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Venus Williams Opens Up About the Sentimental Aspect As She Addresses Her Tennis Return at Citi DC Open for the 1st Time

After 16 months away from professional tennis, Venus Williams is ready to step back onto the court. The former World No. 1 received a Wild Card invitation to compete at the 2025 Citi DC Open, and for her, this tournament represents much more than just another match. It’s a homecoming that carries deep emotional significance, surrounded by family and a community that has supported her since she was 13 years old.

Why Does Playing in Washington Feel Like Home for Venus Williams?

The main draw matches for the 2025 Citi DC Open are scheduled to take place from July 21 to July 27, 2025, at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Washington, D.C. Recently, Williams spoke to the press about her return to tennis ahead of beginning her campaign at the tournament.

Williams expressed that competing in Washington, D.C., feels like playing at home, as one of her older sisters and many family members and friends reside in the city.

“I am so excited to be here in DC. Playing here is like playing at home. I have an older sister who lives here, a cousin who lives here, I mean lots of cousins, a niece, my great nephew, and on and on and on. So all my family are here. All my friends are here,” Williams said.

The connection runs deeper than just family ties. Williams mentioned that she has been visiting Washington, D.C., since she was 13 years old, and the community’s unwavering support makes her feel like she’s playing on her home turf.

“The community here that supports me so much, it’s like playing at home. I’ve been coming to DC for a long time. I see a lot of people like this gentleman back here who said, ‘You know, I first met you when you were 13,’ and I remember my first time coming here was about 13 years old,” she added.

This marks Williams’ second Wild Card entry into the Washington tournament. Three years ago, she also entered the main draw in Washington, D.C., via a Wild Card, where she faced qualifier Rebecca Marino in the opening round and was eliminated with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Williams’ path back to competitive tennis has been a long one. She last competed on the WTA Tour at the 2024 Miami Open, where she was defeated in the first round by Diana Shnaider. Her most recent Grand Slam match was at the 2023 US Open, where she lost to Greet Minnen in the first round.

Who Will Venus Williams Face in Her Return Match?

Upon returning to professional tennis at the 2025 Citi DC Open after being away for more than a year, Williams will participate in the tournament’s singles and doubles events. In the singles draw of the WTA 500 tournament in Washington, Williams will kick off her campaign against Peyton Stearns in the first round.

23-year-old Stearns will enter the Citi DC Open following the conclusion of her grass court season, which included participation in the 2025 Eastbourne Open and the Wimbledon Championships.

At Eastbourne, Stearns, seeded sixth, began her tournament with a straight sets victory over wild card Mimi Xu, winning 6-3, 6-4 in the first round. However, her run was cut short in the second round when she was defeated by qualifier Kamilla Rakhimova, with a scoreline of 3-6, 4-6. At Wimbledon, Stearns faced Laura Siegemund in the first round and lost 4-6, 2-6.

The first round match between Williams and Stearns at the Citi DC Open will mark the first meeting between these two players on the WTA Tour. The winner of this match will advance to face either fifth seed Magdalena Fręch or qualifier Yuliia Starodubtseva in the second round.

Beyond her singles campaign, Williams will also compete in the doubles event at the 2025 Citi DC Open, partnering with compatriot Hailey Baptiste. The pair received a wild card entry into the main draw and will face another wild card team, Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue, in their opening match.

The victorious duo from this doubles match will advance to the quarterfinals, where they will take on either the second-seeded duo of Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai or the team of Cristina Bucșa and Nicole Melichar-Martinez.



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