Venus Williams simply made an enormous assertion each on and off the tennis courtroom. After clinching a historic victory on the DC Open, the tennis icon revealed she is formally engaged to Italian actor Andrea Preti.
Following her straight-sets win over Peyton Stearns, 6-3, 6-4, the 45-year-old legend turned the second-oldest lady ever to assert a singles win at a tour-level occasion. However the night time didn’t finish with only a trophy-worthy efficiency. Throughout a courtside interview with ESPN’s Rennae Stubbs, Williams casually confirmed her relationship standing had taken a significant flip.
“My fiancé is right here and he actually inspired me to maintain enjoying,” she shared with a smile. “There have been so many instances the place I simply wished to coast and type of chill. Have you learnt how arduous it’s to play tennis? You guys don’t understand how a lot work goes into this, prefer it’s 9 to five besides you’re operating the entire time.” She continued, “Lifting weights and identical to dying, and then you definitely repeat it the following day. So he inspired me to get via this, and it’s fantastic to be right here. He’s by no means seen me play.”
Get this, Williams and Preti, recognized for his work in Temptation and My Beloved Enemy, have been first noticed collectively in July 2024 whereas vacationing in Nerano, Italy. By early 2025, followers began noticing a diamond ring on her finger, fueling engagement rumors which have now been confirmed.
The information caught many unexpectedly. Williams has beforehand spoken about her independence and lack of stress to adapt to conventional expectations round relationships. In a 2021 interview with Cosmopolitan, she stated, “I’m not determined. You would possibly really feel this fashion, however I don’t. I promise you I don’t.”
In 2022, she opened up additional to Glamour UK, saying, “It’s very easy to get caught in a single life and typically, at the least for me, tougher to get out. It makes you concentrate on your self and what you need and the best way to behave.”
Now, with yet one more main win below her belt and a brand new chapter forward in her private life, Venus Williams continues to rewrite what it means to thrive on her personal phrases. Good for her!
