It begged two obvious questions. Why? And why now?
Williams put the timing of her return down to her love for the game and her love of the hard courts.
That shone through when she arrived in the US capital.
Williams had often been curt and closed when speaking to the media, but spoke warmly and openly in her first pre-tournament news conference.
Hitting “big” – the brand of tennis with which she emerged as a superstar in the late 1990s and early 2000s – was still her plan.
Williams proved she still had that ability as she swept aside Stearns.
While she lost in the next round to fifth seed Magdalena Frech, and was also beaten by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the Cincinnati first round, they were competitive enough to earn her a US Open wildcard.
Now the former world number one will appear once again at Flushing Meadows in New York, where she won two of her Grand Slam titles, in 2000 and 2001.
Williams is set to become the oldest player to compete in singles at the US Open since 47-year-old Renee Richards in 1981.
It will be 577th-ranked Williams’ first appearance at one of the sport’s four majors since the 2023 US Open, where she lost in the first round.
Williams will also play in the revamped mixed doubles alongside fellow American Reilly Opelka.
Some will argue giving a spot in the 128-player draw to a veteran with one victory in more than two years blocks the development of a younger player.
Others will say an all-time great should always be offered the chance to play.
Could it be the perfect place to retire and have a glitzy farewell like her younger sister Serena did in 2022?
We don’t know that yet – but you wouldn’t rule it out.
