American legend Venus Williams will return to the court for her 33rd season, and her commitment to the first tournament of the season has been confirmed. Williams will be heading into her upcoming season after playing three tournaments in her 2025 season and recently tying the knot with Andrea Preti in a double ceremony, which was held in both the United States and Italy.
Venus Williams Returns to Kiwi Land for the First Tournament of Her 2026 Season
The winner of 49 WTA Tour singles titles, including seven Major titles, is set to return to action in her 2026 season. Williams, who is competing at the age of 45, has played at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the Cincinnati Masters, and the US Open in her 2025 season.
She will commence her 2026 season with the ASB Classic tournament, a WTA 250 hard-court outdoor tournament, which will be held from January 5 to January 11 in Auckland, New Zealand.
The official X post of the ASB Classic also shared a video of Williams from a decade ago in which she shared this message: “Hi, it’s Venus and I am so looking forward to coming back to Auckland and taking it a step further this year and hopefully winning the title. I had such a great time last year. Everyone made me feel so at home. I really felt just like a Kiwi. So I’m looking forward to it. I hope you guys have a great rest of the year and I’ll see you next year.” (via X post of ASB Classic)
In the caption, they shared, “We’re so excited to have @Venuseswilliams back on Auckland’s Centre Court next week!”
The iconic player had won the ASB Classic tournament title in 2015, reached the final round in 2013, and advanced to the quarterfinals in 2018. Williams last played in 2023 at the ASB Classic, where she was defeated in the round of 16 by Zhu Lin, and is set to make her sixth appearance at the tournament.
Venus Williams’ Mindset Reflecting Her Resilience and Perseverance
Williams played her first singles match after a gap of more than a year, at the DC Open, and defeated Peyton Stearns in the round of 32. After her win, the icon reflected that excellence isn’t limited, highlighting her mindset and will to achieve more feats in the future.
She shared, “There are no limits for excellence. It’s all about what’s in your head and how much you’re able to put into it. If you put in the work mentally, physically, and emotionally, then you can have the result. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall down. Doesn’t matter how many times you get sick or get hurt or whatever it is. If you continue to believe and put in the work, there is an opportunity, there is space for you.”
After defeating Stearns, Williams became the oldest player to win a singles match on the WTA Tour since Martina Navratilova in 2004.
