Many players struggle to play once they reach their thirties, but five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams says she plans to return to tennis despite being 44 years old.
Venus’ younger sister, Serena Williams, widely regarded as the greatest female player ever, retired at the 2022 US Open. Serena managing to compete until the age of 40 was considered a phenomenal achievement.
The older of the Williams sisters’ desire to return to the sport despite being four years older than Serena was when she retired is a testament to her love of the sport and commitment to keeping herself in great shape.
Venus’ last appearance was at the Miami Open in March, losing to the young star Diana Shnaider in straight sets. Her only other tournament in 2024 was the Indian Wells Open during the same month, where she fell to Nao Hibino in three sets.
Since playing in Miami, the legendary American has focused on other projects, including writing a book that aims to help others stay physically and mentally healthy by making the right choices.
Williams also keeps herself very busy with interior design work, owning a plant-based protein shake enterprise, and she also attended the Vogue World Show in Paris. At the event in the French capital, she wore an outfit made from recycled tennis gear.
Some wondered whether the 44-year-old’s time away from the sport and recent projects meant she would never return to tennis. Williams confirmed, as per the Daily Express, that she plans to play again and is happy to be able to pick and choose her tournaments.
“I’m not done with the racket yet. At this point, It’s about picking and choosing places I want to be. Last year I really wanted to play in Miami home because I hadn’t played there in like five years.”
“It’s nice to be in a place where I can pick and choose, but my game is always at a high level. Even if I’m not on tour, I always keep my game quite high.”
Williams demonstrated her continued passion for the sport by admitting she watches the tournaments that are taking place, although they are often highlights because she rarely gets the time to watch live matches.
“I always watch the tournaments as much as I can it’s hard to sit in front of the TV, and a lot of times by the time I have time at like 11pm it’s a replay, but it’s still fun to watch all the competition.”
The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion also stated she pushed herself too hard with the number of projects she was involved with since taking a break from tennis and said that is something she has learned from.
“I think even this year I definitely pushed too hard, and it left me feeling very unmotivated, even though I had stuff to do. That’s how I came up with [the idea] that, OK, I’ve got to find a moment in every day for some kind of balance, instead of waiting for this elusive moment somewhere off in the future that’s quite foggy. Well, guess what? You don’t have to wait. You can find it today.”
