Venus Williams rolled back the years as she teamed up with Jamie Murray to add another Wimbledon victory to her collection.
The five-time All England Club singles champion and six-time women’s doubles winner turned 42 years old a fortnight ago, and this year marks 25 years since her Wimbledon singles debut.
Williams had been inactive on tour since last August’s Chicago Open, with many doubting she would play again, but the American great showed flashes of brilliance alongside British doubles expert Murray in a 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 victory over Michael Venus of New Zealand and Poland’s Alicja Rosolska.
Some 24 years on from the season when she and Justin Gimelstob landed the Australian Open and French Open mixed doubles titles, Williams thrilled the Court One crowd with her energetic play at times, showing only a hint of rust.
The match was not initially allocated a specific court, as organisers hoped play on a show court would end early to allow for it to be added to the programme.
That panned out ideally, meaning a busy stadium crowd got to see Williams and five-time grand slam mixed doubles champion Murray pair up for a late-evening tussle, three years after their siblings Serena Williams and Andy Murray also joined forces at Wimbledon.