Venus Williams returns a volley alongside her doubles partner Hailey Baptiste against Eugenie Bouchard and Cleave Ngounoue on the first day of the 2025 WTA 500 Citi Open at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C. on 21/7. Photo: AFP

After two decades at the top of the sport, it was once thought the Williams sisters would retire together. Serena retired at the 2022 US Open at 40. Venus, two years older, hasn't played regularly, is unranked and has been out for 16 months, but she continues.

In 2020, Venus told Tennis Majors, "My career is closer to the end than the beginning. I'm not going to be playing on tour when I'm 80. I still love winning, but when it’s over, it's over. I’ve gone through my whole journey". 5 years later, Venus is still playing. The enigmatic and private 7-time Grand Slam singles champion seems reluctant to say goodbye.

Every year, Citi Open tournament director Mark Ein keeps the door open for Venus. A wildcard spot is always reserved for the 1980-born legend in Washington. "If Venus wants to play, she will play," Ein said about the player he calls an "icon" and "visionary". Venus accepted a wildcard in 2022 after nearly a year away from the sport. But then, she was eliminated in the first round by Canadian Rebecca Marino (ranked 111).

This year, the situation is reversed. Venus and her team contacted Ein to request a wildcard at the beginning of the year, as the director himself revealed. The deal was finalized two weeks ago. Was Ein guaranteed that Venus would be competitive and not disappoint? No, but he trusts her. "Venus told me she's been training and is ready," the Citi Open director said.

This time, Venus returns unranked, even listed as "inactive" on the WTA website. This isn't surprising, as the older Williams sister hasn't competed since losing to Russian Diana Shnaider in the first round of the WTA 1000 Miami Open in 3/2024.

Since then, Venus has spent time at red-carpet events and fashion weeks. She launched her new book, *Strive*, appeared at the Breakthrough Prize ceremony with Alicia Keys and Zoe Saldana, attended the premiere of the film *Challengers*, the Met Gala fundraiser, the Vogue World show in Paris, and the handover ceremony for the Los Angeles Olympics after the closing of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Venus also held masterclasses on her playing career and business, participated in prestigious interviews, and worked as a commentator for TNT Sports during Roland Garros. In short, she has been busy engaging her 212,000 YouTube subscribers and 2 million Instagram followers.

The California native also revealed she has been dealing with health issues. Venus has battled Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease, since 2011, requiring dietary changes and more rest. Recently, she faced another, more significant problem: uterine fibroids, benign tumors that can cause pain and serious complications.

"My health journey has been challenging. This time last year, I was preparing for surgery. Playing tennis or the US Open wasn't on my mind then, as I was just trying to get healthy," Venus said at a press conference on Sunday. "So, being back and able to compete is a blessing. I think it's a surprise because I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."

She continued, "Then I took time to recover... I wanted to compete earlier, but I couldn't. Anyway, I'm here." Venus appeared before the media with a bright smile, a contrast to previous occasions when she had shown annoyance at repetitive questions, especially about her longevity.

Venus smiles during the press conference before the 2025 WTA 500 Citi Open. Photo: AFP

Tommy Haas, the Indian Wells tournament director, invited Venus to the WTA 1000 event in March, but she declined. An exhibition match in Charlotte on 4/12 of this year with Australian Open champion Madison Keys was announced in late June. Then, on 11/7, the official news broke: the 7-time Grand Slam champion would return to the WTA in Washington.

The former world number one will begin her singles campaign on Wednesday against 23-year-old compatriot Peyton Stearns (ranked 35). In fact, 23 of the 27 players at the Citi Open weren't even born when Venus began her professional career in 1994.

She also returned to doubles action today, partnering with compatriot Hailey Baptiste to defeat Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the quarterfinals. A photo from 2010 circulated online: Venus, participating in an event in Washington, played doubles with Hailey, then just 8 years old.

"My goal is to have fun and enjoy every moment, not to put pressure on myself," Venus said about her reasons for returning. "I don't know if I define success differently, other than believing in myself and respecting my journey. Either way, I feel like I'm going to play well."

Mark Ein, who describes himself as close to Venus, said, "Venus just wants to do what she loves: play tennis. I know she still has the passion and desire to continue."

Since 8/2022, Venus has played only 16 matches, winning just three in 2023 against Katie Volynets (ranked 113) in Auckland, Camila Giorgi (ranked 48) in Birmingham, and Veronika Kudermetova (ranked 16) in Cincinnati. She participated in 13 tournaments thanks to wildcards.

Has Venus ever thought about retiring? The American player seems to have something in mind but doesn't want to reveal it. "I think I know what I want to do, but I don't want to talk about it. Right now, I'm here, and who knows? Maybe there will be something else. I'll keep my cards close to my chest," Venus emphasized again.

Compiled by Hoang Thong