At 45 years old, Venus Williams made a triumphant return by winning her first singles match in nearly two years at the DC Open. She defeated 22-year-old Peyton Stearns with scores of 6-3, 6-4. Williams expressed uncertainty during her training, battling self-doubt but ultimately succeeding. She was previously inactive due to surgery and had not won since August 2023. As the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match, she emphasized the importance of good health for her playing opportunities, supported by a cheering crowd.
I’m just constantly praying for good health, so that way I could have an opportunity to play with good health. A lot of this for me is being able to come back and try to play at a level (and) to play healthy.
Each week that I was training, I was, like, Oh, my God, I don’t know if I’m good enough yet. There would be weeks where I would leap forward... So it’s all a head game.
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