Venus Williams just came back from a 16-month break from professional tennis. But she didn’t return because she missed playing — rather, she missed her health insurance. “I had to come back for the insurance,” Williams, 45, said this week after beating Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Venus Williams took the Mubadala Citi DC Open by storm.

MASON, Ohio — Venus Williams’ return to professional tennis will not just be a one-tournament visit: She was awarded a wild-card entry for the Cincinnati Open. The 45-year-old Williams is participating in her first event in more than a year at the DC Open and won first-round matches in both singles and doubles.

On July 22, following her first singles match in more than a year, Williams revealed that she is engaged to actor and former model Andre Preti. While speaking to WTA following her DC Open singles match, the tennis star, who sported a diamond ring on her left finger, called Preti her fiancé.

Venus Williams’ bid for her first winning streak since 2019 has ended with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to 24th-ranked Magdalena Frech at the D.C. Open.

Venus Williams’ winning return to the professional tennis tour also came with a surprise announcement: She is engaged.

Venus Williams has a lot to celebrate. The 45-year-old tennis great Venus Williams revealed she is engaged to actor Andrea Preti on July 22 after playing her first singles match in more than a year. Williams bested fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-3,

The comments by the tennis great draw attention to the broader crisis of health care affordability and medical debt.

Venus Williams enjoyed a winning return to competitive tennis after 16 months away as she reached the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles at the DC Open alongside Hailey Baptiste.