{"id":22006,"date":"2025-07-25T21:06:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T21:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/22006\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T21:06:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T21:06:08","slug":"venus-williams-returns-to-tennis-to-keep-health-insurance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/22006\/","title":{"rendered":"Venus Williams Returns to Tennis to Keep Health Insurance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Venus Williams<\/a>, 45, hadn’t played professional tennis in a year and a half. But she played in the Mubadala Citi DC Open<\/a> in Washington, D.C. this week, and for a surprising reason.<\/p>\n

“I had to come back for the insurance,” Williams said after winning the first round. (She lost in the second round on Thursday.)<\/p>\n

Related: Serena Williams Launches a New Company That She’s Been Working on for 6 Years<\/a><\/p>\n

“They informed me this year that I’m on COBRA, so it’s like, I got to get my benefits on,” Williams added.<\/p>\n

The crowd laughed, but Williams<\/a> appeared to be serious.<\/p>\n

Venus Williams after becoming the oldest WTA match winner since 2004:<\/p>\n

“I had to come back for the insurance, because they informed me this year that I’m on cobra. So it’s like, I got to get my benefits on” ????<\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/Npu7d6c5Wt<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 23, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

“I’m always at the doctor, so I need this insurance,” she said.<\/p>\n

Williams has been open<\/a> about her struggle with uterine fibroids, telling NBC News Now<\/a> earlier this month that the condition has affected her for 30 years.<\/p>\n

MarketWatch reports<\/a> that Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) players are offered insurance plans that provide global coverage for the tour’s extensive travel requirements, but athletes need to meet certain requirements to qualify.<\/p>\n

“Player members that are eligible for such access to health insurance must be inside the rankings of 500 in singles or 175 in doubles and have played a minimum of three WTA 250-level and above events, including Grand Slams, in the last year,” a WTA spokesperson told MarketWatch.<\/p>\n

Related: Alexis Ohanian Says This Is His Best Investment So Far: $10,000 Turned Into More Than $17 Million<\/a><\/p>\n

This means we could see Williams on the professional court again soon. It’s also raised many questions and comments, especially on Reddit<\/a>, which was co-founded by Venus’s brother-in-law, Alexis Ohanian, about the price of health care in the U.S.<\/p>\n

According to ESPN<\/a>, Williams made more than $42 million playing professional tennis, during which she won 49 singles titles, including five Wimbledon<\/a> and two U.S. Open Championships. Williams also won four Olympic gold medals.<\/p>\n

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