MASON, Ohio — Venus Williams’ return to professional tennis will not just be a one-tournament visit: She was awarded a wild-card entry for the Cincinnati Open. The 45-year-old Williams is participating in her first event in more than a year at the DC Open and won first-round matches in both singles and doubles.

Venus Williams shocked everyone by beating Peyton Stearns in the first match of her comeback in Washington D.C.

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