Ohio — Wednesday brings the Canadian Open semifinals, but when any Williams sister steps onto tennis grounds with racket in hand, she inevitably commands the sport’s full attention.
This scenario unfolded at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, where Venus Williams gears up for the next phase of her tennis return following surgery and her battle with chronic illness.
Williams, 45, secured victories in both singles and doubles as a wild card recipient at last month’s Citi Open in Washington, D.C. She now competes at the Cincinnati Open with another wild card and has accepted a third to participate in the new U.S. Open mixed doubles event, where Reilly Opelka will serve as her partner.
During a roundtable with reporters, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion indicated this will likely conclude her 2025 season, unless she receives a wild card for the U.S. Open singles draw, which commences August 24.
Regarding 2026? “I don’t think you should ever rule me out,” she stated.
Williams, who revealed last month how she managed uterine fibroids throughout most of her tennis career, once again addressed the condition while explaining her absence from the sport. Her 18-month break included undergoing surgery to remove the noncancerous growths from her uterus, which can trigger heavy menstrual bleeding and discomfort. She described how the condition left her barely able to maintain an upright posture while walking.
“I focused on recovering from my health issues, but tennis always lingered in my thoughts. I felt like I had time, as strange as that sounds,” Williams explained.
“I felt like I had time to heal properly, and whenever I stepped on the court, I consistently worked on my game.”
“I didn’t just abandon everything and let it deteriorate. Even if I only had thirty minutes, I tried to make it count. Tennis gives you great legs and strong arms, so I figured I should at least maintain my fitness if that’s the minimum I could do.”
Williams has clearly accomplished far more than the minimum. In Washington, D.C., she defeated Peyton Stearns, the emerging American world No. 37 who is roughly half her age, in the opening round. The No. 5 seed Magdalena Fręch eliminated her in the following round.
“Much of my motivation stems from wanting to return and compete in the best health possible,” Williams added.
“I never stopped hitting the ball during my time away, not as intensely as you would when competing in tournaments, but I continued going out there.”
Williams will take the court again in Ohio against Spain’s Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro in her first-round Cincinnati Open match on Thursday.
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