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.