Venus Williams made a remarkable return to action after a 16-month hiatus, winning her opening matches in both singles and doubles at the 2025 Citi DC Open. However, her campaign ended in the second round of both categories.
Yet, it marked an impactful comeback from the icon, and her fiancée Andrea Preti acknowledged it with an utterly brief message online.
Venus Williams’ Fiancee Andrea Preti Shares One-Word Reaction As Her Citi DC Open Concluded
Despite her wealth of experience, Williams entered the WTA 500 event in the capital as an underdog due to her extended absence from the tour. Yet, the 45-year-old showed no signs of rust in her opening-round clash against compatriot Peyton Stearns. Although she was broken at love to start, she bounced back impressively to take the first set 6-3.
Williams once again found herself trailing Stearns in the second set, down 1-3, but mounted a strong comeback to close it out 6-4. Commanding on serve, she won 71% of her first-serve points and 70% on her second. With the win, the 45-year-old also became the oldest player to claim a tour-level singles victory since Martina Navratilova, who was 47 while defeating Catalina Castaño at the 2004 Wimbledon Championships.
However, it wasn’t the same story for Williams in the second round against the No. 5 seed Magdalena Frech, who ousted the American 6-2, 6-2, committing just 10 unforced errors on Wednesday.
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Williams revealed in her on-court interview after the first round that her fiancé, Preti, was in attendance, cheering her on and encouraging her to continue competing. After her run in Washington ended, Preti shared a one-word reaction on his Instagram story, with a clip from Tennis Channel showing Williams waving to fans after her defeat. ‘Proud,’ he wrote.
Preti was born in Denmark and raised in Italy, and has shaped a career as a writer, director, and model.
More About Andrea Preti and His Relationship With Venus Williams
The Denmark-born Italian has spent the past decade building a career in European entertainment. His achievements in modeling eventually led him to New York City, where he honed his acting skills at the Susan Batson Studio. The 37-year-old has since showcased his talent across commercials, television, and films. In 2014, he made his directorial debut with One More Day, a project he also wrote and starred in.
He also drew attention when rumors of his relationship with Williams began to surface. The speculation started in 2024, when the duo were seen vacationing on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, and they were later spotted together in the Bahamas earlier this year. They made their relationship official at Milan Fashion Week earlier this year, sharing a kiss on the red carpet.
