WASHINGTON – Playing in the tournament for the first time in more than a year and in nearly three times in doubles for the first time, Venus Williams hit a big serve on his first delivery at the DC Open on Monday.
Williams, who has 21 grand slam titles in singles and doubles, smiled incredibly, as did the other three players on the court who were playing in front of a full crowd, including NBA star Kevin Durant. And Williams went on to showcase his trademark power on several strokes, teaming up with Hailey Baptist for a 6-3, 6-1 victory over 2014 Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard and Clerby Nugunowe.
“It’s nice to be able to play. The place I’ve been here this year is very different from where I was last year. It’s a year ago, and I’m ready for the tournament, as opposed to preparing for the surgery,” said Williams, who spoke about the steps to remove fibroid from her Euters earlier this month. “At the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter if your health isn’t there or not. So it definitely made it easier for me to put that into perspective and probably make the decision to go back here and play more freely.”
Her latest match took place at the Miami Open in March 2024, and she said on Sunday that her two goals in Washington will be enjoying and winning.
She did both. 45-year-old Williams contributed enough to the cause, but there was also a fun time, a high five, or a Baptist who crushed his fist after some of the best points. She and Baptist hugged her when it was finished.
“The crowd was crazy. From the moment we left the players’ area you kind of felt a buzz. Walking onto the court, you felt all the love for both of us,” said Baptist, 23, from Washington. “I was obviously very nervous about playing with her. I didn’t want to disappoint her. The first match and everything is everything.”
It was packed with 3,000-seat John Harris Courthouse, which Durant appeared in the second half of his first set, but dozens of spectators were littered in the stands of the national singles match in which Riley Opelka defeated Murphy Cathone in the middle of the 7,500-capacity main stadium.
Tournament Director Daniel Valverdu was asked to comment on the court’s assignments. “The tournament works to balance the schedule of the ATP and WTA for full singles and doubles, while coordinating with the broadcaster’s requests for court allocations.”
When Williams, who wears a white visor as she frequently has, was featured before joining doubles for the first time since the US Open in 2022 – when her partner was her sister Serena, the stadium announcer said Venus “has one of the best services in the history of the game,” saying, “she’s become a professional” and “earned everything.”
This will add seven major singles trophies (5 at Wimbledon and two at the US Open) and 14 more Olympic gold medals in Serena’s doubles.
“She’s 14 years older than me and is still leaving,” said Bouchard, a former top five player, 31, who announced that next week’s tournament in Montreal will be the last of her career. “I just respect her. She’s such a legend. It was a pretty cool crowd for a doubles match.”
Fans got hooked on it on Monday, standing with their phone cameras high up when Venus first appeared on the court, and when it was finished.
I have other opportunities to meet her this week. In singles, Williams was scheduled to face Peyton Stearns, the 23-year-old American No. 35, who won the NCAA Singles and Team Championship at the University of Texas on Tuesday night.
“I’ve been trained for months to get to this moment,” Williams said.
