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Venus Williams Details Intense Training She Endured Before U.S. Open Return

The 45-year-old tennis legend practiced nonstop in months before the U.S. Open.

Madison Williams

Venus Williams admitted she practiced nonstop for three months leading up to the U.S. Open.
Venus Williams admitted she practiced nonstop for three months leading up to the U.S. Open. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Venus Williams made an inspiring return to tennis this summer after not competing much in the past two seasons. The 45-year-old tennis legend first returned at the Citi Open in July and won her first match in nearly two years. She then played in the Cincinnati Open and the U.S. Open, losing in the first rounds of both tournaments.

Regardless of the end results, Williams competing at the highest level at age 45, over 30 years after she made her WTA debut in 1994, is really impressive. If you were looking for an example of her longevity, this was her 25th U.S. Open appearance.

So, how did Williams train in order to return to tennis at a competitive level? She detailed what her past few months have consisted of after her Monday night U.S. Open loss.

"My team and I, we worked as hard and as fast as we could," Williams said. "We literally took no days off. I haven't gone to dinner. I haven't seen friends. I haven't done anything except train for three months as hard as I could. And then, from each match that I didn't win, then I tried to go back and learn from that and then get better."

Williams explained that she felt healthier being back on the tennis court this time around than in recent years. She admitted that when she played "unhealthy" in the past, it impacted her mindset negatively. On Monday night, though, she said she felt "freer."

Williams hasn't expressed her future plans in tennis past the U.S. Open. Of course, for years now, there's been speculation she could retire from the sport, especially after her younger sister Serena did so back in 2022 at the U.S. Open. For now, though, don't be surprised if you see Williams appear at another tennis tournament in the future.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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