Venus Williams made her return to professional tennis after 16 months away by winning a doubles match at the DC Open. The 45-year-old American teamed up with fellow American Hailey Baptiste to beat Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard and American teenager Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1 in the first round.
After the match, Venus said it felt tough because she isn’t usually a doubles player, but she was grateful to have Baptiste by her side. Baptiste, who’s been playing regularly this year, helped settle things with her experience.
Venus explained that it felt good to be back on court, especially after spending last year preparing for surgery. She said this year feels completely different and she’s happy to be healthy and playing again. She’ll return to singles action on Tuesday, facing American Peyton Stearns in the night match on the main court.
About 3,000 fans came to watch the doubles match, including NBA star Kevin Durant, who is from Washington. Venus and Baptiste both said it was exciting to see him in the crowd, although the cheering made it a bit harder to concentrate.
For Venus, just being able to play again is a big personal win. She spoke about how being unwell changed her view of life and tennis. After surgery, her main focus was simply getting healthy again, tennis came second. She said that experience gave her a new perspective and made her decision to return easier.
Venus said she loves showing her emotions after matches because she puts in months of hard work for these moments. Even with her experience, she knows nothing is guaranteed until the final point is played.
Eugenie Bouchard, who plans to retire next week in Canada, was happy to share the court with Venus one last time. She praised Venus as a legend and said she has great respect for her continued dedication to the game.
