Venus Williams is back and she is not done. She heads to Cincinnati next and maybe the US Open

WASHINGTON (AP) — After Venus Williams' four-matches-in-four-days return to professional tennis was over, after she was loudly feted by appreciative fans even after a loss in singles, the D.C. Open stadium announcer offered a thought: “We’re never going to say goodbye to Venus Williams, are we?” he said.

Not yet, anyway.

This was not a one-stop hello-and-farewell appearance for the 45-year-old Williams, who had been away from the tour for 16 months before showing up in Washington this week and winning once each in singles and doubles. She hadn't won a match since 2023, and the owner of seven Grand Slam singles titles, plus 14 in women's doubles with her sister Serena and another two in mixed doubles, was celebrated by the spectators and other players.

“I’m sorry to have (fallen) short,” Williams said after being eliminated by 24th-ranked Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-2 on Thursday night, “but I know I can play better. And I know I will play better.”

Yes, there will be more: Williams next heads to the Cincinnati Open in August. That's certain.

And she also might very well be competing at the U.S. Open later next month, if the U.S. Tennis Association awards her a wild-card entry. The USTA already announced that Williams asked for an invitation to play with Reilly Opelka in the tournament's newfangled mixed doubles event.

Williams made quite obvious that the whole experience in Washington was fun for her.

She loves the challenge. She loves playing tennis. Plus, what's not to like about so much adulation from so many?

“Everything is about her (at) this tournament. All the media, all the fans — everyone is for her,” Frech said. “She's a superstar. She's a legend here.”

There's more to it, though. Because Williams also made clear that this is not merely about having a good time. She wants to win, too.

“There’s so many learnings from here. I know exactly what I need to work on, where I can improve. The good news is I’m always in control of the point. The important part is to put the ball in,” Williams said with a smile. “So this is one thing I didn’t do today. Was I in control? Absolutely. Will I be in control of most of my matches? Most likely, yes. That’s the place I want to be, so I’m putting myself in that position. That’s what counts.”

Williams still can hammer a serve, as the series of aces she delivered at more than 110 mph during her straight-set victory Tuesday against 35th-ranked Peyton Stearns showed.

Still can pound forehands and backhands, too.

As Stearns put it: “She played some ball tonight.”

At the end of her final news conference in Washington, Williams spoke about her takeaways from the matches she played and the work she put in to make them possible after needing to stay off the court last year because of surgery for uterine fibroids.

Her answer sounded a bit like a warning to other players out there who will face her.

“I’ll reflect on this match and the things I could have done better. I’ll reflect on my preparation going into the matches to make sure I’m prime and ready. Those are the kind of things. But more than anything, I take a lot of information from this tournament. So much data,” Williams said. “Like, I can’t wait to get on the practice court. My coach and I were already talking about what we’re going to work on and also how much better I got so quickly in these last few weeks, too, was kind of like straight up a mountain.”

Then she paused and added: “So we have made so much progress, and I expect that there will be more.”

Venus Williams waves to the crowd as she leaves the court after she lost to Magdalena Frech, of Poland, during a match at the Citi Open tennis tournament Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Venus Williams lunges for the ball during a match against Magdalena Frech, of Poland, at the Citi Open tennis tournament Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Venus Williams waves to the crowd after she lost to Magdalena Frech, of Poland, during a match at the Citi Open tennis tournament Thursday, July 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.

SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station.

“It’s so good to be home,” said NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, the capsule commander.

It was an unexpected finish to a mission that began in August and left the orbiting lab with only one American and two Russians on board. NASA and SpaceX said they would try to move up the launch of a fresh crew of four; liftoff is currently targeted for mid-February.

Cardman and NASA’s Mike Fincke were joined on the return by Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who had the health problem or explain what happened, citing medical privacy.

While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing. The entry and splashdown required no special changes or accommodations, officials said, and the recovery ship had its usual allotment of medical experts on board. It was not immediately known when the astronauts would fly from California to their home base in Houston. Platonov’s return to Moscow was also unclear.

NASA stressed repeatedly over the past week that this was not an emergency. The astronaut fell sick or was injured on Jan. 7, prompting NASA to call off the next day’s spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, and ultimately resulting in the early return. It was the first time NASA cut short a spaceflight for medical reasons. The Russians had done so decades ago.

The space station has gotten by with three astronauts before, sometimes even with just two. NASA said it will be unable to perform a spacewalk, even for an emergency, until the arrival of the next crew, which has two Americans, one French and one Russian astronaut.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

This screengrab from video provided by NASA TV shows the SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station shortly after undocking with four NASA Crew-11 members inside on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This photo provided by NASA shows clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui gathering for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows recovery vessels approaching the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule to evacuate one of the crew members after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)

This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)