Serena Williams’ tear-jerking message to Venus after sister, 45, loses on US Open return

Venus Williams put up a huge fight at the US Open.

Venus Williams lost a close match at the US Open (Image: Getty)

Serena Williams sent a heartfelt message to her sister, Venus, after she made her return to the US Open. Aged 45, the elder Williams sister took a wildcard into her home Grand Slam tournament and was handed a tough draw, facing No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova.

But she refused to go down without a fight, and stormed through the second set on Arthur Ashe Stadium before losing 6-3 2-6 6-1. It was Williams’ first appearance in Flushing Meadows in two years, and her younger sister, Serena, was moved by her performance.

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The 23-time Grand Slam champion shared a montage of photos of Williams’ first-round match to her Instagram account and wrote: “Strength, courage, determination, class, perseverance, inspiration… there’s not enough words to describe how proud I am of you @VenusWilliams P.S. I hope to be like you.”

Williams was also proud of herself after pushing the No. 11 seed to a third and final set, even though she ran out of gas in the decider.

“Yeah, I definitely had a bit of a slow start, but it’s not really a bad thing. I just haven’t played a lot of matches, so I’m still finding everything,” the two-time former US Open champion said after the match.

“I think I had a Love-40 game, and I was like, ‘Oh no, not a double break’. Thankfully, that was avoided, at least in that set. And I was really able to start to dial into my game. I didn’t win today, but I’m very proud of how I played.”

Williams returned from a 16-month hiatus earlier this summer in Washington, where she reached the second round in both singles and doubles. She became the oldest player to win a WTA Tour match since 2004.

In her last appearance at the US Open in 2023, the former world No. 1 suffered a brutal 6-1 6-1 defeat to Greet Minnen.

But it was a different story on Monday night under the lights on the Arthur Ashe Stadium, and Williams became emotional when she reflected on her comeback so far.

“Oh, what did I prove to myself? I think for me getting back on the court was about giving myself a chance to play more healthy,” she added, tearing up.