Tennis legend Venus Williams made a winning return to competitive tennis on Monday after a 16-month absence, securing a doubles victory at the WTA and ATP DC Open.
The 45-year-old teamed up with fellow American Hailey Baptiste to defeat Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard and US teen Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1.
Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, spoke candidly about her health battles during her time off.
“Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It’s night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago,” she shared.
She highlighted that health was her primary focus during her layoff, even above tennis.
The match attracted approximately 3,000 spectators, including NBA star Kevin Durant. Williams joked about wanting to “show KD what I can do,” while Baptiste admitted the “K-D” chants made it tough to focus.
Williams will make her highly anticipated singles return on Tuesday against American Peyton Stearns. For Eugenie Bouchard, who is retiring next week, playing Williams one last time was “fun and special,” calling her “such a legend.”
