Venus Williams is set to make her return to the clay court at Roland-Garros for the first time in five years, marking a significant milestone in her comeback from a lengthy health battle. The 45-year-old tennis star will compete in the doubles competition at the French Open alongside 24-year-old Hailey Baptiste, whom she partnered with at the 2025 DC Open.
Williams last competed at the French Open in 2021, and previously won doubles titles there in 1999 and 2010 with her sister, Serena Williams. She will not play in the women's singles competition. Her resurgence comes just four months after she became the oldest woman to play in the Australian Open main draw in January, where she lost to Olga Danilovic in the first round.
Reflecting on her Australian Open match, Williams said: 'It was such a great game, such a great moment. The energy from the crowd was amazing. That lifted me up so much.' She added: 'She played a great game. Also, some luck there, as well. That's just the sport. That's how it works sometimes. But it was an amazing moment.'
Williams' return follows a debilitating health battle with uterine fibroids, which she had removed in 2024. She told NYU Langone Health that the fibroids had taken a serious toll on her health, career and wellbeing for almost 30 years, causing symptoms like intense cramps, heavy bleeding, nausea and anaemia. 'I didn't associate the fibroids with my symptoms. I had no idea that fibroids had symptoms,' she said. 'No one ever explained that to me, so I didn't connect these issues to something that could be treated.'
The situation became so severe that Williams collapsed in the locker room during Wimbledon in 2016. 'I was in so much pain, my sister took matters into her own hands and brought in a doctor to help me get off the floor,' she recalled. 'But that was a turning point for me, when things started to get really bad.'
Speaking on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Williams described her comeback after recovering from a myomectomy as 'honestly frightening'. She said: 'It was so stressful. I know that I can play, but it's one thing to get out there and execute it, and then to execute it quickly without not a lot of time to get it right. And also, going into it, my body let me down so many times, so recovering from trauma, like when I got out there, I didn't really believe in my body…So it makes you believe less in yourself. So I had a lot of learning [to do] this summer. It was thrilling, exhilarating, frightening, but I loved every minute of it. I learned so much. It was just one of the best times of my life.'
