WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 22: Venus Williams celebrates after winning a women’s single match against … More
Venus Williams defeated Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 at the DC Open yesterday, becoming the oldest woman to win a WTA Tour match since Martina Navratilova (47) in 2004.
Williams returned to tennis for the first time in 16 months. Two weeks ago, her WTA Tour profile listed her as inactive. In the last two years, Venus appeared in more fashion shows than tennis matches. This week, Venus won two matches in two days, including one in doubles with Hailey Baptiste.
“There are no limits for excellence,” Williams told WTA staff after the match. “It’s all about what’s in your head and how much you’re able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result.”
What does it say about the state of women’s tennis that an inactive 45-year-old, wearing a black turtleneck dress in the smoldering Washington, D.C. heat, can defeat a 23-year-old player ranked No. 35?
Is Venus’ talent timeless and so elite that it dwarfs what’s considered good play on the WTA today? Has the WTA, sans the Williams sisters, fallen victim to parity or mediocrity? Maybe Venus’ victory is merely a moment in time, like Jimmy Connors in the 1991 U.S. Open. Connors was 39, ranked No. 174 and reached the semifinals.
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 23: Venus Williams walks the runway during Vogue World: Paris at Place Vendome … More
Next up for Williams is No. 24 Magdalena Frech, who defeated Yuliaa Starodubtseva, 6-2, 6-4. This will be Venus’ first meeting against Frech.
Venus took a wildcard to enter the DC Open, a standing offer from tournament chairman Mark Ein, a personal friend. In March, there were rumors that Venus accepted a wildcard to play at Indian Wells, but she declined.
Fans saw Venus frequently during the French Open as part of TNT Sports’ coverage. As soon as word spread about Venus accepting the wildcard to the DC Open, fans and journalists debated whether an unranked 45-year-old who last won a match in 2023 should get a free pass into the main draw.
Venus dismissed the controversy, telling journalists, “I’m not here for anyone else, except for me, and I also have nothing to prove. Zip, zero.”
Venus Williams Holds Back Father Time
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 22: Venus Williams returns a shot against Peyton Stearns (not pictured) during … More
Father Time is undefeated and a few months ago, Venus looked as if she’d come to terms with the aging state of her game. However, her fiancé, actor Andrea Preti, who’d never seen her play live, encouraged Venus to return to tennis.
“I haven’t played in a year. There is no doubt I can play tennis, but obviously coming back to play matches, it takes time to get in the swing of things,” Venus told reporters during a pre-tournament press conference. “I definitely feel I’ll play well. I’m still the same player. I’m a big hitter. I hit big. This is my brand.”
Serena became the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam when she defeated Venus in the final of the 2017 Australian Open. Serena was 35 years and 124 days old. Venus is ten years older than that.
On Monday, Stan Wawrinka, 40, became the fourth youngest man to win an ATP Tour match. Connors (42 years and 9 months) is the oldest.
Wawrinka has been playing matches regularly and defeated Swiss player Alvaro Guillén Meza, a player ranked No. 244 who spends most of his time on the Challenger’s Tour. Meza’s career high is No. 175. He’s 0-2 in ATP level matches this year.
Stearns reached a career-high No. 28 in May. She defeated Naomi Osaka and Elina Svitolina en route to the semifinals in Rome. That’s a 1000-level event, not the Challenger Tour.
What Venus pulled off would be like if Roger Federer, 43, came out of retirement and beat the ATP’s No. 35, Gabriel Diallo, 23, in straight sets. Diallo is playing in the DC Open, won his match in straight sets and faces Ben Shelton in the third round.
How Venus Williams Defeated Peyton Stearns
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 22: Peyton Stearns reacts after losing a point against Venus Williams (not … More
Stearns had a shaky start. But so did Venus, who was broken at love in the first game. Despite carrying a few extra pounds, Venus’s footwork was efficient. She didn’t chase down every ball, but approached the net when prudent, showcasing her solid volleys. She still covers the net well.
Williams has one of the best serves in the history of the game. And she hit nine aces, leaving Stearns awestruck, jaw dropped in disbelief. Williams won 71 percent of her first-serve points.
“I think it was a big win for me today. Like I said, it’s not easy. It won’t be easy. It’s not easy for anyone out here. So I know I’ll have to fight for every match, but I’m up for that,” said Venus.
Did Venus Williams Expose A Weak WTA?
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 22: Venus Williams serves to Peyton Stearns (not pictured) during a women’s … More
Anytime there is a debate about the greatest of all time, people say it’s impossible to compare eras. But Venus’ career spans three eras. She turned pro in 1994, when Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, and Navratilova still were on the tour. Stearns was born in October 2001, when Venus was No. 2 and the reigning U.S. Open champion.
Yet, today’s tour, where Stearns is a tough out, isn’t much different from the way it looked three years ago when Venus regularly lost opening-round matches. Between 2022 and 2024, Venus had a 3-13 record.
Venus went winless in 2023, the year Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff finished the season ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Currently, Sabalenka, Gauff, and Swiatek are ranked, 1, 2 and 3. None of them are playing in the Citi Open.
Perhaps Stearns’ loss says more about Venus’ skill set. A player with a big serve who can hit winners from both wings will always be competitive. Stearns hadn’t faced Venus before. Stearns plays on a tour with big hitters, like Elena Rybakina and Sabalenka. Yet, the weight of Venus’ ball seemed to surprise Stearns.
Rybakina and Sabalenka hit flat balls and are like pitchers throwing fastballs. Venus serves a fastball with heavy topspin. Venus and Serena play like pitchers with curve and knuckle balls that fly like at a fastball. Stearns is not used to that.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 22: Venus Williams reacts after winning a women’s single match against Peyton … More
Swiatek hits with massive topspin. Her first serve is decent, but her second serve is attackable and not coming from a 6’1″ trajectory. Gauff is one of the best movers in the game. She can produce topspin, and she has great hands at the net. But her serve is unreliable.
Venus brings the entire package, and that might be what’s missing from the WTA. Could Gauff, a great mover, with an all-court game but a shaky serve, win two Grand Slam titles in the Williams sisters’ era? Elena Dementieva never did.
Maybe it’s the Williams-level resilience missing. Getting to the top is not as difficult as staying there.
“It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. Doesn’t matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is. If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space for you,” said Venus.
Take Grand Slam champions Emma Raducanu and Naomi Osaka, who will meet in the second round of the DC Open. These champions are struggling to secure enough wins to return to the Top 20. They are in their 20s. At their age, Venus and Serena were trading victory and runner-up speeches in tournament finals.
Raducanu and Osaka have victories over Serena. But that was the post-pregnancy Serena. Raducanu’s run at the US Open happened in a Williams-less draw.
During the pre-tournament press conference, Venus talked about wanting her sister Serena to join her on the tour. If Venus can beat a Top 35 player in straight sets, so can Serena. Regardless, the Williams sisters have nothing to prove. Venus’ victory over Stearns puts the burden of proof on the rest of the WTA players.