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At 45, it’s not surprising Venus Williams She will set an age record at the Australian Open when she competes in the first round on Sunday.
It wasn’t until she was granted a wildcard entry into the year’s first Grand Slam tournament for the first time in five years that she realized she would become the oldest player to enter the women’s singles draw at the Australian Open.
“I didn’t think about it until the news came out,” she said at the end of Saturday’s pregame press conference. “So yeah. Yeah for me! Let’s do it.”
She then left the auditorium, hand in hand with her husband, Andrea Preti, and walked back to the players’ area along the corridor – not quite what she remembered from the 2021 trip, her 21st. Melbourne garden.
Williams, who got married in December, said celebrations were her top priority between the first two big tournaments after her return to the tour, which began last July.
She competed in her first Australian Open in 1998 at the age of 17, reaching the quarter-finals in only her fourth time grand slam tournament and just reached the U.S. Open finals.
“It was a great time because there was a lot I didn’t know,” she said when asked to reflect on her first trip. “But not knowing is a good thing because it gives you a fresh start. There was so much I had to learn, and I learned it.”
“That’s the nature of sport – you’re constantly racing towards the finish line and while there’s nothing to prove, it’s all about attitude and effort. No one can control that. Controlling that part is the real victory.”
Last August, Williams lost her Grand Slam comeback match at the U.S. Open. Williams will face Olga Danilovic, a 24-year-old left-hander from Serbia, in Sunday’s final match at John Cain Arena.
Danilovic, ranked 68th, is playing in her 11th Grand Slam tournament and her third in Australia, where she reached the fourth round last year, tying her best result in a Grand Slam tournament.
Williams, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, is ranked 576th due to limited tour time. She lost in the first round of the warm-up match New Zealand and Hobart to kick off 2026. If she can get her first win of the year on Sunday, she could face third-seeded Coco Gauff in the second round.
“At this point, I need to be kind to myself because I’ve done a lot of things right, but, you know, my game has been lacking,” she said. “So I’m playing well. I’m setting myself up every point to win points and control points.
“This is exactly how I want to play, I’m playing the tennis I need to play.”
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AP Tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis