Celebrated athlete Venus Williams made a stunning return to professional tennis in the Mubadala Citi DC Open, stepping back onto the court for the first time in more than a year and even making history Tuesday night.

Congratulating on that historic moment, rising American star Coco Gauff took to X after and offered a simple but heartfelt salute: “venus 👑” Williams revealed that she was in a very struggling headspace leading up to the tournament.

SportsLine tennis expert Blake Von Hagen reveals his 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open picks for Tuesday's women's first-round match between Peyton Stearns and Venus Williams

Kevin Durant attended Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste's doubles match at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. On Monday afternoon, Venus Williams played her first professional tennis match in over a year. Williams teamed up with Hailey Baptiste in doubles at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open.

After spending over a year on the sidelines, WTA icon Venus Williams returned to action at the 2025 DC Open. The American tennis star entered both the singles and doubles draw, where she teamed up with compatriot Hailey Baptiste.

The juicy tidbit emerged as the former world No. 1 celebrated her victory over Peyton Stearns at the DC Open, making Williams, 45, the oldest player to win a tour-level singles match since Martina Navratilova did at age 47 in 2004. Williams had not played a match in well over a year.