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Venus Williams Had Nothing but Jokes After Making History in D.C. Open Win

Williams is now the oldest woman to win a tour-level match since 47-year-old Martina Navratilova in 2004.

Brigid Kennedy

It was also Williams first singles win since 2023.
It was also Williams first singles win since 2023. / WTA Tour, @TheTennisLetter / X / Screensho

Venus Williams woke up Tuesday morning and decided she'd remind us all who the heck she is: a four-time Olympic gold medalist, a 21-time Grand Slam champion across both singles and doubles, and now, the oldest woman to win a tour-level match since 47-year-old Martina Navratilova in 2004.

In what was her first singles win since 2023, the 45-year-old Williams beat world No. 35 Peyton Stearns in straight sets during the first round of the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open on Tuesday. The final score: 6-3, 6-4.

If that weren't enough, however, Williams also kept the crowd entertained with some solid jokes durning her postmatch interview.

In one hilarious (but also painfully relatable) moment, she joked that she had to return to the court so she could reap the benefits of professional play—literally.

"I had to come back for the insurance, because they informed me earlier this year that I'm on COBRA," she said. "So it's like, I got to get my benefits on. Started training."

And in another great crack, she playfully lectured the crowd on the difficulties of tennis as a job, which requires a lot more running than most other gigs.

"[My fiancé] really encouraged me to keep playing," Williams said of her partner, actor Andrea Preti. "There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don't know how much work goes into this. Like, it's 9-5 except you're running the whole time. Lifting weights and just like dying. And then you repeat it the next day."

Okay, so you're telling me one of the greatest tennis players to ever do it (1) also struggles with motivation and (2) also operates at the mercy of the American healthcare system? She really is just like us.

On Tuesday, the unranked Williams and her 23-year-old teammate Hailey Baptiste also beat Eugenie Bouchard of Canada and Clervie Ngounoue of America in the women's doubles round of 16.

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Brigid Kennedy
BRIGID KENNEDY

Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sporting news and culture at TheWeek.com before moving to Livingetc, an interior design magazine. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, dual majoring in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing managment (from the Whitman School of Management). Offline, she enjoys going to the movies, reading and watching the Steelers.

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