Almost everyone was a Venus Williams fan on Monday night.
The 45-year-old became the fourth-oldest woman to ever compete in the U.S. Open single tournament facing 11th ranked Karolina Muchova in the first round. It was a high call but Williams answered it, pushing the match to a third set before being defeated 3-6, 6-2, 1-6.
Williams was clearly emotional in her press conference after the match. She expressed how much it meant to get back to the Grand Slam stage at her age.
“What’d I prove to myself? For me getting back on court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy. When you play unhealthy it’s in your mind. It was nice to be freer,” Williams said.
She also reflected on the sacrifices she made to get back into game shape.
“I haven’t gone to dinner, I haven’t seen friends, I haven’t done anything but train for three months.”
It showed in the way she carried herself not just physically but mentally throughout the match. Even after dropping the first set, Williams played some of her best tennis and got multiple breaks on the agile Muchova. The 45-year-old didn’t have her same baseline coverage as 20 years ago but she made up for it with grit and smart decisions.
She is the moment!
In her 25th US Open, Venus Williams is one set away from Round 2. pic.twitter.com/BdHrCVzqQI
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) August 26, 2025
The seven-time Grand Slam champion obviously has nothing to prove to anyone other than herself. If this was her final match on tour it would be a good one to go out on.
Yet after this performance it’s easy to wonder if she has a few more heroic performances left to go.
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