WASHINGTON — After Venus Williams' four-matches-in-four-days return to professional tennis was over, after she was loudly feted by appreciative fans even after a loss in singles, the D.C. Open stadium announcer offered a thought: “We’re never going to say goodbye to Venus Williams, are we?” he said.

Venus Williams, won her first singles match in more than a year at age 45, has highlighted the phenomenon of older athletes playing at an elite level.

Venus Williams just came back from a 16-month break from professional tennis. But she didn’t return because she missed playing — rather, she missed her health insurance. “I had to come back for the insurance,” Williams, 45, said this week after beating Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — at the Mubadala Citi DC Open in Washington, D.C.

Venus Williams won her first match after being on hiatus for 16 months, with new doubles partner Hailey Baptiste. On Tuesday, the 45-year-old tennis star will face Peyton Stearns in singles at the D.C.