Venus Williams came back to competitive mode after staying out of action for almost 16 months. During this break, she was spotted at several star-studded events, including the Gucci Spring Show in Milan, doing photoshoots for Harper’s Bazaar, and then on September 10, Williams even released her book titled ‘Strive.’ But amid all these, she was also fighting a battle silently. While talking about her long absence from the Tour, she revealed that it wasn’t just about having rest, but it was more due to a terrifying battle with fibroids that forced her to push tennis low on the priority list.

In her pre-tournament press conference at the 2025 Citi Open, Williams revealed, “My health journey was very scary, you know. This time a year ago, I was preparing to go to surgery, you know, and it was… there was no way for me to play tennis or play the US Open, or those things weren’t even on my mind.” She said that despite trying to get back to the court, her decades-long battle with fibroids and adenomyosis, conditions that tormented her with extreme pain, relentless vomiting, and uncontrollable bleeding, made things a bit difficult for her.

During this time, perhaps most of the people would’ve thought about stopping, but Venus Williams is built different. Many of the experts had even urged her to undergo a hysterectomy, saying it was the only solution. Williams describes those moments, saying, “I’ve never been so sad in my life.” But things started to change for her when she met Dr. Taraneh Shirazian at NYU Langone Health Center for Fibroid Care. For the first time, she received a full diagnosis, and in July 2024, she underwent a successful myomectomy that removed her fibroids and preserved her uterus. Recently, Venus Williams shared some unseen pictures that she had taken during that time. The carousel is a timeline of sorts, covering the various stages of the treatment as well as what seems like the day of her discharge. In that IG post, she also spoke about the brutal misdiagnosis.

She wrote, “On this day 1 year ago I was having surgery, an open myomectomy to remove fibroids and a large focal adenomyoma that was imbedded in the muscle of my uterus. What a difference a year makes!” Ever since her return, Venus Williams has won her first match in both the singles and doubles events, and now she will be gearing up to take part in the rest of the events in the North American swing. But in that post, she added, “I was told I was inoperable. I was told I could bleed to death on the table. I was told to get a surrogate and forget the hope to carry my own children. I was misdiagnosed. I went untreated for years and years and years. It’s so important to advocate for your health! I suffered from severe anemia, debilitating pain, excessive bleeding, and frequent menstrual cycles for many years. It affected my tennis and the trajectory of my career.”

Williams claims that she shared her story so that no other women have to go through this, and in order to help them get better sooner. Having said that, she also hailed Dr. Shriazian as “My Hero” and thanked everyone else who had helped her overcome the battle.

From battling with the energy-sapping autoimmune disease (Sjögren’s syndrome) to dealing with the pain from fibroids, Venus Williams had multiple hurdles to overcome in this phase. But what is that thing that pushed her to make this incredible comeback and also become the second-oldest woman to win a WTA Tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova (in 2004)?

According to Venus Williams, there are no limits for excellence, and it’s all about “what’s in your head and how much you’re able to put into it.” She believes that if someone puts in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then he/she can definitely have the result. To her, “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. Doesn’t matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is. If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space, for you.” Does she have anything to prove to others, even at the age of 45?

Venus Williams believes she has made this comeback just for herself and no one else. So, she has nothing to prove! All she now wants is to enjoy her journey. What lies ahead of her, though?

Former pro reveals how Venus Williams can secure a wildcard at the US Open

Following her R16 at the Citi Open, the seven-time Grand Slam champion is now all set to travel to the Cincinnati Open. Venus Williams has already been handed a wildcard, and this will be her 11th appearance in the tournament, where her record is currently 12-9. In fact, in 2012, Venus Williams had reached the semifinals of this tournament.

The 2025 Cincinnati Open takes place from August 7-18 at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. Venus Williams is quite excited to take part in this pre-US Open tournament, and she claims that she knows exactly where she needs to work and how she can improve further to bring up better results in Cincinnati.

Following that event, she’ll be seen in action at the US Open Mixed Doubles alongside her compatriot Reilly Opelka. The duo has been awarded one of eight wildcard entries into the revamped edition featuring 16 star-studded teams. The Mixed Doubles event will take place on August 19-20. Other than that, Venus Williams will also play in the Stars of the Open exhibition on August 21 with the likes of tennis legends John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, and Andy Roddick.

But can she secure a wildcard in the singles event at the 2025 US Open? During a conversation on this topic on Nothing Major Podcast, American former pro Sam Querrey, said that he was quite impressed with her performance at the Citi Open. He claimed that he didn’t expect Venus Williams to win a match after making a comeback following such a long gap. But while talking about her chances of getting a wildcard at the US Open, he added, “I think she has to play well in Cincinnati, she doesn’t have to win. I think if she plays well in Cincinnati, she gets a wildcard into the Open. I don’t think it’s a lock that she gets a wildcard into the US Open.” If the two-time (2000,2001) champion enters the US Open, this will be her 25th appearance.