Venus Williams on Australian Open Return: 'I've Trained Relentlessly for Three Months'

Venus Williams Returns to Melbourne After Five Years, Ready for 22nd Australian Open Bid

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 17/01/2026 à 09h53

2 min to read

Open d'Australie Williams Venus

Venus Williams will compete at the Australian Open. The 45-year-old American, who hasn't played in this tournament since 2021, has received a wild card and will face Olga Danilovic in the first round.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of her 22nd Australian Open, the former world No. 1 discussed her preparation, having played the Auckland and Hobart tournaments as warm-ups for the year's first Grand Slam.

"I've Received a Lot of Support at the Previous Tournaments"

"I haven't been here in five years, but time has flown by, so I'm very grateful to Tennis Australia for giving me this opportunity, grateful for the chance to play in front of the fans again.

I've received a lot of support at the previous tournaments, even in my daily life, when I walk around the city. I hope to do my best here, I have incredible memories of this place, so I'm ready to take on the challenge.

"I Have to Be Kind to Myself"

I've trained relentlessly these last three months, even though I've had very busy periods where I had to take a week or three days off here and there, but most of the time, I've trained and tried to get back into my routine.

At this stage, I have to be kind to myself, because I'm doing a lot of things well, but I just lacked matches. Now, I'm playing well, I'm preparing to win every point and trying to control them.

That's how I'd like to play, it's the tennis I need to play," assured the two-time singles finalist at this tournament in recent hours for Punto de Break.