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’ recent singles win at the D.C. Open showcased her longevity and brought attention to health coverage for aging athletes following a joking comment she made in an on-court interview.

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

On July 22, following her first singles match in more than a year, Williams revealed that she is engaged to actor and former model Andre Preti. While speaking to WTA following her DC Open singles match, the tennis star, who sported a diamond ring on her left finger, called Preti her fiancé.

The 45-year-old, who lost in the second round Thursday at the DC Open in her return to tennis, has never looked happier after a loss.

Venus Williams' return to the professional tennis circuit was also accompanied by a surprise announcement: her official engagement. After becoming the second oldest woman to win a singles match

The comments by the tennis great draw attention to the broader crisis of health care affordability and medical debt.