Venus Williams will probably be filling the Australian Open hole left by the absence of her celebrity sister Serena after being given a wildcard into the primary grand slam of 2023 in Melbourne.
Tennis Australia introduced on Monday that 42-year-old Venus, who’s ranked 1007 on the earth, having performed simply 4 singles video games in 2022, could be again for a twenty second Open.
“I am very excited to be returning to Melbourne to compete at the Australian Open in January,” mentioned Williams, who performed her first Australian Open as a 16-year-old in 1997.
“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 honour to play for the fans again and I’m looking forward to making more memories at the tournament this year.”
Venus has by no means received the Australian Open, having twice misplaced within the last in 2003 and 2017, each instances to Serena, a document seven-time winner who exited tennis following a third-round US Open loss to Australian No.1 Ajla Tomljanovic in September.
Australian Open event director Craig Tiley mentioned he was “delighted” to welcome again Venus to the occasion that she skipped in 2021.
“Venus is not just an incredible player and fan favourite, she’s a great role model and leader in our sport in so many ways,” Tiley mentioned.
“We are delighted to welcome her back to the AO in January.”
There are 12 main champions within the girls’s Australian Open draw, with the occasion to be held from January 16-29.
