Venus Williams may have exited in the first round of the Australian Open, but not before setting a new record.
On Sunday, when the 45-year-old tennis champion hit the court in Melbourne, nearly 30 years after making her debut at 17, she reportedly became the oldest woman to compete in the tournament’s history, according to Australian Open officials.
However, Williams told AP News she hadn’t given much thought to the milestone until it made headlines.
“So yay. Yay for me! Let’s do this,” she said.
Williams, who ended 2025 by sharing details of her glamorous nuptials to Italian model and film producer Andrea Preti, jumped out to an early 4-0 lead against her 24-year-old opponent, Olga Danilovic. But Danilovic stormed back to win the next six games, handing Williams a first-round loss.
Despite the upset, she expressed joy about the match.
“It was such a great game, such a great moment,” she said, per ESPN. “The energy from the crowd was amazing. That lifted me up so much.”
Of her opponent, she added, “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.”
Sunday marked Williams’ first Australian Open appearance in five years, and came roughly six months after she officially returned to the sport in July 2025 during the Citi DC Open.
“In a lot of ways, I’m having to relearn how to do things again, if that makes any sense,” Williams said, per ESPN. “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.”
She continued, “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.”
