Venus Williams’ return to the Australian Open has ended in bitter disappointment after she was knocked out in three sets in the first round on Sunday.
Williams, who has become the oldest woman in history to play in the tournament main draw at the age of 45, fell 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 to Serbia’s Olga Danilovic. The former world No.1 looked to be on the brink of sealing her place in the last 64 when leading 4-1 in the final set before losing five games in a row. It has been almost five years since Williams last won a main draw match at a major, which was at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships.
“It was such a great game, such a great moment. The energy from the crowd was amazing. That lifted me up so much.” Williams said afterwards.
“She (Danilovic) played a great game. Also some luck there, as well. That’s just the sport. That’s how it works sometimes.
“But it was an amazing moment.”
Despite her defeat, Williams is confident she is heading in the right direction, but admits more match play is needed to improve her level. Since January 2025, she has played in only six WTA events, with her sole victory occurring at the Citi Open last summer.
The next challenge for Williams will be in the doubles event, which she has previously won with her sister Serena four times between 2001 and 2010. In this year’s tournament, she is pairing up with Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova, who also suffered a disappointing first round loss in the singles event. Alexandrova, who was the 11th seed, was beaten 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 by Turkey’s Ekaterina Alexandrov Zeynep Sönmez.
“I played against her at the US Open. She was super impressive,” Williams said of her latest doubles partner.
“She put up an amazing fight. It will be nice this time to be on the same side of the court.”
It remains to be seen if Williams will make more regular appearances on the Tour compared to last year. When asked about her future plans on Sunday, she replied ‘I’ll think about what’s next for me’ before adding that doubles is her immediate focus.
