Venus Williams is back on the tennis court to feature for the first time in more than a year at the DC Open in the USA but she feels that it will be an even happier out for her if younger sister, Serena Williams, plays along with her.
“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 racket.
“But if she comes back, I`m sure she`ll let y`all know,” she added.
Serena Williams, aged 43, has not played tennis since the US Open in 2022. She won 23 Grand Slam titles in the singles category and also has 14 doubles titles 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 begins, but was nothing short of praise for her sister.
“I think we always hit the ball, because that`s who we are. We`re always hitting. She can take six months off, and she clocks it clean. You can`t teach that kind of talent. She`s just so good,” said Venus, who has won seven Gram Slam singles titles herself.
Five out of her tally of seven titles were won at Wimbledon, and the other two titles she clinched were at the US Open. The duo were the best during their playing days, and both reached number one in the rankings.
Her last tournament was in March 2024 at the Miami Open, where she exited in the first round. It`s been so long that the official WTA Tour website lists her as “inactive.”
Speaking about her return to the sport, the 45-year-old added, “This is very special for me to come back and play tennis. I think it`s a surprise for the fans, and a surprise in general, as I hold my cards tight”.
It came as a bit of a surprising shock to the tennis world when her appearance in Washington via a wild-card invitation was announced a week ago.
(With AP Inputs)
