Nobody expected Venus Williams to waltz back onto Arthur Ashe Stadium after a two-year hiatus and school Karolina Muchova like it was 2001. But watching the 45-year-old legend battle through three grueling sets Monday night? That was pure tennis theater at its finest.

Williams Proves Age Is Just a Number (Sort Of)

The numbers don’t lie. Williams became the oldest singles player at the US Open since 1981. That’s right, we’re talking about a woman who could literally be the mother of half the players in this tournament, stepping o nto the biggest stage in American tennis like she owned the place.

And honestly? For stretches of this match, she looked like she still did. After stumbling out of the gate (because apparently even tennis legends need their morning coffee), she found her gro

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