Tennis Sister Venus Williams Pushed to the Limit at 46

Despite a loss to world No. 211 Irina-Camelia Begu, she left the grass court with a wide smile. The American had showcased her absolute best, battling through a true thriller. Williams forced a decisive tie-break in the third set, which she narrowly lost. After nearly three hours, the curtain fell for the veteran of the tennis world.

The elder of the Williams sisters is honing her form in Bad Homburg for her Wimbledon comeback. At the English Grand Slam, she will be playing doubles for the first time in years with her legendary sister Serena, who recently made her own return to the court at 44 years old. To be in peak condition, Venus is also competing in the doubles in Bad Homburg, not with Serena, but with Filipino sensation Alexandra Eala, the world No. 30 in singles.

Sister Serena Williams returned to the WTA tour two weeks ago after a four-year absence, and did so successfully. She immediately won a doubles match with Canadian Victoria Mboko in London but had to withdraw after her partner's injury. Last week, she also competed in doubles in Berlin, partnering with Czech Muchova, where they were eliminated in the first round. Following this, news broke that the Williams sisters received a wildcard from the Wimbledon organizers to play together at the net once more. Serena also received a singles wildcard.