Venus Williams is back on the tennis scene, ready to compete for the first time in more than a year at the DC Open.<\/p>\n
And she has teased the media that she would love it if her sister Serena Williams came back too.<\/p>\n
“I keep saying to my team: The only thing that would make this better is if she was here,” Venus said when asked about a recent video on social media that showed Serena swinging a racquet.<\/p>\n
“Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her.<\/p>\n
“But if she comes back, I’m sure she’ll let y’all know.”<\/p>\n
Serena, 43, hasn’t played since the 2022 US Open, when she declared she was “evolving” away from the sport she dominated for stretches on the way to 23 grand slam singles titles and an additional 14 in doubles with Venus.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know what she’s going to do. I don’t ask those questions,” Venus said a day before the start of the hard court tournament in Washington.<\/p>\n
“I think we always hit the ball, because that’s who we are. We’re always hitting.”<\/p>\n
She said Serena showed up at a recent practice session and joined in for about 15 or 20 minutes.<\/p>\n
“She can take six months off and she clocks it clean,” Venus said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“You can’t teach that kind of talent. She’s just so good.”<\/p>\n
They both were the best around at one point.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Venus Williams (right) and Serena Williams (left) won 14 major women’s doubles titles together, including six Wimbledon crowns. (Getty Images: Anadolu Agency\/Lindsey Parnaby)<\/p>\n
Both reached number one in the rankings.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Venus, who turned 45 last month, won seven major singles championships, two at the US Open and five at Wimbledon.<\/p>\n
Her last tournament was in March 2024 at the Miami Open, where she exited in the first round. It’s been so long that the official WTA Tour website lists her as “inactive”.<\/p>\n
Williams is drawn to meet fellow American Peyton Stearns in the round of 32 on Wednesday (Australian time).<\/p>\n
“This is very special for me to come back and play tennis,” Venus said.<\/p>\n
“I think it’s a surprise for the fans \u2014 and a surprise in general, as I hold my cards tight.”<\/p>\n
It came as a bit of a shock to the tennis world when her appearance in Washington via a wild card invitation was announced a week ago.<\/p>\n
Do you have a story idea about women in sport?<\/p>\n