Venus Williams marked a significant milestone on Instagram, reflecting on the one-year anniversary of her open myomectomy surgery, which removed fibroids and a focal adenomyoma from her uterus. The procedure, which once seemed daunting and fraught with risks, has allowed the seven-time Grand Slam champion to return to competitive tennis with renewed health and vigor.

Williams made a notable comeback last week at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, securing a first-round win over Peyton Stearns before bowing out to fifth seed Magdalena Frech. This victory was her first WTA Tour match win in 16 months and made her the second-oldest woman to win a WTA Tour match. Additionally, she progressed to the second round in doubles alongside Hailey Baptiste.

The 45-year-old, once assumed to have quietly stepped away from professional tennis, now looks set to accelerate her comeback with a wildcard entry confirmed for the Cincinnati Open and a probable main-draw wildcard for the US Open.

In her Instagram post, Williams candidly recounted the health challenges she faced, writing, “I was told I was inoperable. I was told I could bleed to death on the table. I was told to get a surrogate and forget the hope to carry my own children. I was misdiagnosed. I went untreated for years and years and years.” She highlighted the severe symptoms that affected her career, including anemia, pain, excessive bleeding, and frequent menstrual cycles.

Williams expressed gratitude toward her medical team, notably Dr. Shirazian and NYU Langone, crediting them with restoring her health and enabling her return to tennis. She also thanked her support team for their care during her recovery.

Now ranked world No. 571, Williams will skip the Canadian Open but intends to compete in Cincinnati and plans a return at the US Open, where she previously triumphed in 2000 and 2001 after debuting in 1997. Her recent win against Stearns marked a significant moment, as her last prior WTA Tour victory was in 2023 against Veronika Kudermetova.

The Canadian Open has adopted a 12-day extended format starting from 2025, a change that has attracted criticism from notable figures including former ATP player Sam Querrey. This scheduling shift, commencing only two weeks after Wimbledon concludes, is widely considered a major factor behind multiple significant player withdrawals.

Top stars like World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, and World No. 6 Novak Djokovic have all withdrawn from this year’s Canadian Open following their Wimbledon campaigns. Additional notable absences include World No. 5 Jack Draper, Grigor Dimitrov, Tommy Paul on the men’s side, and WTA No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s tournament.

The Cincinnati Open, immediately following the Canadian Open, also embraces the multiple-week format in 2025, overlapping with the tail end of the Canadian event.

Querrey expressed his concerns in the podcast Nothing Major: “The players don’t like it, the fans don’t like it, and now especially in Toronto with Carlos, Novak, Jannik and others pulling out.” He added, “We just had this great event in DC with an amazing final, and you got to watch Alex [de Minaur], and [Ben] Shelton and [Frances] Tiafoe. There is no momentum going into Toronto. I am not excited as a fan.”

Querrey acknowledged the optimism of mid-ranked players, saying, “I’m sure those guys ranked like Zverev, Fritz, Musetti and Shelton, are like: ‘I can win this, possibly this year.’ But it just is going to drag on. The next three and a half weeks of tennis is just going to drag on. Cincinnati is going to start while Toronto is still going on.”

He also noted the unusual scheduling of only one qualifying round in Toronto, a rarity for Masters 1000 events.

The prolonged schedule format, once limited to Indian Wells and the Miami Open, is now common among several Masters 1000 and WTA 1000 events. This spring, both Madrid and Rome transitioned to two-week formats, and further multi-week events are planned for Shanghai on the men’s side and Beijing on the women’s side in the autumn.

The ATP Tour calendar’s evolving format continues to provoke debate, with other players such as World No. 4 Taylor Fritz also voicing criticism recently.

Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova, both early bloomers in the tennis world, are poised to meet again with renewed form in the 2025 Montreal tournament. Raducanu, 22, shot to prominence by winning the 2021 US Open at 18, while Anisimova, 23, made her mark with a semifinal appearance at the 2019 Roland Garros at just 17.

Both players faced setbacks following their initial breakthroughs, dealing with injuries, coaching changes, and confidence struggles that impacted their rankings and performances. Yet 2025 marks a turning point for these athletes. Raducanu has climbed 28 spots in the rankings to 33rd and recently reached the semifinals in Washington, D.C. Anisimova’s rise has been even more pronounced—advancing to a career-high ranking of No. 7 after reaching the Wimbledon final this year.

Their head-to-head meetings happened twice in 2025 on hard courts at the Australian Open and Miami. Surprisingly, Raducanu claimed straight-set victories in both encounters. Despite Anisimova’s recognized baseline power, Raducanu’s proactive play style, aggressive return on second serves, and quick counterpunching have proven effective.

This intriguing matchup blends the vigor and tactical growth of two players once thought to be stalled. Fans tuning into the Montreal event can expect a competitive contest as both seek to affirm their places among the sport’s elite.