Venus Williams Handed Wildcard For Auckland Classics

Tennis legend Venus Williams has been handed a wildcard to play at the Auckland Classic in January.

The 45-year-old, who has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, made her comeback in July after 16 months without competing.

She defeated fellow American Peyton Stearns, then ranked 35th in the world, on her return at the Washington Open to become the second-oldest woman to win a WTA Tour-level singles match.

A month later, she was given a wildcard into the main draw of the US Open and impressed in her three-set loss to Czech 11th seed Karolina Muchova in the first round.

Nicolas Lamperin, tournament director of the Auckland Classic confirmed that Venus Williams has been handed a wildcard for the tournament.

He said: “Venus has had a profound influence on the evolution of women’s tennis and has inspired the next generation with her unshakeable passion for the sport.

“All sports fans should take this opportunity to watch one of the sport’s all-time greats in action.”

She has not played a tournament outside North America since appearing on the grass at Birmingham in 2023, while her last outing at the Australian Open, where she is a two-time finalist, was back in 2021.

Williams is set to play at the Auckland Classic, a tournament she won in 2015, for the first time since 2023.

It takes place from 5-11 January and precedes the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of 2026, which is scheduled to start on 18 January.

Williams has won 49 WTA Tour–level singles titles, including seven majors (five at Wimbledon and two at the US Open), as well as a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

She has also won 22 doubles titles, including 14 majors and three Olympic gold medals.

In professional tennis tournaments, a wildcard refers to a tournament entry awarded to a player at the discretion of the organizers.