Venus Williams, 45, returns to the court! Serena shares a practice video, and fans wonder: Are they facing financial troubles?

Fans of Serena Williams are trying to figure out the reasons behind her return to the court, as the 23-time Grand Slam champion was spotted training with her sister, Venus Williams. She has been absent from the sport for an extended period due to physical limitations.

The Williams sisters have nearly dominated women's tennis for nearly two decades, jointly winning 30 Grand Slam singles titles. Additionally, they have shown strong performance in doubles, winning a total of 14 Grand Slam doubles titles. Despite the fact that 43-year-old Serena has gradually stepped away from tennis since 2022, her older sister still maintains a strong form.

However, when she posted a clip of herself hitting sharp forehands on the court, fans couldn't help but wonder what prompted this tennis legend to make such a move after so many years. Some fans are hopeful about her return, believing that if she comes back to the court, she still has the ability to win matches.

Here are some fans' reactions: "Are they bankrupt? What happened?" one fan asked. "I hope she’s just playing tennis for exercise because, regardless, it’s too late for Serena in WTA competitions," another fan stated. "If she returns to the tour, she can still dominate the court," commented another fan, "We love to see this, hoping for a doubles surprise with her sister."

Next week at the Washington Open, Venus Williams will face her first WTA match since March 2024, where she will compete against Stearns in the first round.

The American player Stearns will be facing Venus Williams for the first time. The 23-year-old Stearns reached her career-high ranking of 28 this spring and made it to the semifinals of a WTA 1000 event in Rome for the first time.

The 45-year-old Venus Williams has accepted a wildcard for the WTA 500 event and will participate in singles. Her last appearance was in the first round of the 2024 Miami Open, where she faced Schneider and lost. Venus's last victory was in the first round of the 2023 Cincinnati Open, where she defeated then-world No. 16 Kudermetova.

In this year's Washington Open, top seed Pegula will have a bye in the first round before facing either 2021 US Open finalist Fernandez or Australian player Jabeur; while second seed Navarro will compete against the winner of the match between Sakari and Bolter in the first round.

Meanwhile, Serena Williams and her sister Venus will launch a podcast in August, which will be released on the X platform. The purpose of this podcast is to amplify women's voices in sports and provide fans with an in-depth look into their personal lives.

“We are excited to launch our new podcast, which is a place to share personal stories, engage in real conversations, focus on important topics, and have a good laugh,” the sisters stated in a release. “This platform gives us an opportunity to interact directly with the fans who have always supported us, and we are thrilled to connect with both old and new fans in a way that has never been done before.”(Source: Tennis House, Author: Spark)