Though Venus Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a professional tour-level singles match after her victory over Peyton Stearns at the DC Open on Tuesday, the 45-year-old tennis legend revealed that she actually returned to the court because she needed health insurance.
Williams’ return to the court came after a 16-month hiatus. The last time she played an official singles match was in 2024, and she last won a singles match in August 2023.
“I had to come back for the insurance,” the seven-time singles grand slam champion said in her post-match interview, Newsweek reported. “They informed me this year that I’m on COBRA, so it’s like, I got to get my benefits on,” she added, as the audience reacted with laughter.
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“I’m always at the doctor, so I need this insurance,” she explained. Williams has had her own share of injury and health setbacks in the past. The 45-year-old suffered a serious knee injury while playing a Wimbledon match in 2023. She was also not fully fit when she competed at this year’s U.S. Open.
READ ALSO: Venus Williams, 45, becomes the second-oldest woman to win a singles match
Williams in a previous interview with NBC News detailed the severe menstrual cramps she had to endure because of fibroids and how doctors initially ignored the symptoms. She eventually went under the knife to treat her condition.
Per the U.S. Department of Labour, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) affords Americans and their families who “lose their health benefits the right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances such as voluntary or involuntary job loss, reduction in the hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce, and other life events.”
And though Williams has a $95 million net worth, her statement underscores the current state of healthcare expenses in the United States, Newsweek reported. Williams, a multi-millionaire, somewhat implying that she cannot stop playing professional tennis because she needs health insurance, casts the spotlight on how Americans who are not in her shoes can cover their medical expenses.
The KFF has said that for many years, its polling has “found that the high cost of health care is a burden on U.S. families, and that health care costs factor into decisions about insurance coverage and care seeking.”
The KFF states that “these costs and the prospect of unexpected medical bills also rank as the top financial worries for adults and their families.”
READ ALSO: Here are 5 businesses owned by Venus Williams that you probably didn’t know
