Venus Williams says that she is returning to the sport after a 16-month absence because of her ‘love of the game’, and also hinted that Serena Williams may yet do the same in the near future.

The 45 year old is due to come back to the sport which she once helped dominate at the 2025 Citi DC Open.

Peyton Stearns will be her opening-round opponent, with the two having never played.

Williams last competed professionally at the Miami Open in 2024, where she fell to Diana Shnaider in straight-sets. More remarkably, the American hasn’t won a singles match since the Cincinnati Masters a year prior.

In late 2023, she shut down her season after the US Open to let a knee injury heal naturally, something which continued into 2024.

“Why not?” the seven-time Grand Slam champion quipped, when asked

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