Last year, in an interview, American tennis star Venus Williams made it clear that she’s not done yet and is waiting for the right time and the right place to make her comeback. Although there was some buzz surrounding her comeback earlier this year during the Indian Wells Masters, it didn’t materialize! She was last seen in action at the 2024 Miami Open, and almost 16 months later, the 45-year-old has now made up her mind to make a comeback on home soil. She has accepted the wildcard for the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, and as per the schedule, she’s now all set to take on her 23-year-old compatriot Peyton Stearns in her first match.

“There’s something truly special about D.C.: the energy, the fans, the history. This city has always shown me so much love, and I can’t wait to compete there again,” said Williams. But can she get off to a winning start? American legend Andy Roddick issued a major warning to Williams ahead of this match during the recent episode of ‘Served Podcast.’

He said, “Yeah, I mean, the wildcards are there to add value to the tournament, not lose credibility. No credibility is lost when you have a five-time Wimbledon winner in your tournament to help someone on the way up, to throw a lifeline to someone who is either on the tail end or coming back from someone; this qualifies for all of them. I hope she plays well. Peyton Stearns is not an easy draw.”

In that same interview, Roddick further added, “She’s going to have to make a lot of balls, and Peyton Stearns will be looking to extend that match and test the fitness level of someone who hasn’t played on the Tour in a while.” Stearns’ record this season stands at a win-loss tally of 17-15 in 2025. Currently ranked 35th in the world, her best record of this season came at the Italian Open, where she reached the semifinals. But has Williams ever faced Stearns in her career?

Well, neither of them has faced each other before in their careers. Although for Venus Williams, there is nothing to prove, however, for someone like Peyton Stearns, this match can make her run the headlines for the next few days. Can she beat the former world number one? Time will tell! But what really made her make this comeback?

Venus Williams reveals the main reason behind her comeback

Throughout her 31-year-long career, Venus Williams has won 49 career titles, including seven Grand Slam triumphs. Williams had first reached the singles world number one ranking on 25 February 2002, and with that, she became the first African American woman to do so in the Open Era. Over the years, she, along with her sister Serena Williams, paved the way to become two of the Greatest Of All Time in women’s tennis. However, injuries and a few health issues had derailed her career a bit in the later stages. She had to go through a lot of ups and downs before making this comeback.

But how does she feel about overcoming all the hurdles and making her most-awaited comeback to the Tour? Speaking about the real driving force behind her comeback, Venus Williams said, “Most of the time I don’t [take up the offer to play as a wild card]. But this time I had been hitting the ball. And of course I love the game and the hard courts, it’s my favourite surface, where I feel comfortable on. So all those different factors.” She believes she’ll play well and also claims to be the same player with a big hitting game.

Recently, she also secured her first win in her return to competitive tennis. Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste defeated Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue by 6-3,6-1 in their doubles match at the Citi Open. She got off to a winning start after a 16-month hiatus. Can Williams carry forward this momentum in her singles match as well?