Former tennis player Andrea Petkovic shared her reaction to Venus Williams’ return to pro tennis at the 2025 Washington Open. Williams, who is aged 45, returned to competitive tennis after taking a break from the sport for over a year, with her last singles victory before this coming at the Cincinnati Open in 2023. Petkovic and Williams faced off multiple times before the German retired, with Williams holding a 3-2 record against her.
Venus Williams is regarded as one of the best players in tennis history. Williams made her breakthrough on the international stage when she won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 2000 Wimbledon Championships, beating Lindsay Davenport in the final. She would go on to earn multiple accolades, including 7 Grand Slam singles titles and 14 Grand Slam doubles titles alongside her sister, Serena. Venus took a break from the sport due to major health issues.
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Petkovic is a guest co-host on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, where the pair discussed Williams' comeback in Washington. She said:
"It's hard for me to get goosebumps anymore. I think you know that feeling when you start working for media, you watch so many matches and you tell so many storylines that at one point you get desensitized to fun narratives and fun stories and special moments. But when Venus walked out onto stadium court in Washington, I had goosebumps all over my body. The audience was so happy to see her, it was so loud, she was beaming. And I think that's what makes me the happiest seeing her."
"She looks so happy with her life and where she's at. It just seems like she's in a very good place and that could be told in her tennis because I thought she was playing so much better than the last time I saw her."
Venus Williams faced off against Peyton Stearns, the World No. 35, and defeated her with a scoreline of 6-3, 6-4. She is set to face Magdalena Frech in the next round of the tournament.
Why did Venus Williams take a break from tennis?
Venus Williams returned to pro tennis after 16 months at the 2025 Washington Open, competing in singles as well as doubles alongside Hailey Baptiste. Her performance in the tournament is even more impressive when taking into account the major health challenges she has faced.
Williams suffers from Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that drains her energy, and also battled fibroids, which required surgery last year. The tennis legend has also previously mentioned that the reason for her absence was to maintain her health insurance.
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