When you hear Venus Williams, a storm of legacy hits, booming serves, fierce grit, and seven Grand Slam singles crowns, including five at Wimbledon. Her wave and twirl? Pure legend. Her 30-year reign has shaped women’s tennis in America and beyond. Just yesterday, we witnessed her shine again, this time alongside Hailey Baptiste in doubles. But the real firestorm? She just snapped a two-year singles drought with a victory, and now, at 45, she’s finally revealed the reason behind her return to the tour. And certainly not what you think. 

The former World No. 1 Venus Williams roared back as a match-winner on the Hologic WTA Tour, at 45 years old. Under the lights of the Mubadala Citi DC Open, she took just 1 hour and 37 minutes to dismantle 23-year-old World No. 35 Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4, in a fierce all-American clash that reminded the world who she is.

With that win, Venus etched her name into the history books as the oldest player to capture a tour-level singles victory since Martina Navratilova’s 2004 Wimbledon triumph at 47. And while the crowd celebrated her return, Venus delivered the real headline: she finally revealed the rather surprising reason why she is back on the court. 

In her on-court interview with Rennae Stubbs, Venus playfully explained her comeback, saying, “I had to return for the insurance, this year they told me I’m on COBRA. So I was like, I need to get those benefits going! I got back to training. You all know how it is, and let me tell you, I’m always at the doctor, so I definitely need that insurance.” And just in case there were any doubts as to the truthfulness of her Williams’ statement, Stubbs (who, along with the audience, couldn’t stop laughing herself) clarified that the 7x Grand Slam was, in fact, telling the truth.

Jokes aside, to shed some light on her doctor’s comment, during this year’s Wimbledon, Venus Williams made a revelation that shook the tennis world. For nearly 30 years, she had been fighting a silent battle, one that few ever saw behind her legendary power and poise. In a deeply emotional July 3 interview with NBC News Daily, the 45-year-old icon exposed the agonizing truth: she had been living with fibroids and adenomyosis. 

Behind the aces and accolades were bouts of unbearable pain, vomiting, crippling cramps, and relentless bleeding. The adenomyosis, where uterine tissue burrows into the muscle wall, only deepened the torment. And despite her access to elite care, her pain was dismissed, overlooked, unheard.

It wasn’t a doctor that changed everything; it was a message in a simple social media ad: “You don’t have to live like this.” That was the spark. Venus dove into research, determined to take control. Her search led her to Dr. Taraneh Shirazian at NYU Langone’s Center for Fibroid Care. For the first time, someone listened. “I was the first person to ever tell her [of the adenomyosis],” Dr. Shirazian revealed to SELF. In July 2024, Venus underwent a successful myomectomy. At last, she felt free.

Already the oldest player to contest a tour-level singles match since Kimiko Date in 2017, Venus isn’t just playing, she’s rewriting time. Her win against Peyton Sterns was her first singles victory since defeating World No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova in 2023. Two wins over Top 35 players, nearly two years apart, both drenched in meaning.

Next, she faces Poland’s World No. 24 Magdalena Frech for the first time. The No. 5 seed dispatched Yuliia Starodubtseva in her opener, setting the stage for a compelling second-round clash.

And now, as Venus blazes forward in the capital, with victories fueling her comeback, a former US Open champion is backing her to take the stage in New York once more.

Andy Roddick makes bold wildcard call for Venus Williams

In the latest episode of Served, Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim took on the week’s hottest tennis headlines, and leading the charge was none other than Venus Williams. Fresh off accepting a wildcard into the 2025 DC Open, her name sparked serious buzz. When asked for his take, Roddick didn’t blink. “It’s a no-brainer,” he said.“I mean, if you’re Mark and you own the tournament, and one of the things I always say—like anyone can probably get a wild card at any time, any place.” 

Roddick backed his stance with fierce conviction. “I don’t care if Roger wanted one next week. You let him in if you’re in a tournament,” he said, adding, “This is a win for DC. Having Venus around for one more week.” The former US Open champion highlighted the anticipation surrounding her return. “Yeah, we’re all going to be watching and say, What level will she be at? You know, anyone coming back after not having played for a year, it’s not easy.”

Then came the knockout line. “She’s going to come out and try to beat the crap out of the ball. I don’t care if she loses,” Roddick declared. “You can save all your ‘She shouldn’t get a wild card.’ If you won five Wimbledon titles, seven majors, and you’re part of the most iconic tennis family in history, this is a win for the tournament at Washington, DC, the city of Washington, DC.”

Venus isn’t just showing up, she’s showing fight. With a winning start in both singles and doubles, she’s proving the fire still burns bright at 45.

The question now looms: Can Venus ride this momentum, conquer the Citi Open, and carve a bolder path toward one final US Open run?