Venus Williams secures a main draw wildcard for the 2026 Australian Open

On January 2 local time, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams earned a wildcard for the 2026 Australian Open main event. This 45-year-old tennis icon is returning to the tournament for the first time since 2021. She had previously reached the finals twice, losing to her sister Serena Williams in both 2003 and 2017.

Venus Williams

Venus Williams made her comeback to the court last July and competed in three tournaments during the 2025 season. At the Washington event, she won her first round match 6-3, 6-4 against fellow American Stearns but was defeated by Frech in the second round. She then lost in the first round at Cincinnati to Spanish player Bosa Manero and narrowly fell in three sets to 11th seed Muchova in the first round of the US Open. Prior to this year's Australian Open, Venus will also participate in the Auckland tournament with a wildcard; she previously won that title in 2015.

(Text and editing by Wang Fei, images courtesy of Visual China)