting instead for several weeks of intensive training and time with family. Currently ranked world number seven, the 38-year-old Serbian is prioritizing Grand Slam tournaments as he pursues a record 25th major title. Djokovic deliberately skipped the U.S. Open tune-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati, citing his preference to control his schedule and his diminishing interest in lengthy Masters tournaments. He expressed a desire to focus on quality over quantity in his career’s later stage. As a co-founder of the Professional Tennis Players Association, Djokovic also addressed recent controversies over the extended two-week format of Masters events, criticizing the inflexible long-term contracts and the limited engagement of top players in negotiations. Additionally, he praised increases in Grand Slam prize money but emphasized the ongoing global struggle for lower-ranked players to earn a sustainable income from the sport, especially when accounting for inflation.

A rising generation of teenage tennis stars is capturing attention at the 2025 U.S. Open. Among them are 18-year-old Mirra Andreeva of Russia, seeded No. 5 and the youngest woman in the top 5 since Maria Sharapova; 19-year-old João Fonseca of Brazil, who reached Wimbledon's third round; 19-year-old Learner Tien of the U.S., with four top-10 wins and a match scheduled against Novak Djokovic; and 18-year-old Vicky Mboko of Canada, who surged from No. 350 to No. 24 in the rankings after a breakthrough win in Montreal. These teenagers are building on the success of past young champions like Coco Gauff and Emma Raducanu. Despite the early success, high expectations and media pressure can be challenging. Andreeva emphasizes learning from setbacks, while Mboko credits self-belief as key to her rapid ascent. Other teens to watch include Maya Joint from Australia, Jakub Mensik of the Czech Republic, and 17-year-old Iva Jović of California. Their performances at the Open highlight a promising future for this new wave of talent in professional tennis.

Madison Keys, currently ranked world number six, enters the 2025 U.S. Open with renewed confidence and reduced pressure after clinching her first Grand Slam title earlier this year at the Australian Open. She triumphed over world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Melbourne, alleviating the long-standing expectations that began with her breakout as a teenager. Keys, now 30, first reached a major semi-final at 19 and was runner-up at the 2017 U.S. Open. Despite a quarter-final loss to Coco Gauff at the French Open and a third-round exit at Wimbledon, she remains determined to add another major title to her career. Keys expressed that winning her first Grand Slam has given her a sense of freedom and belief in her ability to succeed again. She also shared her fondness for playing at Flushing Meadows, citing the electric atmosphere and support from the home crowd as motivating factors. She will begin her U.S. Open campaign against Mexican player Renata Zarazua on Sunday.

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Venus Williams Returns To U.S. Open At 45 With Wild Card Entry

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At 45, Venus Williams has received a wild card entry into the 2025 U.S. Open, marking her return to Grand Slam singles competition after a two-year hiatus. Williams, a two-time U.S. Open singles champion, last competed in a major tournament at the 2023 U.S. Open and hasn't secured a singles win there since 2019.

This wild card entry makes Williams the oldest player in the singles draw since Renee Richards in 1981. Her return follows a 16-month absence from the tour, during which she made a comeback at the DC Open, becoming the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match since 2004.

In addition to her singles participation, Williams will compete in the newly introduced mixed doubles event alongside fellow American Reilly Opelka. The mixed doubles tournament, offering a $1 million prize, is scheduled for August 19-20 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Williams' return has garnered significant public interest, not only for her on-court achievements but also due to her recent engagement to Italian actor Nicholas Hammond. Her participation in the U.S. Open adds to the excitement surrounding the tournament, as fans eagerly anticipate her performance on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows.

The 2025 U.S. Open is shaping up to be a memorable event, with Williams' return adding to the rich history of the tournament. As the competition approaches, tennis enthusiasts are looking forward to witnessing the resurgence of a legend in the sport.

Granby Tennis Club

Venus Williams Bows To Bouzas Maneiro in Cincinnati Return

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By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 7, 2025
Photo credit: Cincinnati Open Facebook

Racing up to the floating ball at midcourt, Venus Williams whipped a forehand drive volley into the corner. 

The 45-year-old Williams showed flashes of vintage form in her Cincinnati return.

Across the net, Jessica Bouzas Maneiro sustained a higher level throughout toppling Williams 6-4, 6-4 in today’s Cincinnati Open opener.

AGA

The 22-year-old Spaniard delivered a four-game run at the end of the first set and won the final three games of the match in an 87-minute triumph.

It ended with fans—and Bouzas Maneiro herself—sending former No. 1 Williams off with a standing ovation after a solid performance.

Bouzas Maneiro moved on to a second-round clash vs. Washington, DC champion Leylah Fernandez. 

Meanwhile, Williams, who launched her comeback upsetting compatriot Peyton Stearns in Washington, DC, is 1-2 in her comeback and has shown enough quality to earn a US Open wild card if she wants one. 

The seven-time Grand Slam champion, who has a US Open mixed doubles wild card with good friend Reilly Opelka, is living proof tennis is truly a lifetime sport. It would be a fitting way for the USTA to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Williams maiden US Open title with a singles wild card—as well as an opportunity for Flushing Meadows fans to share the love with the four-time Olympic gold-medal champion.

