Venus Williams Reflects on Path to 2025 US Open After Loss to Muchova, 'No Days Off'

Venus Williams' return to the US Open was short-lived, but not before she put up a valiant effort in a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 loss to No. 11 Karolina Muchova in the first round on Monday night.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Williams opened up about the training that permitted "no days off" for her to take part in the final Grand Slam tournament of the year:

"My team and I, we worked as hard and as fast as we could. We literally took no days off. I haven't gone to dinner. I haven't seen friends. I haven't done anything except train for three months as hard as I could. From each match that I didn't win, then I tried to go back and learn from that and then get better."

Williams also expressed how much of a relief it felt to be able to play "healthy" after previously revealing she had been dealing with adenomyosis and uterine fibroids for years before her doctors properly diagnosed it.

"I think for me, getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy. When you play unhealthy, it's in your mind. It's not just how you feel. You get stuck in your mind too. So it was nice to be freer," said Williams.

The 45-year-old Williams received a wildcard entry in the 2025 US Open field. She became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level match after defeating Peyton Stearns in the first round of the DC Open on July 22.

This marked Williams' first appearance at the US Open since 2023. It was just her fourth Grand Slam event since the start of the 2022 WTA season.

Williams was able to break Muchova's serve twice in the second set to force a decisive third set. It marked her first set victory in a Grand Slam since defeating Mihaela Buzarnescu in the opening round at Wimbledon in 2021.

Even though Williams confirmed after Monday's match her 2025 season is over, there's no indication she is looking to retire from competition. The future Hall of Famer has won seven Grand Slam singles titles and has 49 tournament victories in her storied career.