So here we are again, squinting at the tennis calendar, checking wildcards like it’s the stock market, and asking the same question we’ve been asking for years: Is Venus Williams actually done with tennis?
At the sprightly age of 44 (which in tennis years is basically “retired with a statue already”), Venus is still keeping us all guessing and honestly, would you expect anything less? She’s not going quietly into that good night. No teary press conference, no farewell tour, no dramatic racket drop. Just vibes, vintage groundstrokes, and an unmatched wardrobe game.
Still Stylish, Still Standing
Sure, Venus hasn’t played a match in nearly a year, which, according to WTA protocol, officially classifies her as “inactive.” That means her player page gets the grayscale treatment, like she’s just wandered off into tennis legend limbo. But don’t let that fool you Queen V might be down, but she’s never out.
She skipped Indian Wells after what was called a “miscommunication” about a wildcard (translation: someone somewhere got their wires crossed, and Venus wasn’t having it). Then there was talk of Miami her home turf and the last place she actually competed but she gave that wildcard the side-eye too. Still, she showed up. Not to play. To practice. With none other than Ons Jabeur. Because that’s what Venus does she shows up. Mysterious, majestic, and maddeningly non-committal.
More Than a Player, Always a Presence
This is a woman who played a full tour schedule in 2019 while managing Sjögren’s syndrome a chronic autoimmune condition that would have sidelined most athletes permanently. This is someone who made her professional debut before most of her current peers were even born. This is Venus Williams.
And while she hasn’t picked up a Grand Slam win since 2017 or a match win since 2023, that hardly matters. What Venus represents on court transcends stats. Her presence alone shifts the gravity of any tournament she enters. She’s won Wimbledon five times, the US Open twice, and nearly $43 million in prize money. She’s also running a design empire (V Starr), owning the fashion game off court just as confidently as she once owned it on grass.
She was recently spotted at Paris Fashion Week because of course she was. If she is quietly wrapping up her career, she’s doing it in couture, not tears.
Never Retiring. Just… Pausing?
Venus hasn’t filled out the WTA’s retirement paperwork (yes, that’s a thing), and she’s not part of the drug testing pool anymore, but technically, she could stroll back onto Centre Court tomorrow if she wanted to. Wimbledon wildcard? Absolutely hers for the taking. US Open invite? Just say the word.
And if you think age is a problem, Martina Navratilova won a match at Wimbledon at 47. So please Venus still has runway.
She’s ranked somewhere in the quadruple digits now (No. 1,151, if you’re keeping count), but that’s just a number. Venus has long been more icon than seed, more blueprint than competitor.
A Tribute in Waiting
Truth is, journalists have had Venus’s farewell pieces half written for years. There’s a whole generation of tribute tweets gathering dust in drafts. But she keeps defying the ending. She’s the cliffhanger that never gets resolved, and honestly? We’re here for it.
So will we see her on court again? Maybe. Maybe not. But the magic of Venus Williams is that she never truly leaves not from tennis, not from our screens, and definitely not from the history books.
She’s not retired. She’s Venus.
And that, in itself, is enough.
