Venus Williams made a winning return to singles tonight at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, defeating fellow American Peyton Stearns in straight sets in front of a raucous Stadium Court crowd.
The 45-year-old tennis legend closed out the match in a grueling final game, securing her first singles victory since August 14, 2023, when she beat Veronika Kudermetova in Cincinnati.
She’ll be back on court Wednesday afternoon, teaming with Hailey Baptiste in doubles against Taylor Townsend and Shuai Zhang.
‘Living and Dying Together’
Addressing the fans after the match, Williams thanked the crowd for their energy and reflected on her long road back to competition.
“We were literally living and dying together,” Williams said.
“It’s not easy to come off after all that time and play the perfect match. All the players here are playing amazing. Peyton played so well, and I felt like I was just trying to slow myself down — going faster and faster and faster — so thanks to my team.”
For Venus, Tennis Is An Insurance Policy
Williams, who has battled injuries in recent years, revealed that her decision to return was fueled by encouragement from her team and a practical reality: she needed to keep her insurance coverage.
“There were so many times I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don’t know how much work goes into this. It’s 9 to 5, except you’re running the whole time, lifting weights, just dying, and then you repeat it the next day,” she said.
“I had to come back for the insurance. They informed me earlier this year I’m on COBRA. So I was like, I got to get my benefits on. Started training….I’m always at the doctor, so I need this insurance.”
Williams also credited her fiancé, Andrea Preti, for motivating her to compete again. “He encouraged me to get through this [tournament],” the seven-time Grand Slam winner said. She revealed that the Danish-Italian actor had never seen her play until tonight.
Looking Ahead to Wednesday
Williams said Monday’s doubles win with Baptiste helped her get match-ready before her singles comeback. “Playing with a local, Hailey…just getting in those positions, to be down break point and having to play those deciding points when you haven’t done it in a while — it’s not easy,” she said.
She’ll now shift her focus to Wednesday afternoon, when she and Baptiste face Townsend and Zhang in the women’s doubles draw.
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