At 45, Venus Williams secured a victory after two years, confirming her engagement post-match and joking that her return was to renew her health insurance.

On the first day of the Washington tournament, a familiar figure reignited the fans' enthusiasm—seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams made her comeback to the court at the "ripe old age" of 45. Even more surprising, she eliminated her compatriot Stearns in the first round in straight sets, making history in the tennis world.

Before the match began, Venus Williams was not viewed favorably by outsiders, not just due to age-related stamina issues, but also because her opponent was Stearns, a young and energetic semifinalist from this season's Rome tournament. This posed a significant challenge for Venus, who hadn't played on the tour for over a year.

However, during the match, Venus showcased an astonishing performance, dominating her opponent in receiving, serving, and backhand control. Her relentless movement on the forehand side earned her crucial points time and again. Ultimately, she advanced strongly with 9 aces and a first serve percentage of 71%. When she converted her sixth match point, the crowd erupted in applause, witnessing this legendary player's precious moment of victory in singles after a two-year hiatus. Following this match, her live world ranking surged from the thousands to 643rd place.

After the match, when asked about her reason for returning, the American laughed, saying, "I had to come back for health insurance!" This elicited laughter from the audience, and Venus continued, "This year they informed me I was included in COBRA (the unemployment health insurance continuation plan), so I had to make sure I had those benefits." The tennis legend candidly stated, "You all know how important health insurance is; I always need to see a doctor, so I really need that coverage."

In fact, when Venus Williams' name shone once again on the WTA tour entry list, the purpose of her return became less significant, as it was already a miracle in itself.

When she secured her first tour victory at the age of 14 in 1994, most of today's WTA players were not yet born. Now, 31 years later, this evergreen figure not only achieved her 819th career singles victory but also became the oldest player to win on the WTA tour since Martina Navratilova (47) at Wimbledon in 2004. Of course, we all know this won’t be the end for Venus Williams; where the finish line lies will always be determined by her own heart.

In addition to the surprise of her comeback, Venus also brought another piece of good news during her on-site interview: at 45, she has finally found true love and confirmed her engagement!

"My fiancé Andrea Preti is right here; he has really been encouraging me to keep playing," Venus stated. It is reported that 37-year-old Preti was once a model and is now an actor and producer. Venus sweetly added, "It’s great that he could come here because he has never seen me play live."

After some light-hearted banter, Venus discussed her ability to persist in playing for 31 years, expressing, "Do you know how tough professional tennis is? There have been many times I just wanted to relax and give up. You have no idea how much work it takes—it's like a 9-to-5 job, but you’re always running and training hard until you feel like you’re about to collapse, then you have to do it all over again the next day."

She admitted that during a recent period, her fiancé Preti's support became a crucial force for her perseverance. "His encouragement has helped me get through tough times," the American confessed. "When I wanted to give up, he pushed me to keep going." This companionship allows the 45-year-old to still showcase her signature powerful shots on the court, "I’m still me; I’m a power hitter, and my shots are heavy; that’s my trademark."

Although her sister Serena Williams announced her retirement at the 2022 US Open, Venus's love for tennis remains fervent, even as she forges ahead alone. "Most of the time, I don’t accept wildcards," she revealed, "but this time I’ve been practicing and still love the sport immensely." When asked if she missed the times competing alongside her sister, her eyes softened with warmth: "If she were still here, things would be different. We always used to compete together; of course, I miss her."

As the 45-year-old continues to sprint fiercely along the baseline, Venus Williams has redefined the length of tennis through her actions. Behind every point she fights for, many ask: what is the meaning of her return? The answer is forever written in her still-powerful serves, in her pursuit of every drop shot, and in each moment this legend perseveres for love. In the next round, she will challenge the fifth seed, Frech, and we hope she can continue to write this century-spanning tennis legend.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)