SportsLine tennis expert Blake Von Hagen reveals his 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open picks for Tuesday's women's first-round match between Peyton Stearns and Venus Williams

Venus Williams made a triumphant return to professional tennis at the Mubadala Citi DC Open! Tournament Director Daniel Vallverdu demonstrated proper racket grips and said young players should focus on building a love for the game!

In her post-match interview, Venus Williams humorously admitted that she was forced to return to professional tennis in order to continue enjoying insurance benefits. The former World No. 1 bemoaned her constant visits to the doctor as she joked that she really needed the insurance.

Kevin Durant attended Venus Williams and Hailey Baptiste's doubles match at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open. On Monday afternoon, Venus Williams played her first professional tennis match in over a year. Williams teamed up with Hailey Baptiste in doubles at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open.

In men's action at the hard-court tournament, Cam Norrie eliminated No. 2 seed Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, keeping the Italian without a win since he got injured last month at the French Open and needed to quit playing in the semifinals. Musetti lost in the first round at Wimbledon, a year after reaching the semifinals there.

The 45-year-old Williams is set to compete in Washington, D.C., as a wild-card entrant, marking her first appearance on tour since the Miami Open in March 2024. While Serena has not played since the 2022 U.S. Open, Venus said the 23-time major champion still has the ability to step in and dominate.

"She can take six months off and she clocks it clean," Venus said her younger sister ahead of her July appearance in the D.C. Open. "You can't teach that kind of talent. She's just so good." Serena is 19-12 all-time against Venus,