The year was 1997, when the bustling crowd of New York found rhythm in the newly built Arthur Ashe Stadium. From then on, the tennis devotees who made their pilgrimage to Queens no longer had to gather in the time-worn Louis Armstrong Stadium. But little did the spectators know that the world’s largest tennis venue was about to witness a 17-year-old phenom who would be celebrated for decades to come. The teenager in a white Reebok outfit and beaded braids walked in on the green DecoTurf surface to make her debut. And, when she played, the onlookers chanted just one name. Venus Williams. And the rest is history.

After 28 years and two US Open (singles) victories, Williams still keeps coming back to the place where it all started. Generations have changed, formats have gotten revised, but the 45-year-old Venus Williams is all game for another match in the Flushing Meadows. Not only is she defying age, but she has also etched her name in the US Open history by becoming the oldest Singles entrant in 44 years. After all, Queen V believes, “I’ll play well. I’m still the same player. I’m a big hitter.” 

Perhaps, when she suggested that she is a big hitter, she meant business—as it was not easy to make a comeback after a 16 month long hiatus and to take the reins at the Singles match. But the 7x Grand Slam champion asserted her dominance in Washington D.C. by defeating the up-and-comer, 23-year-old Peyton Stearns (in the Round of 32). For the 45-year-old, it was “just about putting it all together,” as she “wanted to play a good match and win the match.”

With the same grit and resolve, Williams now looks forward to owning the blue Laykold courts of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. But before she begins her US Open Singles run this year, let’s look back at the panorama she started creating in 1997 with her debut.

Venus Williams and the summer of 1997

In the mid-90s, America saw a decline in interest in Tennis, so much so that The Associated Press published an article with a headline, ‘Like rain at Wimbledon, American Tennis is falling.’ In fact, the participation from the American youth in tennis tournaments became much less than what it used to be in the late 80s. But all of that was about to change.

At the 1997 US Open, when the 17-year-old Venus Williams entered the court, nobody assumed that women’s tennis would change forever.

Williams’ run to the US Open final gained momentum with a Round -1 win over Latvia’s Larisa Neiland, which the American closed out with a 119 MPH ace. Her second-round contest still holds the record for the fastest (completed) match of her career, after she defeated Spain’s Gala Leon Garcia in 35 minutes. In the following rounds, she met Anke Huber (Germany), Joannette Kruger (South Africa) and Sandrine Testud (France) before encountering her first real battle: a semifinal match against Irina Spirlea (Romania). Williams pulled out two tiebreak sets and dropped the second set in between to advance to the final.

Though she lost the finals against Martina Hingis, Venus Williams became the first unseeded player to reach a US Open final in the Open Era and the first woman to get there on her first attempt since Pam Shriver. She was also the first Black singles finalist since Arthur Ashe in 1972 and the first Black women’s singles finalist since Althea Gibson.

And with that, the women’s finals of the 1997 US Open became the talk of the town.

CBS host and broadcaster Morley Safer even mentioned, “She [Venus Williams] was also a godsend to a sport that has suffered declining interest in recent years.” Not only did she emerge as an icon, but she also paved a way for inclusion and fairness for the athletes of color. And when Sports Illustrated addressed her as ‘the next Tiger Woods of sports,’ the American said, “I would hope so. He’s different from the mainstream, and in tennis I also am. I’m tall. I’m black. Everything’s different about me. Just face the facts.”

Indeed, in 1997, at the brand-new Arthur Ashe Stadium, the star was born. And that was the outset for the celebrated career of Venus Williams.

Venus Williams’ winning saga at the US Open

While in 1997 she won hearts, two years later, Venus got her first taste of victory at the US Open. This time, the Williams sisters were poised to declare their greatness for the first time at the Arthur Ashe stadium in the women’s doubles format. Venus and Serena Williams defeated Chanda Rubin and Sandrine Testud in the final to win the women’s doubles tennis title at the 1999 US Open.

For Venus, the next triumph was special. In the year 2000, she picked up her first US Open Women’s Singles trophy after defeating Lindsay Davenport in the final. After a 1-hour, 25-minute duel, Williams trotted over to the corner to kiss her mother and hug her father, who came down to the court and danced jubilantly with her. “Good job, Venus,” he said. The same year, Williams lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish at Wimbledon and clinched two golds at the Olympics before standing atop the podium at the US Open.

Then came the year 2001. The year when tennis fandom once again witnessed the all-Williams affair under the New York Lights. This time, the Williams sisters were not playing together in the doubles format but against each other in a battle to clinch the US Open Singles trophy. After a 69-minute-long face-off, the older sister defended her US Open title. “If I was the younger sister, maybe I’d feel more joyful,” said Venus. She continued, “I don’t exactly feel like I’ve won. If I was playing a different opponent, I’d probably be a lot more joyful, but I’m happy to have won the US Open again.”

8 years later, the Williams sisters repeated the 1999 US Open feat. Venus and Serena Williams defeated the defending champions Cara Black and Liezel Huber in the 2009 US Open final to take home the sweet victory in the women’s doubles format.

In the years following 2009, Venus Williams continued to return to the US Open, competing in both the singles and women’s doubles formats until 2024. Last year, the 45-year-old took a break from professional tennis to cater to her health. However, after 16 months, as she returned to her beloved arena, she was all set to show it to the world that she indeed is a big hitter, and she stood firm on what her 17-year-old self used to say: “I am the best player out there.” And in 2025, Venus is still proving it.