Breaking News:Serena Williams visits the US Open for the first time since playing her last match there in 2022…See More 👇

NEW YORK (AP) — Welcome back to the U.S. Open, Serena Williams.

Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion, returned to Flushing Meadows on Saturday — but she was watching tennis, not playing it.

And she brought back an old look, wearing a denim skirt similar to the one she sported while competing in New York in 2004.

This was the first visit to the U.S. Open by Williams since 2022, when she played there in the final tournament of her career. She made it to the third round then before losing to Ajla Tomljanovic in her last match, although Williams was careful not to say she was retiring, but rather described it as “evolving” away from professional tennis.

She’s been plenty busy ever since, pursuing her business interests, signing a book deal, putting out a documentary series currently airing on ESPN and, in July, hosting the ESPYS. Williams gave birth to her second daughter a year ago.

The 42-year-old American won six singles championships at the U.S. Open — tied with Chris Evert for the most — during her decades of dominance with a racket in her hands. This time Williams was sitting in a suite in Arthur Ashe Stadium while Jannik Sinner, the No. 1-ranked man, earned a straight-set victory in the third round against Chris O’Connell.

Williams made her way around the grounds, checking out American Tommy Paul’s win at Louis Armstrong Stadium and stopping by the players’ gym at one point for a chat with the current women’s No. 1, Iga Swiatek, who was scheduled to play on Saturday night.

One of Williams’ good friends, 2018 Australian Open champion and former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, joked after winning Saturday to get to the fourth round that she was disappointed not to have spotted Williams in the spectator seats on the Grandstand.

“I’m going to text her,” Wozniacki said with a laugh. “I’m pretty mad at her for not showing up at my match. … I think we have to talk about that a little bit later.”

Williams made her way around the grounds, checking out American Tommy Paul’s win at Louis Armstrong Stadium and stopping by the players’ gym at one point for a chat with the current women’s No. 1, Iga Swiatek, who was scheduled to play on Saturday night.

One of Williams’ good friends, 2018 Australian Open champion and former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, joked after winning Saturday to get to the fourth round that she was disappointed not to have spotted Williams in the spectator seats on the Grandstand.

“I’m going to text her,” Wozniacki said with a laugh. “I’m pretty mad at her for not showing up at my match. … I think we have to talk about that a little bit later.”

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A lot has changed since Serena Williams’1998 US Open debut. In nearly three decades, she’s become a 23-time Grand Slam champion, a mom to two daughters, and arguably one of the greatest athletes of all time. These days, you’ll also find her living the life of a beauty founder, as she launched a makeup brand, WYN, in April of 2024.

As beauty takes on a more pivotal role in her life, Serena is looking back on what her beauty and skincare routine was like around the time of her first Open match at 16.

“I honestly don’t even think I had a skincare routine back then, which is crazy to think about,” she tells Women’s Health. “I do remember wearing sunscreen though—I’ve worn it every day of my life, that I can remember.”

The athlete also recalls relying on several serums over the years and doing her brows and eyeliner before her matches. Once she was off the court, she would put on a mix of foundation and sunscreen because she couldn’t find a skin tint that worked for her. In hindsight, she wishes that beauty brands like her own existed to fill in the gaps.

Now, Serena switches between simple and extensive skincare and makeup regimens, depending on the occasion. With a busy schedule that requires a lot of travel, she keeps the Vine Vera Resveratrol Eye Collection Age Defying Eye Serum on hand, which contains vitamin C for brighter, firmer skin. She uses coconut oil to cleanse her face and remove makeup before moisturizing with cocoa butter. When she’s in need of a deeper clean, she reaches for the Dr. Barbara Sturm Darker Skin Tones Enzyme Cleanser, a powder formula that lathers up with water to gently exfoliate and buff away dead skin.

In terms of makeup, her daily routine consists of WYN’s Featuring You Hydrating Skin Enhancing Skin Tint with SPF 30 and a little bit of concealer. For a hint of color on her lips and cheeks, she opts for WYN’s MVP: Most Valuable Pigment Multifunction Lip & Cheek Color. The smudge-resistant gel is super buildable and lasts up to 72 hours, which is why Serena sometimes uses it to transform or elevate her appearance. “If I want something glam, I add a little bit to my eyes before finishing off with the Big Vision Lengthening & Defining Tubing Mascara,” she says. “That goes such a long way.”