Today, you may have expected Bouzas Maneiro to come out playing crosscourt corner to corner to challenge the veteran’s movement. Through the first six games she didn’t do that—instead opting to try to tie the long-limbed Williams up with deep drives down the middle. That tact helped Bouzas Maneiro fire out to a 4-1 lead as Williams struggled to support her second serve.

Williams won only 8 of 29 second-serve points as Bouzas Maneiro broke six times, but when the five-time Wimbledon winner made her first serve—especially on the deuce court—she was playing first-strike tennis. 

Contesting her 11th Cincinnati Open, Williams showed her strong will and a stinging slider serve staging a three-game rally to level at 4-all. 

All that good work dissipated when Williams sailed a backhand and Bouzas Maneiro earned her third break of the set for a 5-4 lead.

Still, Williams competed with deep desire. When the Spaniard tested the 45-year-old legend’s legs with a drop shot, Williams easily ran it down and swatted a forehand winner down the line for break point in the 10th game.

On the verge of breaking back, Williams’ rust showed. She netted three three forehands in the next four points. On Bouzas Maneiro’s second set point, Williams netted a backhand as the Spaniard sealed the 41-minute opening set. 

Bouzas Maneiro exploited a double fault breaking to start the second set and slid a serve down the T to go up 2-0. 

At that point, it looked like the match could slip away. Williams had other ideas breaking back in the fourth game to level 2-all. 

Though she lacks the fast first step and eye-popping closing speed of her prime, when Williams gets her body weight behind the ball she can still hammer deep drives. She showed that skill smacking a forehand drive down the line then catching a break when the Spaniard tapped an easy smash into net to break for 3-all. A Williams biting body serve helped her go up 4-3.

The Bouzas Maneiro forehand down the line was a weapon when she needed it most. The world No. 51 used that shot to help her hold for 4-all. A clean Bouzas Maneiro forehand return winner down the line sealed the crucial break for 5-4. 

Dropping to her knees, Aga Radwanska style, Bouzas Maneiro warded off a crackling return to open the 10th game. On her second match point, Bouzas Maneiro’s slider serve down the T closed Williams’ Cincinnati return a full 13 years after she reached the semifinals losing to Li Na.

Venus Williams had hilarious explanation for playing pro tennis at 45

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Cincinnati

Venus Williams is keeping it light at the start of Cincinnati as the 45-year-old jokes she is still playing tennis because it does well for her body "figure."

As you probably know, the seven-time Grand Slam champion pleasantly surprised the tennis community when she accepted a late wildcard into the WTA 500 tournament in Washington. And the former world No. 1 made some noise in the United States capital, defeating Peyton Stearns in her first match in 16 months, for her first win since 2023. 

After a solid Washington round-of-16 outing, Williams also received a main draw wildcard into this week's WTA 1000 event in Cincinnati. In her pre-tournament presser, the American tennis icon was asked to address playing pro tennis in her mid-forties and she didn't disappoint with her answer

“It’s obviously no secret that you get great legs and great arms from playing tennis. So, I figured I’d at least keep my figure if that’s the very least we do!" the 45-year-old joked.

Williams then got serious and explained what really allowed her to play at 45

Williams may not have played much over the last couple of years. However, she always remained active, from hitting balls on the practice to doing regular gym exercises.

"I never stopped hitting the ball, even when I was away—not as intensely as you would if you were replaying playing tournaments, but still going out there. When I was on the court, I was always working on my game. I didn’t just let it all fall apart. Even if it was just a half hour, I still wanted to get something out of it," the former world No. 1 explained.

Meanwhile, in the Cincinnati first round, Williams will take on world No. 51 Jessica Bouzas Maneiro – the two have no previous meetings.

Heading into the match, Bouzas Maneiro is playing some of the tennis of her life and she is coming off a quarterfinal showing in Montreal. 

Williams probably enters the match as the underdog but there is no doubt that will put up a big fight, just as she did in Washington.

Venus Williams shares how she would raise her kid if she ever became mother

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Venus Williams says if she were ever to become a parent, she would definitely raise them the way she and her sister Serena were raised.

In the game of tennis, the Williams sisters left a major mark and paved the path for future generations of Black players to have success in the game. However, their journey wasn't the easiest as they have been open over the years about how challenging it was to succeed or be accepted just because of the colors of their skin.

Since 2017, Serena has welcomed two kids. On the other side, Venus hasn't achieved her motherhood dreams. However, if the moments comes for that to happen, the 45-year-old knows how she will want her kids to be raised.

Venus Williams: I'd want my kid to be proud of out African American heritage

“I was thinking, gosh, if I have kids, I really have to raise them the way my parents raised us – just to be proud of who we were, to know our history as African Americans. So, me being there was not necessarily even special. It was like, I am who I am. Looking back, I'm glad I had that level of oblivion," the seven-time Grand Slam champion told Marie Claire UK.

Just last week, Williams revealed in an Instagram post that a year ago, she had surgery to remove fibroids and a large focal adenomyoma from her uterus. In her message, the former world No. 1 also said that she was misdiagnosed for years and that she was also told by the doctors that conceiving her own child was impossible. But after finding the right doctor, she solved her problem.

