Melbourne, January 2, 2026 — Venus Williams has been given a wild card for the Australian Open, organisers said on Friday, setting up the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion’s first appearance at Melbourne Park since 2021.

Williams, 45, first played the Australian Open in 1998 and reached the quarterfinals that year. She has been runner-up twice in Melbourne, losing to her sister Serena Williams in the finals in 2003 and 2017. Her career record at the tournament stands at 54 wins and 21 losses, and this year will mark her 22nd main-draw appearance.

Tournament officials said Williams is expected to play warm-up events in the lead-up to the season’s first major, which begins on January 18. She has already accepted a wild card for the Auckland tournament in New Zealand starting January 5, and she is also due to play the Hobart International from January 12, a week before the Australian Open begins. Organisers in Hobart have announced a field that includes major winners Barbora Krejcikova and Emma Raducanu.

“I’m excited to be back in Australia and looking forward to competing during the Australian summer,” Williams said in a statement released by the Australian Open.

Williams is expected to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, passing the mark set by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who played the event at 44 in 2015.

Williams returned to the tour in 2025 after a long break and played three singles events. She won a match in Washington, D.C., before early exits at Cincinnati and the U.S. Open. She also played doubles at the U.S. Open, reaching the quarterfinals with Leylah Fernandez.

In late December, Williams married Danish-born model and actor Andrea Preti in Palm Beach, Florida, according to media reports.