"He really encouraged me" - Venus Williams adorably credits fiancé Andrea Preti for inspiring her stunning singles comeback at Citi DC Open

Venus Williams didn't mince words as the 45-year-old legend spoke up about the difficulties of playing professional tennis after registering a spectacular victory in the first round of women's singles matches at the ongoing 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington. What made the win even sweeter for the former No. 1 and seven-time singles Slam champion was the presence of fiancé Andrea Preti at the Williams H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center.

On Tuesday, July 22, Williams played her first competitive singles match in over 16 months against compatriot and current World No. 35 Peyton Stearns. On paper, Williams, despite her stellar tennis career, was the underdog, and Stearns, the favorite. However, the 45-year-old fired nine aces and converted six of 14 break points to win the match 6-3, 6-4.

In her post-match, on-court interview, Venus Williams laid bare the role her fiancé Andrea Preti played in convincing her to continue playing tennis. She then went on to remind the crowd about the challenging nature of playing the sport as a professional.

"My fiancée is here. He really encouraged me to keep playing. There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. You know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don't know how much work goes into this, like, it's 9 to 5 except you're running the whole time, lifting weights and just like, dying, and repeating it the next day," Williams said.

She also appreciated Preti's presence in Washington, revealing that the actor, writer and director had never seen her play first-hand before.

"So, he encouraged me to get through this and it's wonderful to be here. He's never seen me play," she added.

Venus Williams to play No. 5 seed Magdalena Frech for a place in women's singles QF at Citi DC Open 2025; American has already reached doubles QF at WTA 500 event

Venus Williams hits a forehand during her women's singles first-round clash against Peyton Stearns at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open (Source: Getty)

Up next for Venus Williams at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open in singles is a second-round encounter with Magdalena Frech, the No. 5 seed from Poland. Ths clash will mark the maiden WTA Tour-level meeting between the pair.

Williams' women's doubles campaign at the WTA 500 hardcourt event started off promisingly as well, as she and compatriot Hailey Baptiste made short work of Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue in the first round. The second-seeded pair of Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai awaits Williams and Baptiste in the quarterfinals.

It has so far been a memorable outing for Venus Williams in Washington, especially considering that her previous competitive outing, at the 2024 Miami Open, ended with a first-round exit in singles.

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Edited by Sudipto Pati