5 months ago
Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams has received a wild-card introduction for nan Australian Open opening 18 January successful Melbourne.
The tourney said Friday that nan 45-year-old Williams would make a return to Melbourne Park 28 years aft her first appearance. In 1998, she defeated her younger sister Serena successful nan 2nd information earlier losing successful nan quarter-finals to chap American Lindsay Davenport.
Venus had announced successful November that she would play successful Auckland, New Zealand, wherever she besides received a chaotic card, 2 weeks earlier nan Australian Open. The Australian Open said Williams was besides entered to play a tourney successful Hobart, Australia a week later and conscionable earlier play originates astatine Melbourne Park.
She past appeared successful Melbourne successful 2021 and has vanished runner-up successful nan women’s singles twice, losing to Serena successful nan finals successful 2003 and 2017.
“I’m excited to beryllium backmost successful Australia and looking guardant to competing during nan Australian summer,” Williams said. “I’ve had truthful galore unthinkable memories there, and I’m grateful for nan opportunity to return to a spot that has meant truthful overmuch to my career.”
Williams’ grounds astatine Melbourne Park is 54 wins and 21 losses. This twelvemonth will beryllium nan 22nd clip she has appeared successful nan main draw.
The tourney said Williams is group to go nan oldest female to compete successful an Australian Open main draw, surpassing nan grounds antecedently held by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 erstwhile she mislaid successful nan first information astatine Melbourne Park successful 2015.
In precocious December, Williams married Danish-born exemplary and character Andrea Preti astatine Palm Beach, Florida.
