Venus Williams is back in action for the first time in over a year this week, making her first foray back into tennis since the 2024 Miami Open.
It’s a momentous occasion for the 45-year-old, who is guaranteed to have fans flocking to see this legendary figure in the flesh.
After all, there’s a constant fear that, with her age, every new tournament she enters could very easily be her last.
She no longer competes to win elite titles, but instead just for the love of the sport. And, in turn, the sport welcomes her back with open arms every single time.
Venus has defied so many expectations with how she has managed to prolong her sparkling career, not least Martina Navratilova, who five years ago admitted that her prediction could not have been more wrong.
Martina Navratilova’s Venus Williams prediction was so wrong
Writing in her column for the WTA’s website, she spoke at length about Venus and her continued involvement in tennis despite being 40.
Especially considering Navratilova thought that her career would have ended 15 years earlier than that, writing: “I used to think that Venus would retire sometime around her 25th birthday. I remember her saying as a young woman that she would quit tennis in her mid-20s and do something else.
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“Back then, the prospect of Venus still playing on the WTA Tour at aged 40 was just unimaginable.”
And yet, here she is, aged 45, preparing to play in yet another event.
Naturally, Navratilova went on to praise Venus, continuing: “Venus has reached the very top in tennis but even though she is now ranked outside the Top 50, she wants to keep on competing, and why shouldn’t she if it’s making her happy?
“When your ranking slides, it can be a struggle as you’re not seeded, so you don’t have any protection in the draws. But Venus still seems to be hugely motivated to compete at the highest level, 20 years after she won her first singles major at the 2000 Wimbledon Championships.”
Venus Williams explained why she chose to return to tennis in Washington just last week.
When was Venus Williams’ last win on tour?
It has been over a year since Venus’ last match on the WTA tour, and given it was a first-round exit in Miami, her last win was even longer.
Her most recent win came all the way back in 2023, where she defeated Veronika Kudermetova in Cincinnati in straight sets.
She was subsequently beaten in the following round by Qinwen Zheng, but to claim a win at any level at the age of 43 deserves so much praise.
Venus’ last title came all the way back in 2019 in Taiwan, which was coincidentally the last year where she played a full schedule.