Venus Williams makes history at 45, loses in Australian Open debut

Venus Williams stepped onto the court at Melbourne Park on Sunday as the oldest woman ever to compete in the Australian Open singles draw, but her historic return ended in disappointment as she fell to Olga Danilovic 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in the first round.

The 45-year-old American received a wild-card entry to the tournament, marking her first appearance at the Australian Open in five years and her 22nd main draw entry at the event. She arrived in Melbourne 28 years after her first appearance in 1998, when she was just 17 years old and reached the quarterfinals.

Background

Williams' return to professional tennis has captured attention since she accepted a wild-card invitation to play singles at the 2025 Mubadala Citi DC Open in July. That match marked a significant moment in her career—she became the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match after defeating Peyton Sterns, who was 22 years her junior, 6-3, 6-4. It was her first singles victory in nearly two years.

Following that breakthrough, Williams partnered with Leylah Fernandez in the women's doubles at the 2025 U.S. Open, where they reached the quarterfinals before losing to Taylor Townsend and Kateřina Siniaková. She also lost her Grand Slam comeback match in singles at the U.S. Open last August.

Before arriving in Melbourne, Williams played warm-up tournaments in Auckland, New Zealand, and Hobart, Australia, where she received wild-card entries. She lost in the first round of both events. Her ranking dropped to 576 due to limited time on the professional tour, a stark contrast to her status as a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion.

Williams married Danish-born model and actor Andrea Preti in December in Palm Beach, Florida, a celebration she said was her priority between tournaments during her comeback.

Key Details

Danilovic, a 24-year-old left-hander from Serbia, proved too consistent in the match. The world No. 67 was ranked 68th at the start of the tournament and was playing in her 11th Grand Slam event. She had reached the fourth round at the Australian Open the previous year, which was her best result at a major championship.

The opening set went to a tiebreak, where Williams showed flashes of the power that made her a dominant force in tennis. However, Danilovic held firm and won the tiebreak 7-5. The Serbian player then took control in the second set, winning 6-3.

In the final set, Danilovic appeared to be pulling away, building a two-break lead. But Williams mounted a comeback attempt, winning several games in succession. The match extended past two and a half hours as the two players battled in the cool Melbourne evening. Ultimately, Danilovic's physical conditioning and consistency proved decisive. She won six consecutive games to close out the match and advance to the second round.

"I didn't come all this way not to compete," Williams said in a pre-tournament press conference, reflecting on her mindset heading into the match.

Williams' record at Melbourne Park now stands at 54 wins and 21 losses across her appearances. She has finished runner-up in the women's singles twice at the event, losing to her younger sister Serena in the finals in 2003 and 2017.

The previous record for the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open singles draw was held by Japan's Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round in 2015. Williams surpassed that mark simply by entering the tournament.

The Historic Milestone

Of the 128 players in the 2026 women's singles draw, 112 were not yet born when Williams played her first professional match. Her presence at the tournament represented not just a personal achievement but a remarkable span of professional tennis history—from the late 1990s to 2026.

When asked about setting the age record, Williams appeared surprised that it had become such a focal point. She said she had not thought about the historic nature of her entry until she read about it in the press.

"I hadn't thought about it until it came out in the press. So yay. Yay for me! Let's do this," she said at her pre-tournament news conference.

What This Means

While the loss marks an end to her Australian Open campaign, it does not necessarily signal the end of Williams' comeback attempt. Her return to professional tennis has already produced moments that seemed unlikely just months ago—winning a match on tour at 45 years old, competing in a Grand Slam doubles tournament, and now setting an age record at one of tennis' most prestigious events.

Danilovic advances to face the winner of a match between third-seeded Coco Gauff and Kamilla Rakhimova in the second round. For Williams, the loss provides lessons as she continues her comeback journey and considers what comes next in her professional career.