Venus Williams rolled back the years in the Washington Open on Tuesday, 22nd July, when she beat fellow American Peyton Stearns 6-3, 6-4. Seven-time singles Slam champion Williams became the second-oldest woman to win a singles match on the main WTA tour since tennis legend Martina Navratilova. The iconic Czech-American was 47 years young when she won a singles match back in 2004 at Wimbledon against Catalina Castaño. Interestingly, Navratilova made it as far as Venus Williams at SW19 that year as both were knocked out in the second round when at opposite ends of their careers.
Back to the matter at hand, however. Despite having an extended break from the game, Williams showed she still has plenty of power and athleticism as she got the better of Stearns, who is 22 years younger than Venus and ranked 35th in the world. After the match, Williams suggested she was not returning to the court to set records or prove anyone wrong, but insisted, “I’m not here for anyone else except for me. I have nothing to prove. Zip. Zero.” Which is fair enough for a player who has won so much over the years. And, in honour of her latest triumph, let’s take a look back at exactly what resides in the Venus Williams trophy cabinet. Okay, it might not be quite as full as that of her younger sister, but she’s still achieved more than most in the game.
Venus Williams – Seven Singles Grand Slam Victories
VENUS WILLIAMS!
45 years old, hasn’t played a match in a year and a half! Comes back and wins in straight sets in her first match back! After winning her doubles match only a day before!
Legend. Icon. Queen Vee! #VenusWilliams #CitiDCOpen #WTA pic.twitter.com/eCLeFvSmWX
— Chillyboy Productions (@ChillyBoyYT) July 23, 2025
Unlike her sister Serena, who won all four of the tennis Grand Slam events, Venus’s seven triumphs were split over just two of them: Wimbledon and the US Open. Her first major success came at Wimbledon in 2000, when she beat fellow American and defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the final in straight sets.
She followed up with her first US Open win later that year, again beating Davenport in the final. It was certainly a year to remember for Williams, as between those Slam wins, she also won gold medals at the Sydney Olympics in both the singles and the doubles (with her sister).
Venus followed up well in 2001, once again winning both Wimbledon and the US Open. She beat Justine Henin in London, and then got the better of her sister Serena in the US Open final. As it turned out, Serena would gain plenty of revenge for that sisterly defeat in the years that followed. Indeed, Venus had to wait until 2008 for her next (and only other) win against her sibling in a Grand Slam final.
In what started to become something of a déjà vu nightmare for Venus, over the 2002 and 2003 seasons, she lost of a total of five Grand Slam finals… all to her sister. She got back to winning ways in 2005 when she beat her favourite old foe Davenport in the Wimbledon decider once again. She then got the better of Marion Bartoli in the 2007 final at SW19. And then, her last victory in a Slam: the 2008 Wimbledon title, when she beat Serena 7-5, 6-4.
Venus in the Doubles – If You Can’t Beat ‘Em…
Although there was a great rivalry between the Williams sisters, when they teamed up in the doubles, they were almost unplayable at times. Together they won 14 Grand Slam titles and three Olympic gold medals. Although Venus couldn’t bag all four majors in the singles, she managed that with room to spare alongside Serena in the doubles. Together they won the Australian Open four times, the French Open twice, Wimbledon six times and the US Open twice.
Away from the majors and Olympics, Venus also won 49 WTA-Tour-level titles, and enjoyed 11 weeks as the number-one ranked player in the world. We’re not sure how she feels about being one of the greatest tennis players of all time but only the second best in her family, but there’s no doubt Venus is one of the greats. Only 11 women have won more Grand Slam singles titles, and only nine have won more doubles Slams. That’s one stat at which she equals her sister, at least!
Oldest Tennis Grand Slam Winners Ever
Venus Williams was 28 years old when she won the last of her Grand Slam titles (Wimbledon, in 2008). But there have been plenty of women over the decades who have achieved singles Grand Slam victories well into their 30s. One name that appears on that list that certainly won’t come as a surprise to tennis fans (or her sister!), is Serena Williams.
Serena won her 23rd and final (assuming she doesn’t make a miraculous return to the court) singles Grand Slam title when she beat – you’ve guessed it – Venus in the final of the 2017 Australian Open. Serena was 35 years and four months old at the time, which is very impressive, but that’s a fair way short of the overall women’s record. In fact, there have been four women who were older when winning singles Grand Slam titles.
| Player | Age | Slam | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Molla Mallory | 42y 5m | US National Championships* | 1926 |
| Maud Barger Wallach | 38y 0m | US National Championships* | 1908 |
| Charlotte Cooper Sterry | 37y 8m | Wimbledon | 1908 |
| Dorothea Lambert Chambers | 35y 10m | Wimbledon | 1914 |
*Note that the US National Championships is the pre-Open Era name for the US Open.
As you can see, the title for the oldest woman to win a single Grand Slam title goes to Molla Mallory, who won the tournament that would become the US Open at the ripe old age of 42. The Norwegian-American, whose full name was Anna Margrethe Bjurstedt Mallory, won the US Open eight times between 1915 and 1926, and also won the doubles twice and the mixed doubles thrice. She also competed at Wimbledon several times and lost in the final in 1922 to three-time defending champ, Suzanne Lenglen from France (who won Wimbledon six times in total as well as the French Open twice).