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Venus Williams made a successful comeback to professional tennis on Monday, securing a doubles victory alongside fellow American Hailey Baptiste at the DC Open. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion had been absent from the sport for over 16 months, largely due to health issues.
The 45-year-old partnered with Baptiste to defeat Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard and 18-year-old Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1 in the opening round of the WTA and ATP event. It marked Williams’ first competitive match since undergoing surgery last year.
Reflecting on the experience, Williams admitted it was a challenge returning via doubles, a format she’s less accustomed to. “Hailey asked me how it felt afterward. Honestly, it’s probably harder coming back through doubles because it’s not my usual game,” she said. “But having her alongside me helped a lot. She’s been competing regularly and playing well, so that gave us momentum.”
Venus Williams added that being able to prepare for a tournament this year, as opposed to facing surgery like last year, felt like a complete transformation. “It’s night and day compared to last year,” she said. “Back then I wasn’t thinking about tennis at all — I just wanted to make it through surgery and get healthy.”
The former world number one will make her singles return on Tuesday night when she faces fellow American Peyton Stearns on the main court.
Around 3,000 fans turned out for her doubles match, including NBA superstar and Washington native Kevin Durant. Williams and Baptiste were both excited to see the basketball legend in the crowd. “I was like, ‘Let me show KD what I’ve got,’” Williams joked. “But they hit every ball to Hailey!”
Baptiste, slightly distracted by chants of “K-D” from the crowd, was nevertheless thrilled to have Durant watching. “It’s so cool that he came out to support us,” she said.
After facing significant health challenges, Williams said simply returning to the court was a win in itself. “You can play all the matches in the world, but if your health is gone, everything else fades into the background,” she said. “It really puts things into perspective and maybe made it easier to decide to return and play with more freedom.”
She also emphasised the importance of celebrating moments of success with the audience. “You train for months just to be ready for this moment, and you never know if you’ll win until the very last point. So it’s special to share that emotion with the crowd.”
Her opponent, Eugenie Bouchard, who is set to retire next week in Canada, appreciated the opportunity to face Williams one final time. “It’s always special to play Venus,” Bouchard said. “She’s 14 years older than me and still competing at this level. I have nothing but respect for her — she’s a legend.”
