Venus Williams said she is more excited than ever to play at the US Open ahead of her return to grand slam tennis.
The American celebrated her 45th birthday in June and had not played at a major tournament since Flushing Meadows two years ago but she has been given a wild card for a 25th appearance in New York.
She reached the final on her debut back in 1997, well before a lot of her fellow competitors were born, while it is the 25th anniversary this year of her first singles title.
“Super thrilling to be back,” said Williams, who will take on 11th seed Karolina Muchova under the lights on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday.
“It does not get old, it just gets more exciting. And I’m looking forward to Monday night.”
Williams won her first match for nearly two years against Peyton Stearns in Washington last month but it is more than four years since her most recent grand slam victory.
“I want to be my best and that’s the expectation I have for myself, to get the best out of me, and that’s all any player can ask for,” she said when asked what her hopes for the tournament are.
“I haven’t played as much as the other players, so it’s a different challenge when you’re dealing with that. So I’m just trying to have fun, stay relaxed, and be my personal best.”
It remains to be seen whether this will be Williams’ final appearance in the draw here, but she has no intention of hanging up her racket any time soon.
“I think I’ll always play tennis,” she said. “It’s in my DNA. So it doesn’t matter if it’s now or 30 years from now, God willing, I’ll be here, we’ll all be here, we’ll all be hitting balls.
“Maybe I’ll come back to watch. Maybe I’ll be saying I did it better, and it won’t be true. But, in any case, tennis will always be one of the most important parts of my life.”
