Williams left the tennis world in awe after her performance. Naomi Osaka, who also won Tuesday in the round of 32 at the Citi Open, simply said of Williams in a post after the match, "my queen" with a crown emoji and multiple heart emojis.

One of the first questions to open Venus Williams’ Mubadala Citi DC Open press conference boiled down to a single word: Why? Why, at 45 years old, was a former world No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam champion mounting a comeback after almost a year and a half away from the game?