On Tuesday night at the DC Open, tennis legend and former world number one Venus Williams, 45, made it known that age is just a number as she became the second-oldest woman to win a professional tour-level singles match.
Per The Associated Press, Williams achieved the feat after she defeated 23-year-old Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4. The last time Williams played an official singles match was in 2024, and she last won a singles match in August 2023.
“Each week that I was training, I was, like, ‘Oh, my God, I don’t know if I’m good enough yet.’ And then there would be weeks where I would leap forward. And there would be two weeks where I was, like, ‘Oh, God, it’s not happening.’ Even the week leading up, (I thought), ‘Oh, my gosh, I need to improve so much more.’ So it’s all a head game,” the seven-time singles grand slam champion said.
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Retired tennis star Martina Navratilova holds the record for the oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match. Navratilova, who is now 68, achieved that feat in 2004 at the age of 47.
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“I’m just constantly praying for good health, so that way I could have an opportunity to play with good health,” Williams said. “A lot of this for me is being able to come back and try to play at a level (and) to play healthy.”
Williams also told the fans that she “wanted to play a good match, and win the match.”
Williams is said to have triumphed over Stearns by enforcing her trademark big serves and groundstrokes. “She played some ball tonight,” Stearns said. “She was moving really well, which I wasn’t expecting too much, honestly. Her serves were just on fire.”
Williams’ next game is against the 27-year-old fifth seed Magdalena Frech. “It’s not easy. It won’t be easy. It’s not easy for anyone out here,” the 45-year-old said. “So I know I’ll have to fight for every match. But I’m up for that.”
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