Venus Williams made a winning return to tennis, playing alongside Hailey Baptiste in the Washington Open doubles on Monday.
The seven-time grand slam winner is set to make her singles return on Tuesday but got off to the perfect start as she and Baptiste earned a 6-3 6-1 win over Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue.
It did not go all of her own way, as the Americans found themselves 3-1 down in the first set before winning 11 of the next 12 games to turn the match around.
"It was inspiring to be out here," Williams told Sky Sports. "I love this game and still hitting it big."
In a separate interview, she said: "After the match, Hailey asked me, 'How did that feel?' It's probably even harder to play the doubles first because I'm not a doubles player.
"So it's great to have her to kind of hold the team up. She has had the experience. She served first because she has been playing all year and playing well. I think that helped me a lot.
"It's just nice to be able to play. Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago."
Williams' first singles match in Washington will come against Peyton Stearns. It will be her first since the Miami Open in March last year.
When she steps out onto the court, she will be the oldest player to compete at a WTA-Tour level main-draw match since Kimiko Date (then 46) seven years ago in Tokyo.
