Tennis great Venus Williams plans to play in 2026

Williams, 45, will be a wild-card entry Jan. 5-11 in the ASB Classic in New Zealand. It will be her 33rd season of play in the WTA.

The tournament could be a primer for the Australian Open, which occurs in late January. Williams, who has won seven Grand Slam singles titles, advanced to the Australian Open title match twice but lost both matches. She last played in the tournament in 2021.

Williams’ professional career began in 1994 in Oakland, California. Her last singles tournament was the US Open in August. She lost in three sets to 11th-seeded Karolina Muchova in the first round.