The elder Williams was off the tennis tour for 16 months until making a comeback at a tournament in Washington last month, where she won one match each in singles and doubles. She hadn’t competed anywhere since the Miami Open in March 2024, and had surgery for uterine fibroids later last year.

As soon as seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams stepped foot onto the court for the 2025 US Open, in the eyes of many fashionistas she had already won.