Historic win by 45-year-old Venus Williams resonates

There are plenty of reasons why this particular victory by Venus Williams in this particular tennis match — just one of hundreds — resonated with so many folks.

- Agencies

That she’s 45, for one thing. Only one woman, Martina Navratilova, ever has won a tour-level singles match while older; her last victory came at 47 in 2004.

That Williams hadn't entered a tournament anywhere in 16 months.

That she needed surgery for uterine fibroids.

And when asked Tuesday night after beating her 23-year-old opponent, Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4 at the DC Open what message others might take away from that performance and that result, Williams was quick to provide an answer.

“There are no limits for excellence. It’s all about what's in your head and how much you're able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result,” she said. “It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. Doesn’t matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever itis. If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space, for you.”