Form is temporary, class is permanent. It had been almost two years since Venus Williams won a match in the singles event on the Tour, and guess what? She was last seen taking part in a competitive tournament almost 1 year, 4 months, and 4 days ago, i.e., at the 2024 Miami Open. Williams had then gone down to the 21-year-old Russian, Diana Shnaider, in straight sets. So, although there was nothing to prove, it was still a battle to re-establish her dominance on the court with her return to action at the 2025 Citi Open. 

Well, before starting her singles match against another youngster, Peyton Stearns, the 45-year-old had secured a victory in her doubles match alongside her compatriot Hailey Baptiste. Following that victory, Venus Williams said, “It’s just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so much different from where I was last year. It’s night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago.” After having a winning start in the doubles event, Williams has now defeated Stearns in the first round (R32) of her singles match by 6-3,6-4. 

She couldn’t have asked for a better start, right? Williams wrapped up her match against Peyton Stearns in just an hour and 37 minutes, and with this victory, the seven-time Grand Slam champion became the oldest player to secure a tour-level singles win since Martina Navratilova, who achieved the feat at Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 47. What was her initial reaction after this win? Well, first and foremost, she thanked one of her biggest pillars of support in recent times. In her post-match interview, when Rennae Stubbs asked her how Andrea Preti had helped her in her comeback, Venus Williams said, “My fiancée is here. He really encouraged me to keep playing.” She spoke about how there were times when she just wanted to “coast and kind of chill.”

While talking more about her hardships in these 16 months, she added, “Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? It’s 9 to 5 except you’re running the whole time. Lifting weights and just like dying, and then you repeat it the next day. So he encouraged me to get through this, and it’s wonderful to be here. He’s never seen me play.“

Venus Williams and Andrea Preti were first linked together in July 204 when they were seen spending some good time in a boat in Nerano, Italy, along the Amalfi Coast. Then, in February 2025, engagement speculation began swirling after the couple was seen leaving a training session in Rome with Venus Williams sporting a sparkling diamond ring on her left hand. Rumors intensified when they attended the Dsquared2 Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show. However, this time the ring looked a bit different from the previous one.

If we go back to her interview with Glamour UK, from October 2022, Venus Williams had said, “I’ve had a single life for a long time and I think it’s really easy to get stuck in a single life and sometimes – at least for me – harder to get out. It makes you think about yourself and what you want and how to behave.” Having said that, she admitted that when the right person comes along, she’s willing to go with the flow. Has that “right person” arrived with the entry of Andrea Preti in her life?

Well, just when Venus Williams announced her return to competitive action at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, Preti was among the first ones to show his support towards the tennis star. He shared an IG story, featuring the announcement of her return to the tournament, which had a caption saying, “VENUS IS COMING TO DC!” What did Williams have to say about her comeback win?

Venus Williams analyzes her match against Peyton Stearns

You can take a legend out of the game, but you can’t take the game out of legend! Venus Williams yet again proved why she’s called a true legend in the racket sport. After securing a victory against Peyton Stearns in their first meeting, Williams has now also earned her 819th tour-level win. While sharing her thoughts on her incredible performance in this match, Naomi Osaka tweeted, “My queen 👑🥹❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️.“

However, despite all he buzz surrounding her comeback, before the start of this match, we heard an American legend, Andy Roddick, issuing a major warning to the seven-time major champion by saying, “I hope she plays well. Peyton Stearns is not an easy draw.” He spoke about how Stearns can look forward to stretching the match a bit in order to test Williams’ fitness levels.

But despite trying her best to disrupt Venus Williams’ incredible comeback journey, Stearns failed to secure a victory in the match. What did the oldest player to contest a tour-level singles match since Kimiko Date (in 2017) say on this incredible win? “You know, it’s the first step, and the first match is always extremely difficult. It’s hard to describe how difficult it is to play a first match after so much time off.“

She’s happy to bring up a good performance and secure a victory in front of her family, friends, team members, and her fans. For Williams, excellence knows no bounds—it all comes down to mindset and the effort one is willing to invest. She firmly believes that when someone commits mentally, physically, and emotionally, success is bound to follow.

One mission accomplished! Can she secure another win against Magdalena Frech in the R16? Share your thoughts in the comment box.