American legend Venus Williams will compete in the main draw at Australian Open 2026 after receiving the eighth and final women’s wildcard.
It will be her first appearance at Melbourne Park since 2021 and the first time she will have competed outside the United States since 2023.
Williams, who made an impressive comeback to the sport in July 2025, will prepare for AO 2026 at the Hobart International, where she also received a wildcard and will join fellow major champions Barbora Krejcikova and Emma Raducanu.
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"I’m excited to be back in Australia and looking forward to competing during the Australian summer," Williams said. "I’ve had so many incredible memories there, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career.”
Williams, 45, is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an AO main draw, surpassing the record previously held by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round of Australian Open 2015.
An AO singles finalists in 2003 and 2017, Williams is a five-time Wimbledon champion who also won two US Opens.
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After years of health struggles – which she documented on social media and said “affected my tennis and the trajectory of my career” – she underwent uterine fibroid surgery in August 2024.
With both her health and quality of life improved, she returned to action at the 500-level tournament in Washington DC, her first event in almost 18 months. There, she upstaged world No.35 Peyton Stearns, making her the oldest woman to win a tour-level match since the great Martina Navratilova at Wimbledon in 2004.
At the US Open, Williams pushed 11th seed Karolina Muchova to three sets in singles before advancing to the doubles quarterfinals alongside Leyleh Fernandez.
Her return to Australia will mark her first singles outing since that prime-time showdown at Arthur Ashe Stadium against the talented Czech, a former world No.8 and Roland Garros finalist.
“I play an exciting brand of tennis. It's a lot of fun to go literally hog wild out there and hit as hard as I can. I'm happiest when I can just hit hard,” Williams said.
“I think I played some matches in Cincinnati and DC where I didn't really understand how to control myself yet. So I think today [against Muchova] was a lot better measure of, like, okay, you don't have to hit this one as hard as you can. Play a smart shot, then go for the next one (laughing).
“You never stop learning. I learned so much. I'm still learning about myself. When I think about the match I played against her in 2020, I was so uncomfortable. I wasn't well. I was in so much pain.
“Today it's night and day how much better I felt, so I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to play in feeling better, and at that rate, have a real chance.”
In addition to her two AO finals, Williams reached the semifinals in 2001 and another six quarterfinals, contributing to her tournament win-loss record of 54-21.
She is also a four-time women’s doubles champion – winning the 2001, 2003, 2009 and 2010 titles alongside sister Serena – and won the mixed doubles title with Justin Gimelstob in 1998.
"Venus is a true legend and trailblazer of our sport – she’s an inspiration to us all," said Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley. "I’m delighted we’ll see her on court again at both the Hobart International and Australian Open."
The Australian Open 2026 main draw begins Sunday 18 January.