Venus Williams talks Palm Beach wedding to Andrea Preti before Australian Open return

MELBOURNE, Australia—Venus Williams is set to make an astounding 22nd main-draw appearance at the Australian Open but her first as a married woman, the former world No. 1 tying the knot with model-actor Andrea Preti in a Palm Beach ceremony last month.

“Well, the day is a celebration,” Williams said in her Media Day press conference, Preti watching from the seats. “The commitment comes long before. It's kind of like getting here. It's the celebration of arriving and getting to actually play. The training happens long before.

“It's just our opportunity to celebrate with family and friends and to create lasting memories.”

The two-time Australian Open finalist confirmed her engagement at the start of her summer comeback at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, Preti accompanying his fiancée to her first tournament in over a year where she won a round of singles and doubles at 45 years old.

After a September ceremony, the pair were officially wed in a week-long celebration close to home in Palm Beach, Florida.

“I can’t describe how beautiful, calm, sacred, exciting, and exalting it was,” Venus told *Vogue* in December. “It was just a dream.”

In between planning a whirlwind celebration with Jennifer Zabinski of JZ Events, Williams found time to prepare for her first Australian since 2021, accepting a wild card and first-round date with Olga Danilovic.

“Yeah, I was training nonstop those three months,” Williams said on Saturday. “There were periods where I was super busy so I'd have to take a week off here or three days off there, but for the most part I was training and trying to get myself back in the groove.

“At this point, I need to be kind to myself, because I'm getting so many things right, but, you know, there had been a lack of playing matches. So, you know, 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.”

Since accepting the AO wild card, Williams arrived Down Under where she lost two close matches at the ASB Classic and Hobart International.

The seven-time Grand Slam singles champion made her Australian Open debut all the way back in 1998—before the likes of Coco Gauff or Mirra Andreeva were even born—but at 45, Williams insists not much has changed.

“I'm definitely the same person. I definitely, like, I had my head on straight. It's still on pretty straight.

“It was a beautiful time, because there's so much I didn't know but there's a great thing of not knowing because it lets you have a clean slate. There was so much I needed to learn, and then I learned it.

“That's the thing about sport is you keep stepping up to the line, and while there is nothing to prove, it's all about the attitude and the effort. No one can control that. Controlling that part is really the win.”

Williams will look to hold onto control against the big-hitting Danilovic on Sunday when the pair face off as the second night match on John Cain Arena.