NEED TO KNOW
- Venus Williams broke an Australian Open record on Jan. 18, her first appearance at the tournament in five years
- The tennis pro, 45, exited the tournament to applause following a tough first-round loss to Olga Danilovic
- “In a lot of ways I’m having to relearn how to do things again,” Williams said after the match
Though she exited during the first round, Venus Williams broke an Australian Open record just by playing in the tournament in Melbourne.
When she hit the court at Melbourne Park for the first day of the tournament on Sunday, Jan. 18, the 45-year-old athlete, who received a wildcard entry to play, became the oldest-ever women’s player in the main draw, according to Australian Open officials.
Despite her initial 4-0 lead over 24-year-old opponent Olga Danilovic, Williams lost the following six games, leading to a first-round exit in her first Australian Open appearance in five years.
The seven-time Grand Slam winner — who was 17 when she first played her first Australian Open in 1998, per AP News — bowed out to applause while smiling. She later said the crowd’s energy “lifted” her up.
“It was such a great game, such a great moment. The energy from the crowd was amazing. That lifted me up so much,” Williams said of going head-to-head with Danilovic. “She played a great game. Also some luck there, as well. That’s just the sport. That’s how it works sometimes. But it was an amazing moment.”
Williams said her initial lead over the Serbian tennis pro “felt good” and was “the biggest lead I’ve had since I’ve been back.”
She also reflected on honing her skills again and played so well.
“In a lot of ways I’m having to relearn how to do things again, if that makes any sense,” Williams said. “I’m really proud of my effort today because I’m playing better with each match, getting to the places that I want to get to.”
“It’s kind of weird, but it’s super exciting to have played that well and to get myself in that position and come very close,” the tennis pro said.
Danilovic, meanwhile, shared reverence for Williams.
“I told myself before the match I really want to take this moment,” Danilovic said. “These things don’t happen every day and playing against Venus Williams is something I cannot take for granted.”
“But it was such a pleasure playing against such a legend,” she added.
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After speaking with the press following her first-round loss, Williams left hand-in-hand with her husband, Andrea Preti, according to the AP. The actor and tennis legend made headlines after celebrating their love with two separate wedding ceremonies last year.
The couple’s first wedding took place on Sept. 18 in Ischia, Italy, Vogue reported at the time, with Venus telling the magazine, “We had this dream to do our wedding in Italy, but we didn’t have enough time to do the paperwork — because I’m a foreigner, it can take about eight months. So we decided to have a second wedding.”
As a result of Venus’ Florida roots, the duo decided on a second ceremony in Palm Beach featuring a week full of festivities leading up to the big day, during which the pair said “I do” in a courthouse wedding on Dec. 19.
Williams first confirmed that she was engaged to the 37-year-old actor-producer in July during a post-match interview. Her confirmation came months after the pair first sparked engagement rumors in February.
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