Venus Williams won her first round singles match at the Washington Open against Peyton Stearns.
Williams has been messaged by Billie Jean King among many others after her victory, her first on the WTA Tour since August 2023.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion won her match in straight sets, with Stearns even admitting she was surprised by Williams.
While Williams is receiving a lot of plaudits for her latest victory, there was a different tone when she was announced to play the Washington Open.
Venus Williams proves some tennis fans wrong after her win at the Washington Open
There were a lot of questions over whether Williams had already retired before making her comeback, as she was classed as an inactive player after not competing for more than a year.
However, these questions were answered recently when Williams was given a wildcard for the Washington Open.
Despite Williams being a 21-time Grand Slam champion across both singles and doubles, there were some who were critical of the Washington Open making this decision.
Williams is now 45 years old, and some social media users were claiming that she should have already stopped playing like her younger sister Serena, who retired in 2022.
One person wrote on X (formerly known on Twitter), “She’s an icon but she needs to call it quits already.”
While someone else wrote a strongly worded message ahead of Williams’ return, “Hasn’t played in a year and is 45 now why can’t this has been glory hound retire??????”
Ahead of her match with Stearns, some even predicted that Williams would not win a single game, something that happened when Iga Swiatek beat Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final.
Williams did not need to beat Stearns to prove these naysayers wrong, but it certainly helps the case of the majority who just want to see the tennis legend competing for as long as possible.
The former world number one’s ball-striking ability was never in doubt, something that was displayed when Williams partnered Hailey Baptiste for a first round doubles win.
However, there were some understandable questions about Williams’ movement, but she put those to shame as well by showcasing some excellent court coverage against Stearns.
While this win means a lot to Williams for obvious reasons, she is not looking to make a statement to anyone who doubts her.
Why does Venus Williams not care about proving people wrong?
Williams was asked in her post-match press conference after her straight sets win over Stearns if she felt any satisfaction about proving people wrong.
The response was emphatic, with Williams very clear that she does not particularly care about what other people think and is very much focused on herself.
“No, because I’m not here for anyone else except for me, and I also have nothing to prove. Zip. Zero,” said Williams.
“I’m here for me because I want to be here. And proving anyone wrong or thinking about anyone has never gotten me a win and has never gotten me a loss.
“No-one has put in the work for me. I put in the work. So it doesn’t matter what anyone says. It doesn’t stop the work that I have put in. It doesn’t stop my belief. Even if people are saying amazing things, it still doesn’t help you win. I really just try to focus on myself and not think about anything else.”
Williams will look to continue her focus for her upcoming matches at the Washington Open, beginning with her doubles quarterfinal alongside Baptiste.
She will then gear up for her second round singles match against Magdalena Frech on Thursday, July 24.
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