VENUS Williams marked her return to competitive tennis with a victory in the women’s doubles at the Washington Open on Monday.
The 45-year-old American, who had not played a match in 16 months, partnered with Hailey Baptiste to defeat Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue 6-3 6-1 in the round of 16.
Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, last competed at the Miami Open in March last year. Speaking after the match, she described her comeback as “inspiring” and praised her partnership with Baptiste.
“It wasn’t easy for us but we brought it together quickly as a team. I love this game and still hitting it big,“ Williams told Sky Sports.
The former world number one joked about her long-time doubles partnership with younger sister Serena, with whom she won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles.
“I could see that we were going to be a good team. We just should have started playing earlier, years ago, right?” Williams said.
“I think Serena was just in the way.” – Reuters
