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.

Joao Fonseca’s breakthrough year in 2025 has been marked by significant achievements and evident areas for growth, particularly in his return game.

The 18-year-old Brazilian has climbed impressively from outside the top 650 to within the world’s top 50 in just 17 months. His notable milestones include becoming the seventh youngest ATP title winner by capturing the Buenos Aires ATP 250 title in February. Additionally, Fonseca secured his first top-10 win at the Australian Open by defeating Andrey Rublev.

Despite a remarkable start to his season, Fonseca has experienced fluctuations in performance, including an ATP Challenger title in Phoenix followed by a three-match losing streak. Most recently, he was defeated by world No. 103 Tristan Schoolkate in the first round of the Canadian Masters, with a scoreline of 7-6(5), 6-4.

Lindsay Davenport, former world No. 1, discussed Fonseca’s challenges on the Tennis Channel Live podcast. She remarked, “Obviously it’s been a remarkable year for Fonseca but his expectations are much higher than going out in the first round.” Addressing Fonseca’s return game, Davenport noted, “He really struggled with his return in the match. Yes, Schoolkate served well but there was no real problem-solving for Fonseca in that category. [He] just wasn’t able to get the rally in to start the point when he was receiving.”

Davenport added that with about two weeks until his next match, Fonseca might take the opportunity for focused training, possibly in south Florida or Brazil. She also pointed out the mental aspects young players must navigate, saying, “You’ve got to be able to manage an 18, almost 19-year-old’s mental game as well, and this has been a lot this year maybe.”

Jon Wertheim, another Tennis Channel contributor, reflected on Fonseca’s inconsistent results, stating, “Note that 6-7 record since Miami, I mean, keep in mind three of those were at majors, so I mean he’s won rounds at all three majors he’s played at this year, that’s a good sign, best of five format. But the results at other tournaments haven’t quite been there.”

Wertheim also acknowledged the pressure the young player faces, especially with growing attention ahead of his US Open debut.

Fonseca is set to compete next at the Cincinnati Masters from August 7 to 18, where observers will be keen to see how he progresses.

Iga Swiatek, a dominant force in women’s tennis, has built a remarkable career with 23 WTA titles, including six Grand Slam victories and 10 WTA 1000 championships. However, several significant tournaments continue to elude the 24-year-old Polish star.

At the Canadian Open, where Swiatek is currently competing following her Wimbledon win, she is still chasing her inaugural title. Her best showing was a semi-final appearance in 2023, where she lost a tight three-set match to eventual champion Jessica Pegula. Swiatek began her 2025 campaign with a strong win over Guo Hanyu.

Swiatek has triumphed thrice at the Qatar Open, yet the Dubai Tennis Championships remain elusive. She reached the final there in 2023 but was defeated in straight sets by Barbora Krejcikova. In recent years, she also fell in the semi-final in 2024 and quarter-final in 2025 at Dubai.

Another notable target is the Cincinnati Open, a WTA 1000 event where Swiatek has reached the semi-finals in both the 2023 and 2024 editions but has not clinched the title. She was eliminated by eventual champions Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka in those years, respectively.

The Wuhan Open is notably absent from Swiatek’s resume; she has never competed there. The tournament’s hiatus during 2020-2023 and a provisional suspension for a doping violation in 2024 prevented her participation.

Finally, the one Grand Slam missing from Swiatek’s collection is the Australian Open, crucial for completing the Career Grand Slam. She reached the semi-finals in both 2022 and 2025 but has not advanced beyond that stage. In 2025’s semi-final, she came close to extending her run but was thwarted as Madison Keys saved a match point on the way to the title.

Should Swiatek prevail at the Australian Open in the future, she would become only the 11th woman in tennis history to win all four majors.