Tennis powerhouse Venus Williams will be making her 22nd appearance in the Australian Open next month after she was granted a wild-card entry on Monday, cementing her status as an icon in the sport.
Williams, 42, is a seven-time grand slam singles champion, but she only played four competitive matches in 2022, losing all four.
A five-time Wimbledon winner with two U.S. Open titles on the singles side, Williams is also one of the sport's most decorated doubles players, collecting another 14 grand slam doubles titles, including four in Australia.
She won the Australian Open doubles in 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2010 while making the singles final in 2003 and 2017.
In the press release announcing her wild card, Williams confirmed her plans to compete again in Melbourne.
"I am very excited to return to Melbourne to compete at the Australian Open in January," she said.
"I've been competing in the country for over 20 years now, and the Australian community has always supported me wholeheartedly.
"It will be an honor to play for the fans again, and I'm looking forward to making more memories at the tournament this year."
It remains to be seen if she will be joined by her sister, Serena Williams, a seven-time singles champion at the event and Venus' partner for her four doubles successes.
After her exit from the U.S. Open, Serena heavily implied she was weighing up another go down under, saying, "I always did love Australia."
