Venus Williams set to become oldest player in Australian Open women's draw after accepting wildcard

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Venus Williams will become the oldest woman to ever feature in the main draw of the Australian Open later this month, having accepted a wildcard entry at the age of 45.

Williams is a two-time finalist at the Melbourne Park event, losing to her sister Serena in both of those showpiece matches, in 2003 and 2017.

She has not appeared at the event since 2021, when she lost to Sara Errani in the second round, while she only returned to the WTA Tour in August following a long hiatus.

Williams made her grand slam return at the US Open but lost to Karolina Muchova in the first round, having become the second-oldest winner of a WTA Tour-level match when she beat Peyton Stearns at the Washington Open in the build-up to that event.

She will now surpass Kimiko Date as the oldest player to feature in the women's singles draw in Melbourne, with the tournament getting under way on January 18.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career," Williams said upon accepting her wildcard.

Williams has also accepted wildcards for the Auckland Open and Hobart International, with the former event starting on Tuesday.