At the start of this year, many wondered when Venus Williams would announce her retirement.
Now she is set to grace her home Grand Slam tournament for a record-extending 25th time.
Earlier this season, Williams became considered an inactive player, having gone a whole year without competing.
Then, out of nowhere as the eyes of the tennis world were trained on Wimbledon, she announced she was ready to play in Washington.
It begged two obvious questions. Why? And why now?
Williams put the timing of her return down to her love for the game and her love of the hard courts.
That shone through when she arrived in the US capital.
Williams had often been curt and closed when speaking to the media, but spoke warmly and openly in her first pre-tournament news conference.
Hitting “big” – the brand of tennis with which she emerged as a superstar in the late 1990s and early 2000s – was still her plan.
Williams proved she still had that ability as she swept aside Stearns.
While she lost in the next round to fifth seed Magdalena Frech, and was also beaten by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the Cincinnati first round, they were competitive enough to earn her a US Open wildcard.
Some will argue giving a spot in the 128-player draw to a veteran with one victory in more than two years blocks the development of a younger player.
Others will say an all-time great should always be offered the chance to play.
Could it be the perfect place to retire and have a glitzy farewell like her younger sister Serena did in 2022?
We don’t know that yet – but you wouldn’t rule it out.
