Tennis icon Venus Williams returned to the courts last summer to play at the U.S. Open after facing painful health problems. She revealed how she really felt playing on that level again during her visit on The Jennifer Hudson Show.
Venus put on a brave face in front of the cameras and her opponents, however, behind closed doors, she was struggling. She shared that the experience was “honestly frightening.” Jennifer in disbelief asked: “Was it? So you still get nervous?”
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The athlete proclaimed without hesitation: “Yes, it was so stressful. I know that I can play, but it’s one thing to get out there and execute it, and then to execute it quickly without not a lot of time to get it right.”
She continued: “And also, going into it, my body let me down so many times so – recovering from trauma, like when I got out there, I didn’t really believe in my body…So it makes you believe less in yourself. So I had a lot of learning [to do] this summer. It was thrilling, exhilarating, frightening, but I loved every minute of it. I learned so much. It was just one of the best times of my life.
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To add to those obstacles, Venus also faced having to get interviewed by the press, win or loss, right after her matches. Jennifer asked if “that’s difficult,” and Venus gave a surprising answer.
Venus exhaled and said: “Well, yeah. They do fine you if you don’t go. Yeah, they do. I came back this summer after having surgeries to take out fibroids [and more] that I was dealing with in my uterus. Something that really took up a lot of weight from my game.”
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She transparently added: “So, in being honest, emotions come. So I think it was good to be more honest – maybe one or two tears did escape.”
At the start of her health journey, Venus’ symptoms were often dismissed for aging and a need to get a hysterectomy by doctors, however, that was not the case.
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She constantly experienced painful symptoms and revealed to NBC: “My symptoms were extreme pain. You know, getting so much in pain that maybe you throw up. Or you can’t get off the ground… I missed practices because of that. Just, you know, hugging the toilet.”
Finally a year ago, her new doctor Dr. Tara Shirazian from NYU’s Langone Health’s Center for Fibroid Care, revealed that she needed a myomectomy, which is a surgery that removes fibroids. She went through with the procedure and has never felt better.
Now, Venus is back and focused on her game. She recently got a wild card to play at the Australian Open in 2026.
