"It's just very satisfying to get it all out there and hit the ball and sweat a little bit" - Venus Williams

Five-time Wimbledon winner Venus Williams made an unexpected return to tennis on Friday, playing in the mixed doubles alongside Jamie Murray at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.

The 42-year-old stalwart also posted a video on her YouTube channel yesterday where she revealed her plans to participate in the tournaments in the coming months.

"Hi everyone, I'm thrilled to announce that I've started training again. Hopefully, you can catch one of my matches at some of my upcoming tournaments. I'm going to put in a lot of effort for you guys in the next few months. Stay tuned," Williams wrote.

In the video, the American legend can be seen sweating it out on a hard court.

"It's been a really long time since I've been on the court and this is practice number seven. I don't think it's that bad for practice seven, although I'm never happy if it's not perfect. It's very emotional out here and you got to pull it all together. In practice, you see all these emotions that you never see in a match. In a match, it's just like being a soldier, but in practice, you just let it go.

"Serena and I were on the court at the same time too, which has also not happened in a long time, but more than anything, it's just very satisfying to get it all out there and hit the ball and sweat a little bit. We'll see where this takes me, hopefully to a championship. I don't know but I'm here," Williams said.

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Venus Williams and Jamie Murray reach second round

Venus Williams and Jamie Murray during their match.

As per the 42-year-old, she arrived in London to support her sister Serena Williams, who made her comeback after a year-long layoff. Neither of the players were part of the entry list that the All England Lawn Tennis Club released last month.

However, Serena later revealed that she was entering the tournament's main draw as a wildcard, sending fans into a frenzy. Unfortunately, the 23-time Grand Slam made a quick exit after losing to Harmony Tan in the first round.

Videos then surfaced of Venus Williams practicing on the grass courts, and the American later announced that she was teaming up with Jamie Murray for the mixed doubles. Following a wildcard entry, the pair defeated Michael Venus and Alicja Rosolska 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3 in their first round match on Court 1 yesterday.

Williams and Murray will take on Alicia Barnett and Jonny O’Mara for their Round of 16 clash tomorrow.