Venus Williams' US Open Return Ends In a Loss, X Salutes Legend

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At 45, Venus Williams became one of the oldest women to ever compete at the U.S. Open on Monday, but she’s not stressing.

She’s already won the tournament twice and placed second two times, so with nothing left to prove, she still stepped onto the court to play against the 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova.

The 29-year-old beat the tennis legend in three sets, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1, in a match that lasted around two hours. Williams showed flashes of greatness, like in her second set, when she got off to a quick lead and easily beat Muchova, who came roaring back in the final game.

Some may call it rusty since Williams hasn’t made a U.S. Open appearance since 2023, and this was only her third singles appearance after a 16-month break, logging 24 unforced errors and 10 double faults.

For Williams, it wasn’t necessarily about the win, but rather being appreciative of the wild card selection, that allowed her to step back on the court.

“Yeah, my goal is to do what I want to do. I wanted to be here this summer. I’m so grateful for all the folks who gave me a wild card. They could have said, ‘Hey, listen, you’ve been gone too long, you haven’t won a lot of matches in the last few years.’ I wasn’t lucky with my health and with injuries,” Williams said after the defeat.

She partially attributes that gritty performance in the second set to the energy of the New York crowd.

“You know, the lights are very bright out there. I don’t think I’ve ever had a crowd that much on my side,” she said. “When I lost those first two games, they were just still right there with me every point. Didn’t matter if I was losing and it was starting to roll fast, they were just right there with me, and it felt great.”

Plus, she feels like she was able to prove something to herself.

“I think for me, getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy. When you play unhealthy, it’s in your mind. It’s not just how you feel. You get stuck in your mind, too. So it was nice to be freer.”

The 23-time Grand Slam champ’s U.S. Open birth comes weeks after an impressive performance at the D.C. Open, where she beat 23-year-old Peyton Stearns, securing the title as the oldest to win a WTA match in 21 years.

At the time, she spoke about the grueling training schedule, but knew a comeback was on the horizon, because just like you, she needed health insurance.

“I had to come back for the insurance, because they informed me earlier this year that I’m on COBRA,” she said in the relatable moment. “So it’s like, I got to get my benefits on. Started training.”

Despite the loss, Williams is still playing good enough tennis to get a U.S. Open look, which is pretty impressive.