Venus Williams has been awarded a wildcard for the Auckland Classic in January 2026.
45-year-old Venus made a surprising return to the sport in July after being away for 16 months.
The seven-time Grand Slam singles title winner defeated fellow American, Peyton Stearns, then ranked 35th in the world, in her return to the court at the Washington Open. That made her the second oldest woman to win a WTA Tour-level singles match.
In August, Venus was given a wildcard into the main draw of the US Open but lost in three sets to Czech’s 11th seeded player, Karolina Muchova.
She makes a grand return to the Auckland Classic, a tournament which she won in 2025, for the first time since 2013. The tournament takes place from 5-11 January 2026, just before the Australian Open which is the first Grand Slam of the year billed to start on January 18.
