Back on the big stage at 41: Two-time Grand Slam finalist returns to WTA 1000 after three years

Vera Zvonareva is making headlines once again at 41 years of age and will compete in a WTA 1000 for the first time since 2023. The former world No. 2 began her return operation at the end of 2025 – when she played the W100 Dubai and reached the final of the tournament – securing several victories in the main draw after 19 months away from competition.

The Russian also played the doubles draw, where she likewise reached the final, although she ended up finishing as runner-up in both draws. Zvonareva appears to have been convinced by the level she showed and returned to the Tour again in 2025, competing in several tournaments – both in singles and in doubles.

She took part in the qualifying rounds of the Canberra 125 Challenger, as well as in Adelaide and Abu Dhabi – achieving victories in the first two, although she ultimately failed to qualify for the main draw. However, this week brought good news for the two-time Grand Slam finalist, after she recorded wins over Shuai Zhang and Magdalena Frech – both in straight sets – and qualified for the WTA 1000 Doha Open.

The Russian had already shown that she can produce a high level a few weeks ago at the Australian Open, where she reached the semifinals of the women’s doubles draw. However, she still needed to prove in singles that she can compete with the best, and her recent victories are the first she has achieved against top-100 opponents in singles since the end of 2023.

Zvonareva will be the oldest player in the Qatar draw and currently stands as the second-most veteran player on the women’s Tour, only behind Venus Williams – absent during this Middle East swing, but expected to return to the courts in the coming weeks.

Zvonareva will make her debut this Sunday, February 8, in the first round of the Doha Open against Peyton Stearns. For the American, it will be far from easy, despite the age difference, and a few months ago – while holding a spot inside the top 35 – she suffered a painful defeat against seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams – aged 45 – who was making her return to the tennis courts after 19 months away.

This time it will be Zvonareva – another player from the old era – who will stand across the net from Stearns, looking to spring a surprise against a player with a 17-year age difference. In fact, by the time Stearns was born in October 2001, Zvonareva had already accumulated her first appearances in professional tournaments and was positioned inside the top 400 – an even better ranking than the one she currently holds as world No. 584.

The Doha Open will be the first WTA 1000 of the season and the first post-Australian Open event to bring together a large part of the WTA’s biggest stars. However, at the start of this Middle East swing, several players have already announced their withdrawal from the tournament due to scheduling reasons or injuries, leaving the event with 14 players inside the top 20.

The most significant absence is without a doubt that of the world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, who cited calendar reasons in opting out of the first WTA 1000 of the season – also considering that she is not defending points this week (after being defeated in her 2025 debut). Sabalenka will look to extend her rest period before returning at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships next week.

Other notable withdrawals include top-10 players Jessica Pegula (No. 6) and Belinda Bencic (No. 9). Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka (No. 15) also continues to recover from the injury that forced her to retire from the Australian Open a few weeks ago, while 2025 Australian Open champion Madison Keys (No. 16) is also opting to extend her break before returning to the courts in Dubai. In addition, young star Iva Jovic (No. 20) has chosen to skip the tournament as well, where she is not defending points.