“I’m going home from here. I’m done. If there is somewhere to play, I won’t be there,” a dejected 7-time slam queen Venus Williams said, back in September 2020, after her shocking first-round loss to Slovakia’s Anna Karolina Schmiedlova at the Roland Garros. A year later, she played her last campaign of this major event while facing another first round setback against Ekaterina Alexandrova. Lately, she’s been away from professional tennis – it’s been more than a year to be precise. Her last appearance was in the 2024 Miami Open. While fans have been waiting to witness her stellar shots once again, Venus is finally set for a big return. But wait, it won’t be on the tennis court!

Few months ago, Williams shared a cryptic post on her IG. She was seen working out at the court and wrote, “Lavender afternoons💜” in the captions. The update sparked anticipation among her avid fans for a possible return. Soon, they witnessed an official announcement from Indian Wells organizers as they revealed Venus as a wildcard player for the 2025 edition. Excitement was increasing for her on-court presence after one full year.

But the anticipation soon turned into a disappointment. The tournament organizers later confirmed that Venus, currently ranked 971, turned down the wildcard offer. The update meant the 44-year-old may take a long time to appear on the court once again. But guess what? It won’t be the case, fortunately, thanks to a brand new report on her massive return. She’s coming back in a unique role. And what’s that?

Venus will join TNT Sports’ team as one of the commentators for the 2025 French Open coverage. The tournament will take place from late May to mid June on the Parisian clay court.

With that being said, the former World No.1 will join an elite team of tennis greats as part of TNT’s commentators’ line-up. It’s already added the likes of Chris Evert, Jim Courier, John McEnroe, Lindsay Davenport, and Caroline Wozniacki. Williams’ compatriot and 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens may also join the live coverage instead of stepping on the court in Paris. She’s recently recovered from her injury. Her role as a commentator, however, is yet to be confirmed.

Coming back to Venus Williams, she will surely get a new experience at the French Open this time. The 2002 finalist has never tried her hands at being a commentator so it will be intriguing to see how she pulls it off.

Interestingly, there’s another legendary tennis figure who’s hardly been a commentator before but will now join TNT’s team.

Andre Agassi to make French Open comeback 26 years after lifting the trophy

For the uninitiated, Andre Agassi completed his career slam by winning the 1999 French Open. After failing to do so in the finals of 1990 and 1991, the former World No.1 eventually lifted the trophy in Paris eight years later. He beat Ukraine’s Andrei Medvedev with a score line of 1–6, 2–6, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 during the summit clash.

And 26 years after emerging as the French Open champion, Agassi is set for a return to Paris. Similar to Venus Williams, he’s also become a part of TNT Sports’ live coverage for the 2025 edition. Last month, he shared the update on his IG and wrote, “Excited to see everyone at @rolandgarros on @tntsports!”

While Agassi has not been a proper commentator before, he did try the role once. After hanging up his racket in 2006, he appeared on the television as a guest commentator. It was during the QF match between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick at the 2007 US Open.

With the likes of Agassi, Evert, McEnroe, Davenport, and now Venus joining its team, TNT Sports is gearing up to make a huge impression in terms of sports coverage. It becomes evident from the fact that the network has always had elite names for various sports.

For example, Hall of Famer Charles Barkley has been a part of TNT’s NBA team for years now. On the other hand, ex-Dominican pitcher Pedro Martinez is leading the MLB coverage. Then there’s Wayne Gretzky who’s spearheading the NHL department.

Jumping back to tennis, what do you make of stars like Agassi and Venus returning in new roles in Paris? Are you eager to hear them out while watching the Roland Garros this season? Let us know in the comments below.