"Imagine just casually walking in the park & you see Venus & Serena practicing" - Tennis fans react to Serena Williams joining Venus Williams for the latter's Citi Open preparations

Almost a year after her last match, Venus Williams will return to action in the singles category on Monday night. The seven-time Grand Slam champion received a wildcard entry into the Citi Open, a WTA 250 event to be played from August 1-7 in Washington DC.

Her first opponent at this tournament is Canada's Rebecca Marino, who made her way to the main draw after winning two matches in qualifying. World No. 111 Marino has participated in all three Grand Slam events this year but failed to reach the second round in any.

On Sunday, passersby at a tennis court in Washington found themselves in for a treat as they spotted Serena Williams joining Venus for practice before the start of the tournament. Fans who saw a video of the training session on social media expressed their jealousy towards those who witnessed the iconic sisters practice together live.

"I would literally have killed to watch this practice. Imagine the reaction of the fans when Serena just showed up!" a fan tweeted.

"Wait - that’s Williams practicing? Omg I would rather see that than the tournament. Wow," another user wrote.

"Venus still cracking that ball and Serena still sliding (well, age is just a number really), totally impressive," another tweet read.

Here are some of the other reactions:

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Venus Williams to play the Canadian Open as a wildcard

Venus Williams will join Serena Williams in Toronto.

Venus Williams received a wildcard in the singles category of both the Citi Open and the Canadian Open, with the latter scheduled to be played from August 8-14. Serena Williams will also play in Toronto after three years.

The last time the 42-year-old Venus played a singles match was in August 2021 at the Chicago Open, where she lost to Hsieh Su-wei in the first round. The American made her tour comeback at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships last month where she partnered Jamie Murray to reach the second round in the mixed doubles category.

Other players who will participate in the Citi Open this week include top seed Jessica Pegula, 2022 US Open winner Emma Raducanu, Simona Halep, Victoria Azarenka, and Elise Mertens.

Serena, on the other hand, has decided to skip the WTA 250 tournament and will be seen at the Canadian Open before heading to Cincinnati for the Western & Southern Open, scheduled to be played from August 15-21 in Ohio.