When Venus Williams takes to the court this Sunday for her first-round match at the Australian Open in the John Cain Arena with Olga Danilovic, she will become the oldest player to compete in the Antipodean Grand Slam at 45 years of age. She surpasses the mark of Japan’s Kimiko Date, who played at 44 years of age.
Venus is currently ranked 576th in the WTA, a circuit in which she has been crowned in 49 tournaments. The elder Williams received two other invitations in Auckland and Hobart as a warm-up for the Antipodean major. She lost on her debut to Magda Linette and Tatjana Maria
Venus’ first appearance on the courts at Melbourne Park came in 1998, when she defeated her sister Serena in the second round of the Open before falling in the quarter-finals to compatriot Lindsay Davenport.
She had not played the first major since 2021 and her best results were the finals in 2003 and 2017, both with defeat at the hands of Serena. “I get lost in the hallways, everything is new to me. I’m glad that the tournaments are renewed,” she said
In 2026, he will complete his 22nd appearance in the main draw of the Australian Open.
I’m a big fan of Djokovic, we can’t lose him
Djokovic’s example
Venus is full of praise for Novak Djokovic, who continues to compete at the highest level at the age of 38. “I’m a fan of Djokovic. We can’t lose him. Hopefully he wins his 25th Grand Slam,” she said
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