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

Venus Williams suggested this week that she only returned to tennis to get back on the WTA’s health insurance. Venus Williams just came back from a 16-month break from professional tennis. But she didn’t return because she missed playing — rather, she missed her health insurance.

American tennis player Peyton Stearns is one of the rising stars on tour. Here's what to know about her family, coach, career and more.

Tennis Legend, 45, Reveals the Real Reason She Returned to Competition: 'I'm Always at the Doctor' first appeared on Parade on Jul 24, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.

Venus Williams made a stunning return to the WTA Tour in Washington. Competing for the first time since March 2024, the 45-year-old stunned world no. 35 Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4 in under 100 minutes.

More: Peyton Stearns is on a track to tennis stardom, wrote Kirk Bohls last year. Stearns pounced again in the second set, breaking Boulter in the sixth game and then holding serve to go up 5-2, ...

Eight of the nine announced players are ranked in the top 50 of the current Women's Tennis Association rankings.

Venus Williams will be back on the court at the Washington Open, where she’s been drawn against fellow American Peyton Stearns in the opening round. Williams hasn’t played since March 2024, when she took part in both legs of the ‘Sunshine Double’.