Venus Williams: Back on Court for Love and Health Insurance!

VENUS WILLIAMS' SHOCKING REASON FOR RETURNING TO TENNIS: IT'S NOT FOR THE MONEY OR GLORY, BUT FOR HER HEALTH INSURANCE!

In a hilarious and jaw-dropping revelation, tennis legend Venus Williams has opened up about the real reason she's returned to the court after her impressive comeback victory at the Citi Open in Washington D.C. And, folks, it's not for the prestige or the prize money – but rather to keep getting those sweet, sweet health insurance benefits!

The 45-year-old tennis great, who's also announced that she's engaged to her dashing boyfriend Andrea Preti, 37, won her first match in 16 months on Tuesday night, beating 22-year-younger Peyton Stearns in straight sets. But what really caught our attention was Williams' cheeky explanation for why she's back on the court.

In a post-match interview with Australian tennis legend Rennae Stubbs, Williams playfully confessed that her decision to return to tennis had nothing to do with seeking glory or fame – but rather to stay covered under her COBRA health insurance plan. "I had to come back for the insurance," she deadpanned. "They informed me earlier this year, I'm on COBRA [Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act]. So that's like, I got to get my benefits on. Started training."

Now, we're not sure if Williams was being entirely serious or just pulling our legs (pun intended!), but her claim has left us wondering: is she really playing for the insurance benefits? We reached out to Stubbs for clarification, and it turns out that – gasp! – she might actually be telling the truth!

Stubbs chimed in, "She's actually not lying about that, cause we talked about that six years ago. You're actually telling the truth. Insurance is hard." Ouch, burn!

But what's even more fascinating is Williams' candid discussion of her health struggles and why she felt compelled to return to tennis despite her age. The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion revealed that she's been dealing with fibroids, which have caused heavy bleeding and intense cramps – symptoms that her doctors initially dismissed as "normal."

"I had surgery to remove the fibroids," Williams confessed earlier this month in an interview with NBC News. "As bad as things were for me, crazy amounts of bleeding like you couldn't imagine … my doctors told me it was normal. No one should have to go through this. You don't have to live this way."

After beating Stearns on Tuesday night, Williams shared that her fiancé Preti has been a huge support throughout her recovery and comeback journey. "My fiancé is here, and he really encouraged me to keep playing," she said with a smile. "There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and kind of chill. Do you know how hard it is to play tennis? You guys don't know how much work goes into this, like it's 9 to 5 except you're running the whole time."

It seems that Williams' decision to return to tennis has been a tough but ultimately empowering one – not just for her fans, but also for herself. As she reflected on her journey, Williams said: "Where I am at this year is so much different where I was at last year. It's night and day, being able to be here and prepare for the tournament as opposed to preparing for surgery a year ago."

And as we look forward to seeing what the future holds for this tennis icon, one thing is clear: Venus Williams is not done yet – and neither are her health insurance benefits!