Venus Williams, 45, hadn’t played professional tennis in a year and a half. But she played in the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, D.C. this week, and for a surprising reason.
“I had to come back for the insurance,” Williams said after winning the first round. (She lost in the second round on Thursday.)
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“They informed me this year that I’m on COBRA, so it’s like, I got to get my benefits on,” Williams added.
The crowd laughed, but Williams appeared to be serious.
Venus Williams after becoming the oldest WTA match winner since 2004:
“I had to come back for the insurance, because they informed me this year that I’m on cobra. So it’s like, I got to get my benefits on” ????
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 23, 2025
“I’m always at the doctor, so I need this insurance,” she said.
Williams has been open about her struggle with uterine fibroids, telling NBC News Now earlier this month that the condition has affected her for 30 years.
MarketWatch reports that Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) players are offered insurance plans that provide global coverage for the tour’s extensive travel requirements, but athletes need to meet certain requirements to qualify.
“Player members that are eligible for such access to health insurance must be inside the rankings of 500 in singles or 175 in doubles and have played a minimum of three WTA 250-level and above events, including Grand Slams, in the last year,” a WTA spokesperson told MarketWatch.
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This means we could see Williams on the professional court again soon. It’s also raised many questions and comments, especially on Reddit, which was co-founded by Venus’s brother-in-law, Alexis Ohanian, about the price of health care in the U.S.
According to ESPN, Williams made more than $42 million playing professional tennis, during which she won 49 singles titles, including five Wimbledon and two U.S. Open Championships. Williams also won four Olympic gold medals.
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