"We need Medicare for All"- Bernie Sanders cites Venus Williams’ insurance struggle as wake-up call for new reforms

Senator Bernie Sanders echoed the words of tennis legend Venus Williams' call for the importance of Medicare for all. Williams returned to the tennis court at the age of 45. She competed in the ongoing 2025 Citi DC Open in Washington, participating in both the doubles and singles events.

On Thursday, after her exit in the second round of the tournament against Magdalena Frech, Williams spoke freely about one of the reasons why she came back to the court.

“I had to come back for the insurance because they informed me earlier this year I'm on COBRA," Williams said. "So I was like, I've got to get my benefits on,— and started training. Insurance is hard. Insurance—you guys know what it’s like. And let me tell you, I’m always at the doctor, so I need this insurance."

For those unversed, COBRA stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. According to U.S. federal law, it gives certain employees, retirees, spouses, and dependents the right to continue their employer-sponsored health insurance coverage for a limited time after losing their job or another qualifying life event.

Thus, Williams' return to the court was partially motivated by retaining her health coverage. Sanders reposted the video of Williams' interview for a renewed call for the importance of Medicare for all.

"If a wealthy professional athlete needs to come out of retirement to afford to see a doctor, how is our health care system impacting millions of working-class Americans?" Sanders posted on social media. "We need Medicare for All."

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Venus Williams's return to the court led to a historic win

Venus Williams returned to competitive tennis after 16 months. In that span, she underwent surgery for uterine fibroids and a period of recovery, listing as “inactive” on the WTA tour.

In her singles first round, she defeated Peyton Stearns 6‑3, 6‑4 and became the second-oldest woman ever to win a WTA Tour-level singles match. Martina Navratilova, age 47, holds the record of the oldest woman to win a match.

She paired with fellow Hailey Baptiste in the doubles event. The pairing won their first doubles match, but they went down in the second round against Taylor Townsend and Zhang Shuai.

In her singles second round, Venus Williams was defeated by Poland’s Magdalena Frech 6‑2, 6‑2. After the match, Williams clarified that her return was motivated by passion and love for the sport over anything else.

Venus Williams and Father Richard recall one match that 7-time Grand Slam champion "should have won"

Edited by Tushhita Barua