Venus Williams is back at Wimbledon at age 43 and ready to play on Centre Court again

HOWARD FENDRICH

Asked two days before her 24th Wimbledon begins whether she’s still excited to play tennis at this level, Venus Williams quickly answered: “It’s so much fun.”

The next question Saturday was about being on tour without her younger sister, Serena, who wrapped up her career at last year’s U.S. Open. The reply: “Not as much fun.”

There is still a big-swinging, Grand Slam-winning member of the Williams family in women’s tennis, and it’s 43-year-old Venus, who recently returned to action after about five months away with a That followed a 2022 in which she participated in just four contests — all in August or September, meaning she missed the season’s initial three Grand Slam tournaments, including Wimbledon — and a 2021 in which she accumulated only a dozen.

“I haven’t played a lot of matches in the last few years, and not by choice. I wanted to be