It’s game, set, perfect match for Venus Williams and Andrea Preti.
Williams, 45, confirmed her engagement to the Italian actor, 37, during a post-match interview with Australian tennis legend Rennae Stubbs on Tuesday, July 22.
After winning against Peyton Stearns on day two of Washington, D.C.’s Mubadala Citi DC Open 2025 — her first singles win since 2023 — Williams was asked about the impact Preti, has made to her life, per footage shared via X that day.
“My fiancée is here,” Williams told Stubbs, 54, with a laugh, which drew a round of applause from the crowd. “He really encouraged me to keep playing. There were so many times where I just wanted to coast and, kind of, chill.” (Williams’ appearance at the event marked her first singles match in more than 12 months.)
She joked to Stubbs, “Do you know how hard it is to play tennis?” before continuing, “You guys don’t know how much work goes into this, like, it’s nine to five except you’re running the whole time. Lifting weights and just, like, dying, and then you repeat it the next day. He [Preti] encouraged me to get through this and it’s wonderful to be here.”
Williams noted that Preti, a former model, had never seen her professionally play until Tuesday, to which Stubbs commented, “I’d say he’s a good luck charm.” It drew further smiles from Williams who also nodded her head in agreement.
Williams was first linked to Preti in July 2024 after the pair enjoyed boating together in Nerano, Italy, per photos published by People at the time.
The pair sparked engagement rumors in February when Williams was seen wearing a diamond ring on her wedding finger during an outing with Preti at a Milan Fashion Week runway show.
As for Williams’ return to the court, the former world No. 1 said in October 2024 that her sister, Serena Williams, accidentally muddled up the public’s perception of Venus’ tennis career with many believing that she has retired along with Serena in 2022.
“As that moment gets closer, Serena ruined it for me,” Venus was seen joking in an interview shared via X at the time. “As soon as she retired, everybody thought I retired.”
The iconic tennis star, who first reached world No. 1 in singles in 2002, further reflected on her relationship with Serena, 43, who was born 15 months after her. “Sometimes they [the public] even think we’re twins,” Venus said. “We are two separate people, born on different days.”
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