It’s recreation, set, good match for Venus Williams and Andrea Preti.
Williams, 45, confirmed her engagement to the Italian actor, 37, throughout a post-match interview with Australian tennis legend Rennae Stubbs on Tuesday, July 22.
After successful towards Peyton Stearns on day two of Washington, D.C.’s Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 — her first singles win since 2023 — Williams was requested concerning the affect Preti, has made to her life, per footage shared by way of X that day.
“My fiancée is right here,” Williams advised Stubbs, 54, with amusing, which drew a spherical of applause from the gang. “He actually inspired me to maintain taking part in. There have been so many instances the place I simply needed to coast and, form of, chill.” (Williams’ look on the occasion marked her first singles match in additional than 12 months.)
She joked to Stubbs, “Have you learnt how laborious it’s to play tennis?” earlier than persevering with, “You guys don’t know the way a lot work goes into this, like, it’s 9 to 5 besides you’re operating the entire time. Lifting weights and simply, like, dying, and then you definately repeat it the subsequent day. He [Preti] inspired me to get via this and it’s great to be right here.”
Williams famous that Preti, a former mannequin, had by no means seen her professionally play till Tuesday, to which Stubbs commented, “I’d say he’s a very good luck attraction.” It drew additional smiles from Williams who additionally nodded her head in settlement.
Williams was first linked to Preti in July 2024 after the pair loved boating collectively in Nerano, Italy, per images printed by Folks on the time.
Venus Williams makes the right Barbie doll. Mattel unveiled a doll made within the 43-year-old tennis professional’s picture on Wednesday, Might 22, to rejoice the significance of ladies’s sports activities. The toy, which includes a plastic Williams in a white tennis gown and an identical visor, was launched as a part of the Staff Barbie athlete assortment […]
The pair sparked engagement rumors in February when Williams was seen sporting a diamond ring on her marriage ceremony finger throughout an outing with Preti at a Milan Vogue Week runway present.
As for Williams’ return to the courtroom, the previous world No. 1 mentioned in October 2024 that her sister, Serena Williams, by accident muddled up the general public’s notion of Venus’ tennis profession with many believing that she has retired together with Serena in 2022.
“As that second will get nearer, Serena ruined it for me,” Venus was seen joking in an interview shared by way of X on the time. “As quickly as she retired, all people thought I retired.”
The enduring tennis star, who first reached world No. 1 in singles in 2002, additional mirrored on her relationship with Serena, 43, who was born 15 months after her. “Typically they [the public] even assume we’re twins,” Venus mentioned. “We’re two separate individuals, born on completely different days.”
