Venus Williams competed at the 2025 US Open at the age of 45 and lost to Karolína Muchová in the first-round in a hard-fought contest. Her decision to return to the sport after leading a decorated career was defended by former top ten player Chanda Rubin.Williams concluded her US Open run with a first-round loss to the 11th seed Muchova. Prior to the Grand Slam, Williams had competed at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open, where she defeated Peyton Stearns in the first round and became the oldest player to win a WTA match. She also reached the quarterfinal round with her partner, Hailey Baptiste, in the doubles category.The winner of 49 WTA Tour singles titles and 22 doubles titles is still moving ahead in her professional career after battling health issues. Another former player, Chanda Rubin, is now working as a presenter and commentator with the Tennis Channel. She has shared her take on Williams' return to the sport."It's been interesting as we've seen Venus Williams continue to have to come back with the injuries she's had over the last handful of years. And it seemed like it was a really personal journey for her. Nobody could really understand perhaps why she was still out there. She had won so much. She's done so much in her career," she shared via Tennis Channel's X post (2:15 onwards)She continued:"It was just great to see her last night really find her element, the serve, some of these moves to the net. She looked like she was enjoying her tennis, enjoying trying to work things out. And I think that for me is what stood out. She wants to do it the way she wants to do it. I think that is a real gift and she's giving us a lot back from it. But hopefully she can be happy with however the rest of this year goes."In her career, Rubin won seven singles titles and was inducted into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.Venus Williams' legacy immortalized by Mattel with her signature Barbie DollVenus Williams at the 2025 US Open - Day 2 - Source: GettyVenus Williams, was recently honored by the world's second-largest toy producing company, Mattel, with her very own Barbie doll.Williams was immortalized with her signature doll, which featured her 2007 Wimbledon Championships-winning dress. The doll features her iconic white dress with green gem necklace, white wristband, shoes, along with a racket and tennis ball.The tennis legend won the women's singles title at the 2007 Wimbledon Championships, before successfully retaining her crown a year later.