US Open 2025: Tennis legend Venus Williams, 45, returns to Grand Slam after 2 years, faces Muchova in 1st round | Watch

US Open 2025: Tennis legend Venus Williams returned to the court on Monday night after a gap of two years, playing her first Grand Slam match at the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium against 2023 French Open runner-up Karolina Muchova, reported AP. Venus started slowly, conceding 11 of the first 13 points and fell behind 0-2. As fans in the crowd shouted, “Let's go, Venus!”, she rallied to win the next three games and take a 3-2 lead. However, Muchova grabbed the next four games to claim the first set. Venus Williams lost the match 3-6, 6-2, 1-6. 

At 45, Venus Williams is the oldest singles player to compete at the US Open since Renee Richards, who was 47 in 1981.

Her opponent, Muchova, a 29-year-old from the Czech Republic, was seeded 11th in New York. She had reached the semifinals in both 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Muchova lost to eventual champion Coco Gauff in a match interrupted by a climate protest.

About Venus Williams

Venus Williams won two of her seven major singles titles at Flushing Meadows in 2000 and 2001. Her other five came at Wimbledon.

Since turning professional in 1994, she has also won 14 Grand Slam trophies in women's doubles alongside her younger sister, Serena Williams, two in mixed doubles, earned a record five Olympic tennis medals and reached No 1 in the WTA rankings.

Her younger sister Serena won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and played her final match at the 2022 US Open.

Until her recent comeback at a tournament in Washington last month, Venus was off the tennis tour for 16 months. She won one match each in singles and doubles. She had not competed since the Miami Open in March 2024 and underwent surgery for uterine fibroids later that year.

Last week, the US Tennis Association awarded Venus Williams wild cards for both the mixed doubles and singles events.

Venus has not won a singles match at the US Open since 2019, when she reached the second round. Venus exited in the first round in 2020, 2022 and 2023, and missed the tournament in 2021 and 2024.

“I want to be my best, and that’s the expectation I have for myself: to get the best out of me. And that’s all any player can ask for,” AP quoted Venus Williams as saying on Saturday, the day before the start of singles play at the US Open.

“I haven’t played as much as the other players, so it’s a different challenge when you’re dealing with that. So I’m just trying to have fun, stay relaxed and be my personal best,” she added.

(With agency inputs)