It certainly wasn’t the grand slam return Venus Williams will have dreamed of, but the 45-year-old said she is leaving the US Open feeling “very proud” after her 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 first-round defeat to Karolína Muchová.

An emotional Venus Williams reflected on her US Open loss to Karolina Muchova, cherishing her return to the court

Almost everyone was a Venus Williams fan on Monday night. The 45-year-old became the fourth-oldest woman to ever compete in the U.S. Open single tournament facing 11th ranked Karolina Muchova in the first round.

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.

Venus Williams made an inspiring return to tennis this summer after not competing much in the past two seasons. The 45-year-old tennis legend first returned at the Citi Open in July and won her first match in nearly two years. She then played in the Cincinnati Open and the U.S. Open, losing in the first rounds of both tournaments.

Venus Williams made an impressive return to tennis this year and managed to make her way to the US Open, but she came up short in the first round.