Source: The Washington Post / Getty
While one of the famed Williams sisters is still scared to use the r-word (retirement), Venus Williams is still ready to compete at a high level and proved why at the DC Open.
The 45-year-old proved it Tuesday night when she beat 23-year-old Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4, making her the oldest to win a tour-level match in 21 years, since Martina Navratilova did it. To put things into perspective, Williams actually won four grand slams before Stearns was even born.
While Williams’ tennis greatness has been on display for nearly two decades, her ability to perform like this at 45 was impressive, especially given that it was her first singles match in a year and her first victory in two years.
She owes beating Stearns —who’s ranked 35th in the world— to getting her mental right and properly paced training sessions.
“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,” Williams told ESPN. “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.”
Her age did show flashes, such as when Stearns was up 3-1, but then her experience kicked in, leading to Stearns’ errors and a Williams win in four straight games, as the crowd erupted in celebration of her comeback. Williams secured the victory when Stearns sent her last serve flying into the net.
She may be one of the most notable tennis players in modern history, but like most Americans, she returned to work for health insurance.
“I had to come back for the insurance, because they informed me earlier this year that I’m on COBRA,” she said in the relatable moment. “So it’s like, I got to get my benefits on. Started training.”
As if her return wasn’t going well enough at the end of the match, she shouted out (and confirmed) that she’s engaged to 37-year-old former model actor-producer Andrea Preti, who pushed her and “he really encouraged me to keep playing,” during tough training days.
She did her signature victory swirl and knows that she has “to fight for every match” as she looks to her next battle against 27-year-old, fifth-seeded Magdalena Fręch.
See social media’s reaction to Williams’ greatness below.