Venus Williams was last seen in action at the 2024 Miami Open, where she lost in the opening round. Since then, the seven-time Grand Slam champion had been battling injury issues, keeping her off the court for months. But earlier this month, she made headlines again after accepting a wildcard entry to the Citi DC Open. The announcement sparked some controversy. Many fans felt that the wildcard should have gone to a younger player, a rising star. At 45, Venus Williams is one of the oldest active players in the game. But her former coach wasn’t having any of the criticism.

Since winning the last of her 49 Hologic WTA Tour singles titles, Venus hasn’t played a full schedule since 2019. That year, she posted a solid 19-15 record, all at the age of 39. Over the last six years, she’s played just 37 matches, winning only seven of them. That includes two matches this year, both in the U.S. hardcourt swing—Indian Wells and Miami. Before the DC Open, she was listed as an inactive player on the WTA website. But the wildcard gave her a new chance to step back onto the court.

Rick Macci, who played a key role in shaping both Venus and Serena Williams‘ careers, took to social media to defend her spot. “People chirping the Vee does not deserve a WILDCARD into the tournament. Wildcards are for the tournaments to decide what sell tickets/ get eyeballs. Nobody deserves a WILDCARD. There is no formula who gets the CARD but VEE will dive in and try Hard,” he wrote on X.

His comments come from someone who’s known Venus from the start. Macci was the first pro coach who accepted an invitation from their father, Richard, to come to Compton and watch the sisters play. He was immediately struck by their raw talent and took them under his wing at his Florida academy. The rest, as they say, is tennis history.

Venus Williams clearly didn’t waste the wildcard. She returned in doubles alongside Hailey Baptiste, and the duo won their opening-round match against Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3, 6-1. The victory sent them through to the second round and gave fans a glimpse of the old Venus spark.

What really stood out was the crowd. When the 7-time major stepped on the court, the stands filled up quickly. Her match drew more fans than Reilly Opelka’s singles contest, which speaks volumes about her enduring popularity. Even though she hasn’t won a singles title since the Cincinnati Open in August 2023, the 45-year-old is going all in. She’s scheduled to face World No. 35 Peyton Stearns next in singles on Tuesday. It will be their first-ever meeting, and Stearns is the clear favorite on paper.

So why did she make a comeback now?

Venus Williams reveals real reason for her return

If Venus Williams manages to win, she would become the oldest woman to do so on tour since Martina Navratilova in 2004.

When asked what motivated her to return, she gave a heartfelt answer. “When I went to Wimbledon this year, I was there for a day, and it was so beautiful and exciting,” the American legend told reporters. “I remembered all the times that I had, and of course the adrenaline, all those things. I think just the pure fun of playing the game, the fun of the challenge, overcoming—when you play, you overcome so many challenges: your opponents, the conditions, a lot of times you have to overcome yourself.”

That moment at Wimbledon lit the spark again. For her, tennis isn’t just about winning matches. It’s about the love of the game and the joy of testing her limits.

Off the court, she’s got plenty going on. She runs her own interior design company, V Starr Interiors, and is reportedly marrying Italian actor Andrea Preti this September on the Amalfi Coast. But no matter how full her schedule gets, tennis still holds a top spot in her life. And when people ask her why she’s still playing at 45, Venus has a simple answer: Why not?