Given Venus Williams’ sparkling resume, the need for further validation clearly does not factor into her decision to keep playing. At 45, she has nothing left to prove — not to the public, not to the sport, and certainly not to herself. Still and all, she has continually resolved to compete in Tour-level events despite her myriad challenges, including health issues associated with Sjögren’s Syndrome and uterine fibroids. Which, in a nutshell, was why her first-round win at the Mubadala Citi DC Open the other day hogged headlines; her 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Peyton Stearns, a player two decades her junior and ranked 35th in the world, was as much an upset as a reflection of her inimitable will.
It’s tempting to reduce the moment to numbers — oldest woman to win a main-draw match since Martina Navratilova in 2004, first WTA singles match in nearly two years, months removed from surgery, and a long bout with autoimmune fatigue. As longtime habitues of the power know only too well, however, Williams has never operated in statistical terms. Her return wasn’t an exercise in nostalgia or a grab at legacy. It was, paradoxically, both simple in intent and formidable in impact: the expression of a fighter who utterly refuses to concede. In this sense, her post-match statement noting that “there are no limits [to] excellence” was most certainly on point.
Admittedly, Williams did not dominate the match. She did, however, dictate it; her footwork was measured, her serve consistent, her point construction intelligent. Against the younger, more physically dynamic Stearns, she stayed within herself. There was a clarity to her movement, a distilled version of the power game she once wielded with authority. It’s the type of adjustment only a veteran with her unique blend of smarts, skills, and steadfastness can pull off. Little wonder, then, that the 7,000-strong crowd at the Stadium of the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in the United States capital applauded the feat. So did her opponent, who handled the loss with grace and called it “an honor” to share the court with her.
All things considered, Williams’ performance was made all the more remarkable by the restraint that surrounded it. There was no grand announcement of a comeback, no talk of final runs or farewell tours. She simply competed, if for nothing else than because of her steadfast belief in herself. The work behind her return to the course — the training, the convalescence, the internal calculus of whether the effort was still worth the payoff — spoke to her character.
If this latest run turns out to be Williams’ final one, she can at least rest easy knowing that she’s dictating the terms. And if this isn’t, then well and good. It won’t be a surprise to all and sundry if there’s more tennis left in her. After all, she is who she is.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.