Venus Williams will celebrate her Australian Open comeback after five years. The American star tennis player received a wild card for the Grand Slam tournament from January 12th to February 1st.
Organizers said the 45-year-old player would be making her return to Melbourne Park 28 years after her debut there. The main round starts on January 18th.
Venus Williams’ last participation in the Australian Open was in 2021. According to organizers, Venus Williams will be the oldest participant ever to be represented in the main draw. So far this has been the Japanese Kimiko Date, who was eliminated in the first round in 2015 at the age of 44.
Williams herself commented on a corresponding post from the organizer on her Instagram story: “See us at the Australian Open this year.” When she first took part in 1998, Venus Williams beat her younger sister Serena in the second round and failed in the quarterfinals against Lindsay Davenport.
A special place in her career
“I’m very happy to be back in Australia and playing in the Australian summer,” Venus Williams was quoted as saying in the statement. “I have such incredible memories of it and I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to the place that meant so much to my career.”
Unlike her sister, seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams has never won in Australia. In 2003 and 2017 she lost in the final – against Serena. In total she celebrated 54 wins there and lost 21 times. “Venus is a true legend and pioneer of our sport – she is an inspiration to us all,” said tournament director Craig Tiley.
2003: Serena Williams and Venus Williams (r.) in the final of the Australian Open
Venus Williams wants to prepare for her 22nd participation in the Australian Open at a tournament in Hobart (Australia). She returned to the tennis tour last summer after a break of around 16 months from tournaments. After starts in Washington and Cincinnati, she caused a stir at the US Open, but was eliminated in round one despite an impressive performance.