Venus Williams Excited To Create History On Return To Melbourne
MELBOURNE, Jan 17 (Bernama-PA Media/dpa) -- Venus Williams is ready to celebrate her latest milestone as she prepares for a first Australian Open appearance in five years, PA Media/dpa reported.
At 45, the American will become the oldest woman to compete in the main draw at Melbourne Park, surpassing Japan's Kimiko Date who was 44 when she played her final match in 2015.
"I hadn't thought about it until it came out in the press, so yay, yay for me," said Williams, who first played at the tournament back in 1998. "Let's do this."
Williams reached her second singles final in Melbourne in 2017 but has not travelled Down Under since 2021. It has been two-and-a-half years since her last grand slam appearance outside of the US Open.
A return to the court last summer after struggles with injury and her health brought joy and emotion for Williams, who claimed a first singles match win for two years in Washington and reached the quarterfinals of the women's doubles at the US Open with Leylah Fernandez.
She indicated at the time that Australia might be a journey too far but a wild card was forthcoming and Williams gratefully accepted.
"You've got throw some red herrings, right," she said. "Also, I was getting married. I had two weddings coming up. It was a busy time for me, so I was focused on that.
"This is the greatest place on earth to play. I have had amazing memories here. I love challenges, so I'm up for the challenge."
Williams has new husband, Italian model and actor Andrea Preti, in tow after they tied the knot in a high-profile ceremony in Florida last month. The couple's first task has been getting to know the revamped Melbourne Park.
"I don't know my way around," she said. "I can hear the ghosts of the old footprint, but I'm lost. Definitely took a lot of wrong turns, but it's great to see the expansion and the investment in tennis."
Williams could play Coco Gauff in the second round in what would be a rematch of the young American's first grand slam match at Wimbledon in 2019.
But it is close to five years since Williams tasted victory at grand slam level so her first task is to try to get the better of Serbian Olga Danilovic, who is 21 years her junior.
While her season began with first-round defeats in Auckland and Hobart, Williams is confident she is not far away from turning results in her favour.
"At this point, I need to be kind to myself, because I'm getting so many things right, but there had been a lack of playing matches," she said.
"I'm playing well. I'm setting myself up each point to win points and controlling the points. That's exactly how I'd want to play, and I'm playing the tennis I need to play."
-- BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa
