Venus Williams made a triumphant return to competitive tennis on Monday, winning a doubles match at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington after 16 months away from the sport. The 45-year-old seven-time grand slam champion partnered fellow American Hailey Baptiste to a 6-3 6-1 victory over Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in a last-16 encounter lasting 72 minutes.
Williams, who accepted a wildcard to compete this week, described the experience as inspiring. 'It was great to come out here and see the energy,' she told Sky Sports. 'As we were walking out to the court, we knew this was going to be a match. Our opponents actually played very well. It wasn't easy for us but we brought it together quickly as a team.'
The American joked that she wished she had partnered Baptiste earlier instead of her sister Serena. 'I think from the first point, I could see that we were going to be a good team. We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right? I think Serena was just in the way!'
Williams will continue her comeback in the singles first round against another American, Peyton Stearns. It marks her first WTA Tour appearances since March 2024.
Elsewhere, Britain's Emma Raducanu impressed on her doubles debut alongside former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina. The duo fought back to beat fourth seeds Tereza Mihalikova and Britain's Olivia Nicholls 2-6 7-6 (4) 11-9 in a decisive tie-break. Former British No 1 Dan Evans also enjoyed a winning return, coming from behind to beat Zizou Bergs 3-6 6-4 6-3.
