Venus Williams’ comeback tour has officially begun.
The 45-year-old tennis legend, currently ranked 148th in the WTA rankings, has secured a wildcard berth to the Australian Open singles and is set to play in the tournament for the first time in five years.
Williams has won the Australian Open five times, all in doubles and mixed doubles. She has reached the singles final twice, losing to her sister Serena in both 2003 and 2017.
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The last time she competed in any kind of tournament was in the 2021 singles competition, where she lost in the second round to qualifier Sara Errani. She became the first female player since Martina Navratilova to win a Grand Slam singles match after reaching the age of 40, with only a first-round victory.
Veteran tennis journalist Ben Rosenberg points out that with all eight Australian Open wild cards allocated, there is no longer a path for Victoria Azarenka, currently ranked 132nd in the world and two-time singles champion, to reach the main draw.
Williams was quietly inactive for 16 months between 2024 and 2025 due to health issues stemming from uterine fibroids, and the WTA officially designated her as inactive. She returned last July with an upset of the No. 35 WTA player and then played at the US Open, taking No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova to a third set, but losing in the first round.
After competing at the US Open, where she reached the quarterfinals in doubles with Leila Fernandez, her tennis future was uncertain. Since then, she competed in last month’s Charlotte Invitational Exhibition, and we know we can get another Grand Slam out of her.
