The 45-year-old had been away from the tour for 16 months before showing up in Washington this week and winning once each in singles and doubles.

MASON, Ohio — Venus Williams’ return to professional tennis will not just be a one-tournament visit: She was awarded a wild-card entry for the Cincinnati Open. The 45-year-old Williams is participating in her first event in more than a year at the DC Open and won first-round matches in both singles and doubles.

SportsLine tennis expert Blake Von Hagen reveals his 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open picks for Thursday's women's second-round match between Magdalena Frech and Venus Williams

Kevin Durant attended Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste's doubles match at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. On Monday afternoon, Venus Williams played her first professional tennis match in over a year. Williams teamed up with Hailey Baptiste in doubles at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open.

Venus Williams is paired with Reilly Opelka, and Wimbledon runner-up Amanda Anisimova is joined by Holger Rune on Monday’s updated list of teams that have signed up to try to enter the newfangled U.S.

Serena is 19-12 all-time against Venus, including 11 wins in majors and a 7-2 mark in Grand Slam finals. There was a stretch from 2002-03 where the Williams sisters played each other in the championship round of five straight majors, including twice at Wimbledon.