"On the way home, I was like, 'maybe I’ll give it a try'" - Venus Williams almost bypassed opportunity to play with Fernandez at US Open

Venus Williams return to tennis was one of the talking points of the 2025 WTA season. The highlight was a quarter-final run in the women's doubles at the US Open with former singles finalist Leylah Fernandez. This, however, may not have occurred with Williams having doubts at first in even competing.

Williams made a highly anticipated return to the court at the start of the North American hardcourt swing at the DC Open. Despite the doubts and negative voices, she proved that class was permanent after coming out on top alongside fellow American Hailey Baptiste in their opening tie. This was backed up by a brilliant singles triumph over Peyton Stearns in straight sets. She was unable to make it past the next round in either event, but it was still a special moment for the 45-year-old.

She next competed in the Cincinnati Open, gearing up towards a remarkable 25th main draw appearance at Flushing Meadows, a tally no one has been able to match. She departed in the WTA 1000 event at the first hurdle against Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro. She then returned to the place where she won two of her seven Grand Slam titles as she teamed up with Reilly Opelka in the revamped US Open mixed doubles competition, losing out to Andrey Rublev and Karolina Muchova.

It would not be the last time Williams faced off against the Czech star. She was drawn against the former French Open finalist in the first-round, forcing a last-set decider before Muchova ran away with it. Once her fairytale return concluded, she was not expecting to step back onto the court.

“I wasn’t going to play, then apparently Leylah’s partner pulled out at the last minute,” Williams said. "I walked off the court after my singles match thinking, 'ok, I can finally relax'. I played the best I could, I was proud of my efforts, and I never really feel that way, but I was already kind of out. The next thing I know, it’s like ‘Can you play?’"

Her first instinct was to say no before a change of heart. “I was thinking no, because whenever I would play with players in the past, they would get so tight, they just weren’t able to perform, so I don’t need that in my life. But on the way home, I was like, maybe I’ll give it a try."

At the end of the day, she believes that she made the right decision. “I’m so glad, that’s why you’ve got to keep going, you never know when that one time, things will go for you, and there we were," the American said. "She gave me that opportunity to be back in the US Open, in the arena that I love, and I think that was just the time of a lifetime for everyone on the team.”

It was a fantastic run the pair enjoyed, making it all the way to the quarter-final stages where the number one seeds Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend. 

“Leylah is just tenacious,” Williams confessed. “It was so much fun to see her energy and her intensity levels.  A lot of players have ups and downs. But she was straight through, intense the whole time, and I’m definitely like that too. She was able to raise her game at the right moments.”

The Canadian reached the final of the US Open back in 2021, losing against Emma Raducanu. Since then, she has become a very solid tennis player. She won the DC Open and Japan Open title in 2025 as she has now risen to world number 22.