Venus Williams returns to tennis, wishes sister Serena would join her

Venus Williams is back on the tennis scene, ready to compete for the first time in more than a year, and even though the 45-year-old smiled and laughed frequently on Sunday while discussing her return at the Citi Open in Washington, there was something that would make her even happier – younger sister Serena coming along for the ride.

"I keep saying to my team, 'the only thing that would make this better is if she was here.' Like, we always did everything together, so of course I miss her," Venus said when asked about a recent video on social media that showed Serena swinging a racquet. "But if she comes back, I'm sure she'll let y'all know."

Those comments, of course, were delivered with a wide grin. Serena, 43, hasn't played since the 2022 U.S. Open, when she declared she was "evolving" away from the sport she dominated for stretches on the way to 23 Grand Slam singles titles, and 14 more in doubles with Venus.

"I don't know what she's going to do. I don't ask those questions," Venus said a day before the hard-court tournament in the nation's capital was to get underway. "I think we always hit the ball, because that's who we are. We're always hitting."

The seven-time Grand Slam revealed that Serena showed up to join her at a recent practice session for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

"She can take six months off and she clocks it clean," Venus said. "You can't teach that kind of talent. She's just so good."

The siblings were the best around at one point. Both reached No. 1 in the world rankings. Venus won seven major singles championships – two at the U.S. Open and five at Wimbledon.

Her most recent tournament appearance was in March 2024 at the Miami Open, where she exited in the first round. The ensuing hiatus has lasted so long that the official WTA Tour website lists her as "inactive."

"This is very special for me to come back and play tennis," Venus said. "I think it's a surprise for the fans – and a surprise in general, as I hold my cards tight."

It certainly came as a bit of a shock to the tennis world when her wildcard invitation to compete in Washington was announced a week ago.

Her team had reached out to Citi Open chairman Mark Ein via text in April, asking whether he would be open to having Venus at an event she last entered in 2022. He said he needed two seconds to reply: "Of course."

"She's such an icon of the sport – and, importantly, both on and off the court," Ein said in an interview. "So anytime you can have her engaged, and have the spotlight on her and everything she's done and continues to do, it's hugely positive."