Venus Williams’ return to the WTA Tour at the Cincinnati Open marks her second event after a 16-month hiatus. Despite extensive media attention focused on her age, 45, Williams insists that age has never dictated her performance or goals. “I feel great,” she said before the tournament began. “You’re never too young or too old to win or to lose. Winning and losing knows no age.”

Williams’ career began at age 14, a memory she fondly recalls alongside a Rolling Stones concert playing nearby. “They didn’t know I was playing next door,” she said. “So, Mick Jagger, my message to you is that I was playing my first professional match next to you.”

Her absence from the tour has been due to health challenges, not age. In 2024, she underwent surgery for uterine fibroids and quietly fell off the rankings. Yet her commitment to tennis remained steady during her recovery. “I felt like I had time just to get well,” Williams explained. “When I was on the court, I was always working on my game. Even if it was just a half hour, I still wanted to get something out of it.”

Her recent return at the Mubadala Citi DC Open saw Williams secure her first singles win since 2023, defeating Peyton Stearns in straight sets. She became the oldest woman to win a match on tour since Martina Navratilova two decades ago and also advanced in doubles with Hailey Baptiste. She credits love as the sustaining force behind her comeback. “Love is the key, right? If you don’t love it, then get out of it if you can, if you have that luxury,” she said.

Williams’ philosophy centers on living life on her own terms, unapologetically and without regrets. “Your terms should be yours. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says or thinks. I do what I do because I want to live life the way I want to, unapologetically, with no regrets, on my terms,” she shared. “Do my terms always come out the way I want them to? No. But at least I tried to live on my own terms, and that’s super important to me.”

Looking ahead, Williams plans to compete through the US Open, remaining noncommittal about extending her return beyond 2025. “I’m very much in the moment. I don’t think you should ever rule me out. That’s all I can say.”

At just 18 years old, Victoria Mboko has emerged as a notable wildcard sensation at the 2025 Canadian Open, advancing to the semifinals while dropping just one set. Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 26, 2006, to Cyprien Mboko and Godee Kitadi, Victoria’s family story is deeply intertwined with resilience and tennis. Her parents hail from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and left amid political unrest. Godee moved to Montreal in 1999 while expecting their third child, David, and earned an accounting degree from the Université de Montréal. Cyprien relocated to North Carolina in 2000, and by 2006 the family settled in Toronto, where Victoria was two months old.

Tennis entered Victoria’s life early, inspired by her older siblings Gracia, Kevin, and David, all of whom played the sport. Their father, Cyprien, recalls, “I have been watching tennis since I was very young,” and he encouraged their athletic pursuits despite the challenges, including many lost tennis balls. Gracia caught the eye of a local coach and trained diligently, which led the family to move to Burlington in 2010 for better training opportunities at Ace Tennis Academy.

Two of Victoria’s siblings competed in college tennis; Gracia at the University of Denver and Kevin at Edinboro University. David, praised for his talent, had to stop playing due to eye problems and graduated from the University of Toronto with a computer science degree. Victoria credits her siblings with her introduction and development in tennis: “My sister and brothers have been really important for me. I probably would not have played tennis if not for them. They played with me and coached me.”

Despite her success, she admits, “I’ve actually never beaten any of them. I never like to lose a lot. I played my sister once in a tournament and I lost 0 and 0. I was absolutely devastated. They still hold that over me to this day!”

Her family’s support extends beyond the social; at the 2025 French Open, Mboko was accompanied by her father and siblings, providing encouragement and motivation. She acknowledges her father’s sacrifices: “He’s retired now, but, you know, when I was training a lot, he was working night shifts so he could be at every single one of my practices, especially when I was a junior.”

Ahead of the 2025 Cincinnati Open, Diana Shnaider was spotted with her new coach Sascha Bajin at the Lindner Family Tennis Center, confirming recent reports of their partnership. Bajin, best known for coaching Naomi Osaka to two Grand Slam titles and for being Serena Williams’ longtime hitting partner, is the latest in Shnaider’s coaching journey after parting ways with Igor Andreev last season. Earlier stints included working with Dinara Safina, who provided valuable mental game guidance before Shnaider and Safina split in May. Shnaider, currently ranked No. 17, reached a career-high of No. 11 in May and recently made the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Shnaider has struggled to find consistent form since, with just one occasion of back-to-back match wins since Rome. She entered the US Open swing with a first-round loss in Montréal to Marie Bouzkova and will be seeded No. 14 in Cincinnati, the last WTA 1000 event before the US Open.

Also observed at Cincinnati was Emma Raducanu alongside Francisco Roig, a longtime member of Rafael Nadal’s coaching team. This follows reports that Raducanu had brought Roig on board. Raducanu has been working unofficially with Mark Petchey throughout much of 2025, who was part of her team during her 2021 US Open title run. After starting the year ranked No. 60, Raducanu climbed back toward the top 10 and recently reached the semifinal at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, positioning herself well for a seeded place at the upcoming US Open.