Venus Williams may not have won on Monday night against Karolína Muchová, her first grand slam match in nearly two years, at the U.S. Open but she accomplished something far more important.
She felt healthy out on the tennis court, something that wasn't always the case in recent years due to lengthy health struggles.
"Oh, what did I prove to myself?" Williams began, repeating part of the question. "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."
Williams for years dealt with severe nausea, excessive bleeding and fatigue, symptoms that long went undiagnosed until she found out she was living with uterine fibroids, which she underwent surgery for in 2024. All told, Williams was off the court for about 16 months.
As such, Williams had to train with an unmatched intensity to ready herself for competitive match play at the highest level.
"My team and I, we worked as hard and as fast as we could," Williams said. "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. And then, from each match that I didn't win, then I tried to go back and learn from that and then get better."
So while she may not have won her match, Williams, who took a set from the 11th seeded Muchová, proved she can still play competitively at the majors. And more importantly, that she is in good health.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Venus Williams Became Emotional When Asked What She Proved With U.S. Open Return.