"I was told I was inoperable. I was told I could bleed to death on the table. I was told to get a surrogate and forget the hope to carry my own children. I was misdiagnosed. I went untreated for years and years and years," Williams wrote.

Recently, Williams also confirmed that she is in a happy relationship and engaged to Italian actor Andre Pretti.

"Why Not?" – Legendary Venus Williams Speaks Ahead of Citi Open Return

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The American icon doled out wisdom and inspiration in her pre-tournament press conference at the Citi Open. America

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday July 20, 2025

Venus Williams, 45, has a lot of reasons to move beyond professional tennis and take advantage of the many creative and entrepreneurial opportunities are now available to her. But she could not resist the pull to test herself against the sports’ elite at least one more time this week at the Mubadala Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

Tennis Express

Williams, who was granted a wild card into the main draw and will face American Peyton Stearns in her first match since the 2024 Miami Open, explains her decision to play as follows: “Why not?”

The American icon spoke to the media in a pre-tournament press conference on Sunday and doled out wisdom at a rapid clip.

“It's incredible,” she said, beaming from the podium, as she was asked what it felt like to inspire America’s next generation of talent. “Actually, that was not what I thought would happen in my life as a young person. I wanted to play the game, be a champion. I loved the game so much, I didn't realize that it would be so much bigger than myself, and seeing these young women doing positive things with their life, winning tournaments, inspiring the next generation too. It's like I could have never imagined that.”

She finished the declaration with a very Venus sentence:

“It's like icing on the cake, cherries on top, with the nuts and all the fixings. You know, it's beautiful.”

Did she miss tennis? Is that why she’s returning this week? Not necessarily.

“I'm not a person that misses a lot,” she said. “I have so much I'm doing off of the court that kept me so busy that I don't know if I had time to miss anything, but I do know that when I went to Wimbledon this year, I was there for a day, and it was so beautiful and exciting, and I remembered all the times that I had, of course, the adrenaline, all those things, I think just the pure fun of playing the game, the fun of the challenge, overcoming – when you play, you have to overcome so many challenges, your opponents, the conditions, a lot of times you have to overcome yourself.

“Those things are very exciting. So I think maybe just the challenge of it all.”

Williams may want to catch a wild card at the US Open, but as she said numerous times during her press conference, she prefers to keep her cards tight to her vest.

“I'm just here for now, and who knows, maybe there's more,” she said. “Like I said, I hold my cards close, but at the moment I'm focused just on this, and I haven't played in a year. There's no doubt I can play tennis, but obviously, coming back to play matches, it takes time to get in the swing of things.”

Which takes us to our next question. Can she be effective on the tennis court, at her age, after so many health issues? Williams has not won a match since 2023 in Cincinnati, and she has won just six of 26 matches since the start of 2021.

Not that it really matters to fans who just want to catch a glimpse of this legend up close and personal, but Williams feels she has what it takes to play winning tennis.

“I definitely feel I'll play well. I'm still the same player. I hit big,” she said with a smile. “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.

More important, is being a part of the game that she loves, and continuing to fly the flag for women’s tennis. Remember that Venus played a pivotal role in garnering equal prize money for women at Wimbledon nearly two decades ago. She’s been championing the women’s game ever since, and she’s not ready to stop – at least not yet.

“I always felt a big responsibility towards promoting tennis and also promoting women’s sports. I think that this generation can't forget that women, we still have lots to fight for and having an example to set is so important.

“And of course, I'm in love with tennis, so to have the opportunity, to have this platform, to promote the game, even now, is a great opportunity.”

Venus Williams Set for Tennis Return in Washington DC.

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All-time great Venus Williams is set to compete for the first time in 2025 at the upcoming Mubadala Citi DC Open.ATP Tour 500

By Erik Gudris | @atntennis | Friday, July 11, 2025
Photo credit: Rob Newell/CameraSport

Venus Williams is set to return to the courts this summer in Washington, D.C.

The all-time great and seven-time major singles champion received a wildcard into the upcoming Mubadala Citi DC Open, the only combined ATP/WTA 500 event.

“I'm excited to accept a wild card to the Mubadala Citi DC Open. There's something truly special about DC: the energy, the fans, the history," Willams said in a statement. "This city has always shown me so much love, and I can’t wait to compete there again!"

Williams, 45, has not competed in a professional tournament since the Miami Open last year where she lost in the first round to Diana Shnaider. Williams has been listed as inactive on the WTA tour website since then.

“We are so excited that Venus will be playing in the Mubadala Citi DC Open this year," said Mark Ein, Mubadala Citi DC Open Chairman. "She has inspired people around the world with her accomplishments on the court and her visionary impact off the court. I know how much it means to our DC fans and community to be able to watch her compete in person this summer.”

Earlier this spring, Indian Wells tournament organizers announced Williams would make her pro return there at the WTA 1000 event. However, Williams later denied that she had any plans to compete there. Williams provided commentary for TNT Sports at Roland-Garros back in May.

Williams last appeared at the DC tournament back in 2022.