Venus Williams is tennis royalty, and the two-time Queen of Queens has returned to her kingdom at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the 2025 US Open. She took a hiatus last year, but has been a near-constant presence in Flushing, playing in 24 of the last 27 iterations of the tournament, winning the women's singles title in 2000 and 2001.
The US Open is her third tournament back after 16 months off between the 2024 Miami Open and the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open earlier this summer. She won her first round matches in D.C., defeating Peyton Stearns in singles—a win that made her the oldest player to win a WTA Tour singles match since Martina Navritilova in 2004. Williams partnered Hailey Baptiste in doubles, and the team reached the second round.
"My personal goal is to have fun I think right now, and enjoy the moment, not put too much pressure on myself," she said in a press conference before play began in D.C.
"Of course I love winning. I want to win. But more than anything, I just want to get the best out of myself. If I can do that, then I'll be fine."
In order to be at her best, Williams hit the practice courts on Wednesday morning, the day after playing in the reimagined Mixed Doubles Championship with Reilly Opelka. Check out some of USOpen.org's favorite photos from her practice session in Louis Armstrong Stadium.
