Venus Williams gets wild card to play first Australian Open in 5 years
ESPN••sports
Key Points:
- Venus Williams, seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, received a wild-card entry for the Australian Open starting January 18, marking her return to Melbourne Park 28 years after her debut.
- Williams, 45, will become the oldest woman to compete in the Australian Open main draw, surpassing Japan's Kimiko Date, who was 44 in 2015.
- She last played in Melbourne in 2021 and has twice finished runner-up in the women's singles, losing to her sister Serena in 2003 and 2017 finals.
- Venus announced earlier she would also compete in a WTA tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, with a wild card two weeks before the Australian Open.
- In December, Venus
