When questioned about whether she derived pleasure from disproving doubters, she responded: “No, my purpose isn’t to cater to anyone’s expectations but my own.”
“I have no need to validate myself to anyone. Absolutely none.”
“My motivation stems from personal desire. Engaging with others’ opinions has never influenced my successes or failures.”
Williams, who achieved 14 Grand Slam victories in women’s doubles with her sister Serena, last secured a singles victory in August of the prior year.
Despite not formally announcing her retirement, Williams was classified as ‘inactive’ by the WTA following a 16-month absence.
On the specified Monday, she marked her return to the court in a doubles match alongside fellow American Hailey Baptiste, triumphing over Eugenie Bouchard and Clervie Ngounoue with a score of 6-3, 6-1 in the round of 16.
Williams, a former holder of the world number one ranking, had already accumulated four Grand Slam titles by the time Stearns was born in 2001.
“Her performance tonight was remarkable,” Stearns commented.
“She demonstrated impressive mobility, which was somewhat unexpected. Her serves were exceptionally strong.”
In the subsequent round, Williams is scheduled to compete against Polish fifth seed Magdalena Frech.
